TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Nobel Prize-winning chemist Kurt Wuthrich spoke at Academia Sinica on Tuesday on the growing impact of AI on biology and human health as part of the Taiwan Bridge Project, per CNA.
In a lecture titled “The Molecules of Life, AI and Human Health,” Wuthrich said the rapid rise of AI is transforming structural biology research, urging scientists to think independently and adapt to a changing research environment.
Wuthrich, who won the 2002 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, described AI-driven protein structure prediction as a breakthrough that has dramatically reduced the time required for discoveries that once took years of experimentation.
He said that amid the rapid advancement of AI, human development remains critical. Researchers should avoid limiting themselves prematurely and instead cultivate independent thinking and adaptability to keep pace with change.
Wuthrich also emphasized the role of universities in preparing students for long-term careers spanning 40 to 50 years. He said higher education should not only teach evolving technical tools but also foster continuous learning and self-renewal to help individuals thrive in the 21st century.
Wuthrich said he did not initially aspire to be a scientist. During his university years, he studied both chemistry and sports science while training intensively as a competitive athlete for more than 25 hours per week, according to a press release.
Drawing on his athletic expertise, he assisted researchers in swimming and physical training, which gave him access to laboratory work and helped launch his scientific career. His background in sports also sparked his interest in how hemoglobin influences oxygen transport and athletic performance.
At a time when comprehensive biobanks did not exist, Wuthrich used hemoglobin from his own blood as research material, marking the start of his work on protein structure. He later devoted 40 years to developing techniques for determining the three-dimensional structures of proteins using nuclear magnetic resonance.
This work enabled scientists to more accurately observe protein folding and conformational changes in simulated liquid physiological environments such as human blood and gastric fluid. For these achievements, he was awarded the 2002 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
During the lecture, he highlighted advances in nuclear magnetic resonance techniques for analyzing biomolecular structures and their applications in precision medicine. These technologies enable scientists to identify promising drug candidates more efficiently and accelerate early-stage screening in pharmaceutical development.
The lecture marked the ninth event in the Taiwan Bridge Project, a program jointly organized by Academia Sinica, 11 domestic academic and research institutions, and the International Peace Foundation. The initiative aims to promote exchanges between Taiwan and leading global scholars.
Since its launch last November, the project has invited 10 Nobel laureates across disciplines, including peace, physics, chemistry, biomedicine, and literature, strengthening international academic collaboration and expanding forward-looking research perspectives.
