Nobel Prize Awarded to Chemists Who Discovered Reactions That Snap Molecules Together Like Lego

(L–R) Chairman of the Nobel Committee for Chemistry Jonas Aqvist, Secretary General of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences Hans Ellegren, and member of the Nobel Committee for Chemistry Olof Ramstrom announce winners of the 2022 Nobel Prize in Chemistry during a news conference at The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in Stockholm on Oct. 5, 2022. TT News Agency/Christine Olsson via Reuters

STOCKHOLM—Scientists Carolyn Bertozzi, Morten Meldal, and Barry Sharpless won the 2022 Nobel Prize in Chemistry on Wednesday for discovering reactions that let molecules snap together to create new compounds and that offer insight into cell biology.

The field of click chemistry and bioorthogonal chemistry has been harnessed to improve the targeting of cancer pharmaceuticals now being tested in clinical trials, along with a host of health, agricultural and industrial applications.