Carolyn R. Bertozzi, K. Barry Sharpless, and Morten Meldal were jointly awarded this year's Nobel Prize in chemistry for developing a way of “snapping molecules together ... sort of like molecular Lego” that can be used to explore cells, map DNA and design drugs that can target diseases such as cancer more precisely. School of Chemistry and Biochemistry Chair M.G. Finn, who completed his Ph.D. with Sharpless and later collaborated with him on the Nobel-winning work, said click chemistry’s use in biology and drug development was still “at its infancy,” with more exciting discoveries to come.
Related coverage: Smithsonian Magazine, STAT News, Times of San Diego, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Yahoo! Life, Firstpost, Business Mirror, Chemistry World.