Nobel Prize 2022 goes to pioneers of Lego-like 'click chemistry'

Danish winner Medal described click chemistry as a way to build complex structures and link them as if they were pieces of Lego, the plastic construction toy

Scientists Carolyn Bertozzi, Morten Meldal and Barry Sharpless won the 2022 Nobel Prize in Chemistry on Wednesday for discovering reactions that let molecules snap together to create new compounds and that offer insight into cell biology.

The field of click chemistry and bioorthogonal chemistry has been harnessed to improve the targeting of cancer pharmaceuticals now being tested in clinical trials, along with a host of health, agricultural and industrial applications.

"Combining simple chemical building blocks makes it possible to create an almost endless variety of molecules," the award-giving body said in a statement, adding that "sometimes simple answers are the best".

Danish winner