French and Japanese scientists win 2026 Nobel Prize in chemistry
The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced that Henry B. Kagan and Kenshu Sui received the 2026 Nobel Prize in Chemistry on Wednesday.
Recognition for asymmetric synthesis work
The award recognizes their research into nonlinear effects and autocatalysis within organic chemistry. Their findings allow researchers to create molecules with specific mirror-image structures. This capability is vital for pharmaceutical development because different forms can have distinct biological properties.
Importance of molecular shape in biology
Living organisms rely on proteins built from amino acids with a single orientation. DNA maintains a characteristic right-handed helical structure that depends on precise molecular geometry. These specific shapes determine how compounds interact with the human body during medical treatments.
Examples of mirror-image differences
Carvone illustrates how one form smells like mint while its mirror image smells like caraway. Such variations show why controlling molecular structure matters for creating desired therapeutic effects. Scientists can now produce the exact compound version needed for specific drugs.
Reported by one outlet
Only one outlet has published this. Nothing here has been checked against a second report, so read it as that outlet's account and follow the link below for the original.
Reported by
1 independent outlet. Headline as published. Links open the original report.