The names of the Nobel Prizes in Chemistry may have been accidentally announced on Wednesday, a few hours before the winners were officially announced, several Swedish media outlets claim.
The 2023 chemistry prize would be awarded to three US-based researchers “for the discovery and synthesis of quantum dots”: Moungi Bawendi of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Louis Brus of Columbia University and Alexei Ekimov, who works for Nanocrystals Technology, so the Swedish daily newspaper “Dagens Nyheter” and the website of the Swedish science magazine “Nyteknik”.
This information was also picked up by the Swedish public broadcaster SR and the website of the public television SVT. All quote an emailed press release from the Academy headlined “You have planted an important seed for nanotechnology.”
Quantum dots, also known as quantum dots, are semiconductor nanocrystals typically 2 to 10 nanometers in diameter. Capable of converting an incoming light spectrum into a different energy frequency, they are used in modern LED television screens, solar panels and in medical imaging, where they can particularly assist surgeons in removing tumors.
Leaks of Nobel Prizes are rare because the academies responsible for selecting winners are careful to keep their debates secret. The list of nominees is also secret for 50 years.
When asked about the leak, Eva Nevelius, a spokeswoman for the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, said she “simply doesn’t know what happened.”
“The academy has not yet made a decision,” she assured AFP. The winners will be announced “as usual at approximately 11:45 a.m. (9:45 a.m. GMT).”
Synthetic Biology
Other areas are expected to be experts if the Academy ever honors other researchers.
Like this new field of science, synthetic biology, which aims to develop new systems inspired by natural metabolic cycles.
This could recognize the discoveries of the American biologists Stanislas Leibler, Michael Elowitz or the American professor of medical technology James J. Collins, estimates the Clarivate Institute, which monitors scientific discoveries.
The focus of her work is on the design of synthetic genetic circuits.
However, this area of research is controversial and “raises ethical questions about the boundaries that should not be crossed when creating life,” argues Lars Broström, scientific expert at Swedish public broadcaster SR.
The Japanese Kazunori Kataoka, the Russian-American Vladimir P. Torchilin and the American Karen L. Wooley are also considered favorites for the “development of innovative methods” for the targeted administration of drugs and genes.
Last year, a trio was recognized for “the development of “click chemistry” and bioorthogonal chemistry,” used in particular to develop the best pharmaceutical treatments, including against cancer.
Biotechnology revolution
Several experts expect recognition of next-generation DNA sequencing work.
According to Clarivate, the Nobel candidates include the British chemist of Indian origin Shankar Balasubramanian or the Briton David Klenerman for their “co-invention” of this new method, a biotechnological revolution of recent years that makes it possible to sequence large amounts of DNA in record time.
SR Radio’s Lars Broström favors US-based biologist Omar Yaghi and his work on organometallic networks (MORs) and their porous properties for absorbing dangerous gases, “an important area for the future”, particularly for the environment.
“Today there are commercial products made from this type of material that can, among other things, absorb and decontaminate toxins, act as a catalyst or even remove water from the air,” he said from desert areas, he added.
The name of Karen Wooley, an American chemist at Texas A&M University who has developed nanotechnologies to treat diseases, is also circulating in the Swedish press. She is one of the few women nominated for the award this year.
As with the other Nobel Prize winners, the Chemistry Prize was criticized for a lack of diversity and equality. Since 1901, out of 114 winners, only eight women have been crowned.