Dubochet, Frank, Henderson win Nobel Chemistry Prize for work in electron microscopy

Scientists Jacques Dubochet, Joachim Frank and Richard Henderson won the 2017 Nobel Prize for Chemistry for developing cryo-electron microscopy which simplifies and improves the imaging of biomolecules. “This method has moved biochemistry into a new era,” the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said Wednesday. The scientists will be awarded the 9 million Swedish krona ($1.1 million) prize, Reuters reported. “Researchers can now freeze biomolecules mid-movement and visualize processes they have never previously seen, which is decisive for both the basic understanding of life’s chemistry and for the development of pharmaceuticals,” the award-giving body said.