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- Through awards to the stars: 2025 Nobel Prize may be awarded for HIV therapy and astrochemistry
Through awards to the stars: 2025 Nobel Prize may be awarded for HIV therapy and astrochemistry
Scientists of Russian origin can receive the Nobel Prize for the creation of the theory of inflation of the Universe. Other applicants include researchers whose work has helped make HIV a non—fatal disease. As well as the discoverers who found out how star clouds and planets were formed, and scientists who explained how living matter self-organizes in cells. These and other studies, which may be noted by the Nobel Committee in 2025, are described in the forecast prepared by Izvestia.
Physiology and Medicine
The scientists who will be awarded the Nobel Prize in 2025 will be announced this week. Three of her five nominations are devoted to scientific disciplines. On October 6, the laureates in physiology and medicine will be announced, on October 7 — in physics, and on October 8 — in chemistry. Russian experts, at the request of Izvestia, suggested who could be awarded the high award.
The Greek scientist Nikos Logothetis
Nikos Logothetis, a Greek scientist, deserves the prize in physiology and medicine, according to Alexey Paevsky, a member of the scientific committee of the national prize in the field of future technologies "Challenge". The contribution to science is the creation, verification and calibration of functional magnetic resonance imaging in application to the human brain. This achievement revolutionized medicine, as it allowed us to accurately see the work of an organ in real time, without opening any shells.
— The developers of highly active antiretroviral therapy for the treatment of HIV, which makes it possible to transfer the disease from the category of fatal to chronic, also deserve awards. This method of treatment allows you to control the disease, and people can lead a full life with it," he told Izvestia.
The creation of the Ozempic drug, which is used to treat diabetes and combat obesity, is also worthy of encouragement from the Nobel Committee. This is the opinion of Albert Rizvanov, head of the Center of Excellence "Personalized Medicine" at Kazan (Volga Region) Federal University.
— The discovery of the role of glucagon-like peptide-1 (a hormone that is produced during food intake) in the body deserves an award. — Ed.) and the creation of drugs imitating their effect for the treatment of type 2 diabetes and obesity. This allowed the development of a drug for weight loss Ozempic. Potential laureates are Daniel Drucker, Jens Holst, Joel Habener, Svetlana Moisova and Lotte Knudsen," the expert said.
In addition, he noted the invention of CAR-T therapy, which uses reprogrammed T-lymphocytes of the patient. They are given the ability to recognize tumor antigens, turning immune cells into a "living medicine." Americans Carl June and Michelle Sadlen may receive a reward for this.
The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine may also be awarded for the development of optogenetics— a revolutionary method that allows scientists to control the activity of neurons and neural circuits using light, thereby revealing the biological basis of brain behavior and functions.
— This method has revolutionized neuroscience, allowing for the first time to map the neural circuits involved in processes such as memorization, learning, sleep, behavioral reactions, and more. Interestingly, the phenomenon of light—dependent changes in the membrane potential of unicellular algae was discovered by Soviet scientists Felix Litvin, Oleg and Vitaly Sineschekov," said Vsevolod Belousov, director of the Federal Center for Brain and Neurotechnology at the Federal Medical and Biological Agency, member of the scientific committee of the national Prize for Future Technologies "Challenge".
At the same time, according to Denis Kuzmin, director of the Phystech School of Biological and Medical Physics at the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, Chinese-American scientist Zhijiang Chen and American researchers Glen Barber and Andrea Ablasser can receive the prize for the discovery of the fundamental mechanism of innate immunity cGAS-STING.
— The discovery of the cGAS-STING signaling pathway has radically changed the understanding of innate immunity. It has become a fundamental basis for the development of new therapeutic approaches, from anti-cancer immunotherapies to antiviral agents and strategies for the treatment of autoimmune diseases. It is the universality and medical significance of this mechanism, from basic biology to applied medicine, that make this an achievement comparable in scale to the classic Nobel discoveries in immunology," the expert said.
In addition, Philip Maximov, head of the laboratory of structural and functional research of innovative antitumor drugs at MIPT, noted John Dick's project from Canada, which is dedicated to leukemia stem cells, as well as work on the study of the hormone ghrelin, which regulates gastric motility and the release of gastric acid for digestion.
Physics
The physics Prize may be awarded for developments in the field of metamaterials. They are designed at the micro level (down to individual atoms and molecules) and allow you to create devices and instruments that work on new principles, said Andrey Naumov, head of the Troitsk Separate Department of the Lebedev Physical Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
Among the potential applicants, he named, in particular, the British physicist John Pendry, who confirmed the existence of a material with a negative refractive index. And also the American David Smith. His group developed Pendry's ideas and developed a prototype invisibility cloak for microwaves.
