Directed Evolution & Phage Display
Frances H. Arnold, George P. Smith & Sir Gregory P. Winter
About This Prize
The 2018 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to Frances H. Arnold “for the directed evolution of enzymes” and to George P. Smith and Sir Gregory P. Winter “for the phage display of peptides and antibodies.” Arnold pioneered iterative rounds of mutagenesis and selection to engineer enzymes with novel functions, while Smith developed phage display — a method for evolving new proteins by linking genotype to phenotype on bacteriophage surfaces. Winter applied phage display to evolve therapeutic antibodies, leading to blockbuster drugs like adalimumab (Humira).
Sir Gregory P. Winter
“Harnessing Evolution to Make Medicines”
Frances H. Arnold
“Innovation by Evolution: Bringing New Chemistry to Life”
George P. Smith
“Phage Display: Simple Evolution in a Petri Dish”
Key Concepts
- • Directed Evolution: Iterative mutagenesis and screening/selection to evolve proteins with desired functions
- • Phage Display: Expressing peptides/antibodies on bacteriophage surfaces to link genotype to binding phenotype
- • Antibody Engineering: Evolving fully human therapeutic antibodies; adalimumab became the world’s best-selling drug
- • Enzyme Engineering: Creating enzymes for green chemistry, biofuels, and reactions not found in nature