Profiles of Leading Women Scientists on AcademiaNet.
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Image: Andrew Brodhead
Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2022
Year of election: | 2008 |
Section: | Chemistry |
City: | Berkeley |
Country: | USA |
Research Priorities: bioorthogonal chemistry, glycobiochemistry, chemical protein engineering, bionanotechnology, tuberculosis
Carolyn Bertozzi is considered a pioneer in the field of glycobiochemistry, an area of science focused on the function of cell surface glycans. These sugar residues play a key role in cell communication and metabolism and change with various diseases. To observe this phenomenon in living cells, Carolyn Bertozzi established a completely new avenue of research: bioorthogonal chemistry.
Carolyn Bertozzi’s research is at the interface of chemistry, biology and medicine. Her interest in glycans led her to an area of science that had up until that time been largely unexplored. A large portion of all proteins is thought to be glycosylated. Carolyn Bertozzi wants to understand the role these sugars play in biological processes and how glycosylation patterns change in specific terms as people age or become ill. Such an understanding will enable the development of methods for detecting cancers, infectious diseases or autoimmune diseases, for example, at an early stage, and possibly shed light on treatment approaches.
Previously, there was no process for examining these molecules in a targeted way. But thanks to the bioorthogonal chemistry developed by Carolyn Bertozzi, this is now possible. Molecules in living cells can now be chemically modified in such a way that allows them to be observed. In this process, cells are fed reporter molecules, which are incorporated into the glycans through cell metabolism. This “labels” the glycans, which are then attached to other chemical substances, enabling them to be recognised and observed, as well as targeted for therapeutic purposes if necessary. For this to work, the reporter molecules must be bioorthogonal. This means that they must not react with the complex, varied biological environment or be toxic.
Carolyn Bertozzi is also developing further chemistry-based methods for modifying biological systems, including a protein engineering process that enables synthetic proteins to be built, which has led to new developments in protein-based agents. She is also focused on nanotools such as nanoneedles or nanoparticles that can be used to examine cells without damaging them. Last but not least, she also conducts research into tuberculosis pathogens.
To ensure that her discoveries are available for medical applications, she established Redwood Bioscience Inc. in 2008.