NIH 2021 Nobel Laureates in Chemistry

Two scientists won the Nobel Prize in chemistry for finding an ingenious and environmentally cleaner way to build molecules — an approach now used to make a variety of compounds, including medicines and pesticides.

The work of Benjamin List and David W.C. MacMillan has allowed scientists to produce those molecules more cheaply, efficiently, safely and with significantly less hazardous waste. The Nobel panel noted that their contributions made the production of key drugs easier, including an antiviral and an anti-anxiety medication.

“One way to look at their work is like molecular carpentry,” said John Lorsch, director of NIH NIGMS. “They’ve found ways to not only speed up the chemical joining, but to make sure it only goes in either the right-handed or left-handed direction.”

The NIH supported List’s research with a grant in 2002. MacMillan’s work has received funding from NIH since 2000, for a total of around $14.5M to date.