{"612340":{"#nid":"612340","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Harnessing the Power of Evolution","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThree scientists have been named to receive the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.nobelprize.org\/prizes\/chemistry\/2018\/press-release\/\u0022\u003E2018 Nobel Prize in Chemistry\u003C\/a\u003E. One-half goes to \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/fhalab.caltech.edu\/\u0022\u003EFrances Arnold\u003C\/a\u003E, of California Institute of Technology, for her work on the directed evolution of enzymes. The other half is shared by \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/biology.missouri.edu\/people\/?person=94\u0022\u003EGeorge Smith\u003C\/a\u003E, of the University of Missouri, Columbia, and Gregory Winter, of MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, in Cambridge, U.K., for their work on the phage display of proteins and antibodies.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe winners showed that \u0026ldquo;scientists in the laboratory can tap into the power of biological evolution to make medicines, catalysts, and other useful molecules,\u0026rdquo; says M.G. Finn, professor and the chair of the Georgia Tech School of Chemistry. He is also editor-in-chief of the journal \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/pubs.acs.org\/page\/acsccc\/about.html\u0022\u003EACS Combinatorial Science\u003C\/a\u003E, whose scope includes discovery of functional molecules or systems through evolution-based means.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EFinn details the significance of 2018 Nobel Prize in Chemistry and the participation of Georgia Tech in the research enterprise spawned by the award-winning discoveries.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhy are the discoveries of Arnold, Smith, and Winter Nobel-Prize-worthy?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ENature is the master creator of new materials (skin, bone, wings, eyes), molecules (insulin, serotonin, glucose, proteins), and functions (smelling a rose, digesting a meal, retrieving a memory). Chemists, other scientists, and engineers also make new things, but we are not very good at it, in comparison to nature. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ENature\u0026rsquo;s method of creation is\u0026nbsp;\u003Cem\u003Eevolution\u003C\/em\u003E, the essence of which is the making of many possible solutions to a problem and the comparative testing of them against each other. \u0026ldquo;Survival of the fittest\u0026rdquo; best captures the idea. But what it misses \u0026ndash; and what many don\u0026rsquo;t fully appreciate \u0026ndash; is the role of time. Nature takes a very long time to evolve things, but it has lots of time at its disposal.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EWe in the laboratory do not. The 2018 Nobel laureates invented methods to speed the process up. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat has been the impact of these discoveries?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe harnessing of biological evolution in the laboratory \u0026ndash; started by George Smith \u0026ndash; has led to a revolution in medical care through drugs called biologics, first made by Gregory Winter. Biologics are proteins that bind specifically and tightly to disease-causing molecules. Administered by injection, biologics represent the best treatments for many diseases, including arthritis, colitis, some types of diabetes, and various kinds of cancer. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe methods pioneered by Frances Arnold have led to new ways to make molecules by evolving the catalysts that create them. This new tool has reduced the cost of making drugs, biofuels, and other products. \u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat are the award-winning discoveries? \u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EGeorge Smith invented the method called \u0026ldquo;phage display,\u0026rdquo; which uses viruses as a platform. He found a way to make \u0026ndash; in a single experiment \u0026ndash; trillions of viruses, each one displaying on its surface a different variant of a protein or peptide.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThat immense collection of variants can then be mixed with a \u0026ldquo;target\u0026rdquo; that you want to grab onto, such as a cancer cell, or toxin, or anything. Some of the viruses may stick to the target, most will not. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EWhen Smith washed away those that didn\u0026rsquo;t stick, he was left with the ones that did.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ECrucially, each of the viruses contained the genetic instructions to make the protein variant on its surface. Smith could then cause the \u0026ldquo;sticky\u0026rdquo; viruses to replicate themselves, make trillions of new viruses, and repeat the process. Out of a vast number of candidates, a\u0026nbsp;small number emerge that bind very well to the target. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe technique has been used by thousands of laboratories all over the world and has inspired many other methods to do similar kinds of \u0026ldquo;cycles\u0026rdquo; of evolution. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EGregory Winter pioneered a particularly important use for phage display \u0026ndash; the creation of human antibodies. These proteins are compatible with the human body and bind very specifically to disease-causing molecules or cells.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EWinter was the first to use phage display to create an antibody that bound to a molecule responsible for causing many inflammation-based diseases in humans. The phage display method was the only way to sort through the countless potential variants of antibodies to find a useful solution to the problem.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThis first drug developed from this approach is adalimumab (marketed as Humira). In many countries, this antibody drug is now the first-line treatment for arthritis and other inflammatory disease.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EFrances Arnold harnessed a different part of evolution\u0026rsquo;s power: the ability to develop new catalysts, which are molecules that speed up chemical reactions.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EHere the challenge is more subtle than evolving something that just sticks tightly to a target: it is to create something that grabs two molecules, causes them to connect to each other, releases the product, and then repeats the process, over and over.