The theoretical foundations of this field were laid by the Russian scientist Viktor Veselago, who is also worthy of becoming a Nobel Prize laureate, noted Andrei Naumov.
— I would support Mikhail Yeremets. He is a Belarusian graduate of MEPhI in 1973. Among his achievements is the discovery of superconductivity in sulfur hydride (hydrogen sulfide) at a temperature of about -70 °C, and then in lanthanum hydride at -23 °C. These results have brought scientists closer to creating materials that can conduct electricity losslessly under conditions similar to normal ones. However, this requires tremendous pressure," Nikolai Kudryashov, head of the Department of Applied Mathematics at the National Research Nuclear University MEPhI, told Izvestia.
Mikhail Eremets discovered a large number of properties that substances acquire in unusual conditions, the expert added. For example, that at extreme pressures, sodium becomes transparent, and hydrogen turns into metal. Or nitrogen turns into a solid polymer that resembles diamond in properties.
Among those whose discoveries have been awaiting the Nobel Prize in Physics for several decades are Russian-born scientists Andrei Linde and Vyacheslav Mukhanov, who have developed an inflationary model of the universe in detail, added Sergey Popruzhenko, head of the Department of Theoretical Nuclear Physics at the National Research Nuclear University MEPhI.
— Evina Van Dischook from the Netherlands, probably the most important astrochemist of our time, can apply for the prize in two categories at once — in physics and chemistry. She has done a lot to create this science and for explaining how star clouds form, stars and planets form," said Alexey Paevsky, head of the press service of the Federal Research Center for Chemical Physics and Medicinal Chemistry of the Russian Academy of Sciences, member of the scientific committee of the national Prize in the Field of future technologies "Challenge".
In the field of astrophysics, one of the main contenders is the Russian Rashid Sunyaev, who revealed the unique nature of hot neutron stars, where the elements of the periodic table are born. He also initiated the Spektr-RG project, an unparalleled space observatory. With its help, scientists conducted an unprecedented X-ray survey of the entire sky, discovered millions of new sources and created a detailed map of the universe, added Andrei Naumov.
Chemistry
According to Valentin Ananikov, Head of the laboratory at the Zelinsky Institute of Organic Chemistry of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences, traditionally the Nobel Committee's attention is focused on the field where scientists are looking for ways to speed up and make chemical reactions more efficient.
One of the most powerful achievements in this area is the discovery of the C—X cross-coupling reaction. It allows you to "sew" various atoms to the carbon skeleton of an organic molecule with high precision. This discovery has made the synthesis of most modern medicines, materials, and complex natural compounds fast and predictable. The award may be given to American scientists John Hartwig and Stefan Bukwald.
— At the same time, we must not forget that in parallel, similar work in Russia was conducted by academician Irina Beletskaya from Moscow State University. She made a fundamental contribution to the development of these same reactions and laid the foundations that are used all over the world today," said Valentin Ananikov.
The academician also named Tao Jan, a Chinese developer of monatomic catalytic systems, as a contender for the award. Such solutions make it possible to make active every atom of a substance that is added to the reaction to accelerate it. Equally promising are the achievements of French chemist Jean-Marie Tarascon, who made fundamental discoveries in the field of energy conversion and developed innovative types of lithium and sodium batteries.
— In 2025, the chemistry Prize is highly likely to be awarded for breakthroughs in the field of biomolecular condensates, where scientists Clifford Branguinn, Michael Rosen from the USA and Anthony Hyman from the UK are leading. Their work is revolutionizing the understanding of cellular organization," says Sergey Kireev, Doctor of Technical Sciences, Professor, Head of the Department of Chemistry at Penza State University.
He explained that such condensates are a fundamental principle of the organization of living matter. For a long time, scientists believed that all important structures in a cell (organelles like the nucleus or mitochondria) are surrounded by a lipid membrane. However, studies have shown that the cell uses a different, more flexible principle of phase separation.
It is expressed in the fact that molecules (most often proteins and RNA) with many weak bonds interact better with each other, rather than with the surrounding liquid. Understanding how to control condensation formation may lead to the creation of a new type of drugs that act at the cellular level.
— Academician Yuri Oganesyan from the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research holds a special place among Russian scientists. Under his leadership, a number of superheavy elements of the Periodic Table were synthesized, including element No. 118 — Oganeson (Og), named after him," said Valentin Ananikov.
This is a unique case when the name of a scientist was immortalized during his lifetime. His discoveries expanded the boundaries of chemistry and allowed us to get closer to understanding the fundamental laws of the structure of matter, the expert emphasized.
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