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EMBL mourns the loss of Professor Ada Yonath (1939–2026), the Nobel Prize-winning crystallographer. We were proud to be part of her orbit as she conducted some of her pioneering work on the ribosome at EMBL facilities
In the late 1970s, Ada Yonath set out to determine the atomic structure of the ribosome, a task then considered close to impossible. For the necessary precision, scientists at EMBL Hamburg and EMBL Grenoble supported her, sharing the beamlines and X-ray diffractometers on which her work depended. She also collaborated with Kevin Leonard and Sir John Kendrew at EMBL Heidelberg for associated electron microscopy experiments.
The incredible work of Yonath and her team culminated in the 2009 Nobel Prize in Chemistry and has transformed how scientists study biological molecules, changing structural biology forever, and will continue to shape research for generations to come.
“Ada was a legend,” said Thomas Schneider, structural biologist and Head of EMBL Hamburg, “She was an iconic figure and inspiration for many of us.”
The years after being awarded the Nobel Prize, with the basic structure in hand, Yonath was able to solve the structures of various antibiotics as bound to the ribosome. These structures demonstrated how drugs selectively stop translation – and thereby kill bacterial pathogens.
We extend our deepest condolences to her family, her colleagues, and the many scientists she inspired.
