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The 2026 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to researchers who developed asymmetric organic synthesis. This process allows chemists to create only one specific version of a molecule that has mirror-image chemical structures. These versions are called isomers and have the same atoms but different three-dimensional arrangements. The discovery helps pharmaceutical developers produce beneficial forms of drugs while avoiding harmful ones.

Sajish Mathew, a researcher funded by the National Institutes of Health, applied this method to resveratrol, a compound found in red grapes and peanuts. Previous clinical trials on resveratrol for Alzheimer’s disease showed inconsistent results. Mathew’s team discovered that two different forms of resveratrol exist: cis-resveratrol and trans-resveratrol. While one form may help cognition, the other can be toxic to the nervous system.

Mathew found that these isomers interact differently with an enzyme called tyrosyl-tRNA synthetase (TyrRS). In lab tests on rat brain cells, high concentrations of trans-resveratrol depleted TyrRS levels and killed neurons. Conversely, low concentrations of trans-resveratrol could convert into cis-resveratrol in the body, increasing TyrRS levels. Mathew hypothesizes that many failed trials used high doses of trans-resveratrol or did not test cis-resveratrol alone, leading to confusion about its effects on Alzheimer’s patients.