Who is ada yonath

Among other applications, this has been important in the production of antibiotics. Explore a storytelling experience that celebrates and explores the contributions, careers and lives of 19 women who have been awarded Nobel Prizes for their scientific achievements. Photo: U. Ada E. Life Ada Yonath was born in Jerusalem, Israel. In , she earned a Ph. She is the cousin of anti-occupation activist Dr Ruchama Marton. She has called for the unconditional release of all Hamas prisoners, saying that "holding Palestinians captive encourages and perpetuates their motivation to harm Israel and its citizens Lipscomb, Jr.

In , she established what was for nearly a decade the only protein crystallography laboratory in Israel. She was visiting professor at the University of Chicago in Yonath focuses on the mechanisms underlying protein biosynthesis, by ribosomal crystallography, a research line she pioneered over twenty years ago despite considerable skepticism of the international scientific community.

Ribosomes translate RNA into protein and because they have slightly different structures in microbes, when compared to eukaryotes, such as human cells, they are often a target for antibiotics. It was a tough road. The international scientific community was skeptical and thought it was a ridiculous and impossible quest by a young researcher. She learned that during hibernation, the ribosomes of the bears are packed orderly on the inner side of their cell membranes.

During the years to come, Yonath worked tirelessly towards her goal of understanding the function of the ribosome through determining its high resolution structure. She remembers the day in the mids when she finally had a ribosome crystal. Once the structure of the ribosome was determined, it also provided a detailed understanding of how many common antibiotics that target ribosomes work, which is a topic she has followed up on. She also sent ribosomes into space on twelve NASA missions to assess crystallization in zero-gravity.

Her discoveries have paved the way for many other studies in structural biology and for the development of new antibiotics. Yonath first thought it was a prank when Stockholm called in October of You currently have JavaScript disabled in your web browser, please enable JavaScript to view our website as intended. Here are the instructions of how to enable JavaScript in your browser.

Ada Yonath focuses on genetic code translation by ribosomes, on antibiotics paralyzing this process, on designing novel eco-friendly antibiotics for fighting resistance, on ribosomopathies and on origin of life.