Ada Yonath
Nobel Prize-winning crystallographer who mapped ribosome structures, advancing antibiotic development
Ada Yonath (b. 1939), an Israeli crystallographer, revolutionized structural biology through her pioneering work on ribosome mapping. Despite widespread skepticism in the 1970s about crystallizing ribosomes (cell's protein factories), she developed cryo-crystallography techniques using frozen samples at -185°C.
Her 20-year quest produced:
- First 3D models of ribosomal subunits
- Atomic-level understanding of antibiotic interactions
- Blueprint for designing targeted antimicrobial drugs
This work earned Yonath the 2009 Nobel Prize in Chemistry (shared with Venkatraman Ramakrishnan and Thomas Steitz), making her:
| • First Israeli woman Nobel laureate | • Fourth woman to win Chemistry Nobel |
Modern antibiotic development relies on her ribosomal maps to create drugs that disable bacterial protein synthesis without harming human cells. Yonath continues advocating for rational antibiotic design to combat resistance crises.
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