Kagan and Soai Awarded 2026 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
UKPulse Health Desk
Henri B Kagan and Kensō Soai have been awarded the 2026 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for their work on producing specific mirror image forms of molecules.
- Henri B Kagan of Paris-Sud University and Kensō Soai of Tokyo University of Science received the prize.
- Their discoveries relate to chemical reactions that create an overwhelming excess of one mirror image form of a molecule.
The 2026 Nobel Prize in Chemistry has been awarded to two scientists, Henri B Kagan and Kensō Soai. Mr Kagan, from Paris-Sud University in France, and Mr Soai, from Tokyo University of Science in Japan, were recognised for their discoveries concerning chemical reactions.
Their work demonstrated how chemical reactions can produce an overwhelming excess of one of two mirror image forms of a molecule. This has become an important tool in drug development, contributing to a greater understanding of how medicines function within the body.
Why this matters: The discoveries are an important tool in drug development, allowing a greater understanding of how medicines work in the body.