Carolyn Bertozzi uses chemical tools to study biological processes. Bertozzi and her team’s research initially focused on the study of cell surface sugars, including glycolipids and glycoproteins. To image these sugars with microscopes, the team developed a tool called bioorthogonal chemistry which relies on pairs of chemical groups that want to react and form a bond with each other. Bioorthogonal refers to the fact that these partners do not interact or interfere with biology. Using the spotlight of bioorthogonal chemistry, the team revealed an as-yet-unknown cell surface sugar – glycoRNA. This approach is now used to study molecules such as proteins, DNA, and RNA in live cells and has potential utility as a drug delivery system for cancer therapeutics.
Thirteen project teams involving 70 scientists from 29 institutions are collaborating on basic research targeted at preparedness for future emerging pathogens that could threaten human health. The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced today that HHMI Investigator Carolyn Bertozzi of Stanford University, Morten Meldal of University of Copenhagen, and K. Barry Sharpless of Scripps Research Institute are the recipients of the 2022 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for the development of click chemistry and bioorthogonal chemistry. Sugars attach to certain RNA molecules on the outside membrane of the cell. The newly discovered “glycoRNAs” may be involved in immune signaling. A new technique may one day allow fast, simple detection of the bacterium that causes TB, as well as a way to monitor whether drugs are working. New ways of imaging sugar molecules are creating a vibrant new biological frontier.