Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2018: Directed Evolution of Enzymes and Phage Display for Peptides and Antibodies
2018-10-02
In October, the 2018 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was announced. The recipients of this year's prize were American scientists Frances H. Arnoid, George P. Smith and British Gregory P. Winter. They received the award for their work on directed evolution of enzymes and phage display technology for peptides and antibodies.
In October, the 2018 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was announced. The recipients of this year's prize were American scientists Frances H. Arnoid, George P. Smith and British Gregory P. Winter. They received the award for their work on directed evolution of enzymes and phage display technology for peptides and antibodies.
Since 1993, Frances H. Arnoid has performed the first directed evolution of an enzyme, a protein that catalyzes a chemical reaction. Her method is often used to develop new catalysts, enzymes produced by this method, for purposes ranging from the development of greener chemicals, pharmaceuticals and the production of greener, renewable fuels for the transportation sector.
Enzymes are proteins or RNAs produced by living cells with high specificity and catalytic potency for their substrates, and are therefore an important class of biocatalysts. In 1993, Arnoid completed the first enzyme directed evolution experiment, which is the first time to realize her theory. Since then, she has continuously improved this method and can now be used to develop new catalysts. Based on Arnoid's research, the industry can make chemicals in a more environmentally friendly way, such as producing drugs and renewable energy.
The other two winners, George P. Smith and Sir Gregory P. Winter, developed phage display methods for directed evolution of antibodies to produce new drugs. The first adalimumab based on this approach was approved in 2002 for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis and inflammatory bowel disease. Since then, phage display has produced antibodies that can neutralize toxins and protect against autoimmune diseases and metastatic cancer.
In 1985, Smith developed a technique known as "phage display", which is based on phage viruses that specialize in infecting bacteria. The viruses themselves are nothing more than protein capsules wrapped in genetic material. By introducing genes into phage, Smith can evolve novel proteins in the phage. Winter uses phage display technology to produce drug antibodies. Antibodies are tag molecules that our immune cells use to recognize other cells.
The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences believes that "we are in the early stages of a direct evolutionary revolution, which will bring the greatest benefits to mankind in many different ways".
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