VCU news

By Pamela DiSalvo Lepley

STOCKHOLM, Sweden – Virginia Commonwealth University Professor John Fenn today received the 2002 Nobel Prize in Chemistry at the Prize Award Ceremony in Stockholm, Sweden.

Dr. Fenn, 85, joined 11 other Nobel laureates from around the world to receive his prize from the hands of King Carl XIV Gustaf of Sweden.

“You will soon become part of the history of the Nobel Prizes,” said Professor Bengt Samuelsson, chairman of the Nobel Foundation board of directors during the opening address.  “But even earlier, through your extraordinarily important contributions, you have inscribed your names in the history of science and culture.  To use the words of Alfred Nobel, you have ‘conferred the highest benefit on mankind.’”

Fenn was asked to stand as the accomplishments that earned him the Nobel Prize for Chemistry were announced to an audience of about 1,600 at the Stockholm Concert Hall.  “Your work to make mass spectrometry applicable for detailed studies of large molecules like proteins has given us new tools for investigations of the processes that constitute life,” said Professor Astrid Graslund, secretary of The Nobel Committee for Chemistry.  “Thank you for your fantastic contributions, which help us to better understand the chemical miracles that constantly occur in our cells – what we call life.”

Graslund said that Fenn caused a “minor revolution” when he succeeded in making intact, large proteins fly through the mass spectrometer so that they could be measured.  Before that, only small to medium size proteins could be identified and measured using mass spectrometry.  Fenn’s technique, called electrospray ionization, is now used in chemistry laboratories around the world to rapidly and simply reveal what proteins a sample contains, revolutionizing the development of new medicines.

“The Nobel Prize is a validation not only of Dr. Fenn’s research, but also of VCU’s leadership in the post-genomic life sciences era and the exciting and promising field of proteomics,” said VCU President Dr. Eugene Trani.

Fenn joined VCU in 1994 as professor of analytical chemistry in VCU’s Department of Chemistry after more than 20 years at Yale University.  He also is affiliate professor of chemical engineering at VCU’s School of Engineering.  Fenn’s current research at VCU, supported by National Science Foundation grants, is focused on measuring the affinity of molecules for water and on analyzing particulate matter that might hold answers one day to how atmospheric pollutants cause diseases.

Fenn shares this year’s Nobel Prize in Chemistry with Koichi Tanaka of Japan and Kurt Wuethrich of Switzerland.

Today’s Nobel Prize Award Ceremony will be followed by the Nobel Prize Banquet held at Stockholm City Hall.  Nobel Week activities continue for Fenn, including visits to the Nobel Foundation and Nobel Museum, a banquet with the King and Queen of Sweden at the Royal Palace, and visits to the university cities.  He returns home to Richmond, Va., Dec. 15.