11/29/2024

A Nobel Prize For Chemistry Work ‘Totally Separate From Biology’

17:38 minutes

three illustrations of three people, all are middle aged. on the left is a woman with short hair, in the middle an older man with glasses, and on the right an older bald man with glasses
Winners of the 2022 Nobel Prize in chemistry. From left to right, Carolyn R. Bertozzi, Morten Meldal, and K. Barry Sharpless. © Nobel Prize Outreach. Illustration by Niklas Elmehed

In 2022, the Nobel Prize in Chemistry went to Dr. Carolyn Bertozzi of Stanford University, Dr. Morten Meldal of the University of Copenhagen, and Dr. K. Barry Sharpless of the Scripps Research Institute “for the development of click chemistry and bioorthogonal chemistry.” In “click chemistry,” molecular building blocks snap together quickly and efficiently to let chemists build more complicated molecules. But bioorthogonal chemistry takes that work one step further, allowing the technique to be used within living organisms without damaging cells.

“When someone is thinking outside the box, or in a very different way, we like to think of that as orthogonal thinking,” Bertozzi explained. “So biorthogonal means not interacting with biology. Totally separate from biology.” Her research began with an interest in developing ways to see specific sugar molecules on the surface of cells. But it has developed into an approach that can be used for advanced drug delivery in fields such as chemotherapy. 

As part of Science Friday’s 33rd anniversary show, we’re revisiting our listeners’ favorite stories, including this one. In 2022, Bertozzi joined Ira Flatow for a wide-ranging conversation about her research, chemistry education, her early music career, and the importance of diversity in the field of chemistry.


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Segment Guests

Carolyn Bertozzi

Dr. Carolyn Bertozzi is a 2022 Nobel Laureate in Chemistry and a Professor of Chemistry at Stanford University in Palo Alto, California.

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About Jason P. Dinh

Jason P. Dinh is Climate Editor at Atmos Magazine in Washington, DC.  He previously was an NSF-funded intern at Science Friday.

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As Science Friday’s director and senior producer, Charles Bergquist channels the chaos of a live production studio into something sounding like a radio program. Favorite topics include planetary sciences, chemistry, materials, and shiny things with blinking lights.

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Ira Flatow is the founder and host of Science FridayHis green thumb has revived many an office plant at death’s door.

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