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EArnold used biological tools to create many candidate protein-based catalysts, or enzymes. Then she applied sophisticated methods of chemical analysis to rapidly determine which one was the best at the assigned chemical task.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EShowing that this process could create better enzymes caused a revolution in catalysis. Now called directed evolution, this approach is used worldwide.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThis method of discovery is different from what we usually do; it doesn\u0026rsquo;t presuppose an answer to a complex problem. Rather, it lets the solution emerge on its own, guided by the investigator.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat is Georgia Tech\u0026rsquo;s participation in this field of research?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech is a leading institution in the study of biological evolution and its use.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cul\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003EThe \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/centerforchemicalevolution.com\/\u0022\u003ECenter for Chemical Evolution\u003C\/a\u003E, led by chemistry professor \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.chemistry.gatech.edu\/faculty\/hud\/\u0022\u003ENicholas Hud\u003C\/a\u003E, explores the chemical processes that led to the first evolving systems on earth.\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003ESchool of Biological Sciences Professor \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/biosci.gatech.edu\/people\/frank-rosenzweig\u0022\u003EFrank Rosenzweig\u003C\/a\u003E leads a national center on the study of evolutionary processes of bacteria.\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/biosci.gatech.edu\/people\/will-ratcliff\u0022\u003EWilliam Ratcliff\u003C\/a\u003E and others in the School of Biological Sciences study the evolution of cellular processes.\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003EChemistry professor \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/peralta-yahya.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EPamela Peralta-Yahya\u003C\/a\u003E pioneers the evolution of biological sensors.\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003EImmunology, a strong theme at Georgia Tech with the new NIH Training Program in \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/immunoengineering.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EImmunoEngineering\u003C\/a\u003E \u0026ndash; led by biomedical engineering professor \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/groups.bme.gatech.edu\/groups\/babensee\/pi.html\u0022\u003EJulia Babensee\u003C\/a\u003E \u0026ndash; is an important form of evolution. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003EMany other Georgia Tech investigators study evolving systems of other kinds, including \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.robotics.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003Emachines and computer programs\u003C\/a\u003E. \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\u003C\/ul\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ERecognizing the central importance of evolution as both a phenomenon and tool, in 2016 Georgia Tech established the country\u0026rsquo;s first \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/petitinstitute.gatech.edu\/research\/molecular-evolution-core\u0022\u003Ecore facility for molecular evolution\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ELed by \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.rh.gatech.edu\/news\/595718\/molecular-evolution-core-open-business\u0022\u003EAnton Bryksin\u003C\/a\u003E, the facility helps investigators use techniques developed by the 2018 Nobel Prize winners to discover their own molecular solutions to their research problems.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EPhage display and directed evolution methods are extraordinarily helpful to Georgia Tech biomedical engineers, biochemists, chemical engineers, and biologists who need new molecules for useful functions.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Georgia Tech chemist M.G. Finn explains the significance of the 2018 Nobel Prize in Chemistry"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech chemist M.G. Finn details the significance of 2018 Nobel Prize in Chemistry and the participation of Georgia Tech in the research enterprise spawned in part by the award-winning discoveries.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Georgia Tech chemist M.G. Finn explains the significance of the 2018 Nobel Prize in Chemistry."}],"uid":"30678","created_gmt":"2018-10-04 16:38:55","changed_gmt":"2018-10-04 17:58:29","author":"A. Maureen Rouhi","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2018-10-04T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2018-10-04T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"612336":{"id":"612336","type":"image","title":"Winners of 2018 Nobel Prize in Chemistry (Courtesy of Nobel Media)","body":null,"created":"1538670837","gmt_created":"2018-10-04 16:33:57","changed":"1538670837","gmt_changed":"2018-10-04 16:33:57","alt":"","file":{"fid":"233091","name":"2018 Nobel Chemistry.small_.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/2018%20Nobel%20Chemistry.small_.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/2018%20Nobel%20Chemistry.small_.png","mime":"image\/png","size":125029,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/2018%20Nobel%20Chemistry.small_.png?itok=srdpQn-o"}},"595865":{"id":"595865","type":"image","title":"M.G. Finn","body":null,"created":"1505317144","gmt_created":"2017-09-13 15:39:04","changed":"1505317144","gmt_changed":"2017-09-13 15:39:04","alt":"","file":{"fid":"227089","name":"M.G. Finn.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/M.G.%20Finn.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/M.G.%20Finn.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":66832,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/M.G.%20Finn.jpg?itok=fozOP-Rk"}}},"media_ids":["612336","595865"],"groups":[{"id":"1278","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"85951","name":"School of Chemistry and Biochemistry"}],"categories":[{"id":"146","name":"Life Sciences and Biology"}],"keywords":[{"id":"179285","name":"2018 Nobel Prize in Chemistry"},{"id":"179286","name":"directed evolution"},{"id":"111331","name":"mg finn"},{"id":"166928","name":"School of Chemistry and Biochemistry"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EA. Maureen Rouhi, Ph.D.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nDirector of Communications\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCollege of Sciences\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["maureen.rouhi@cos.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}