World's Best Scientists 2026 revealed!
Kurt Wüthrich

Kurt Wüthrich

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Best Scientists
2025
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Chemistry
Switzerland
2026

D-Index & Metrics

Best Scientists

D-Index
172
Citations
143006
World Ranking
796
National Ranking
10

Chemistry

D-Index
169
Citations
141946
World Ranking
67
National Ranking
2

Research.com Recognitions

  • 2026 - Research.com Chemistry in Switzerland Leader Award
  • 2025 - Research.com Best Scientists Award
  • 2025 - Research.com Chemistry in Switzerland Leader Award
  • 2022 - Research.com Chemistry in Switzerland Leader Award
  • 2010 - Oesper Award, University of Cincinnati and American Chemical Society
  • 2010 - Fellow of the Royal Society, United Kingdom
  • 2002 - Nobel Prize for his development of nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy for determining the three-dimensional structure of biological macromolecules in solution
  • 1998 - Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
  • 1993 - Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
  • 1992 - Member of the National Academy of Sciences
  • 1991 - Louisa Gross Horwitz Prize, Columbia University
  • 1989 - Member of Academia Europaea
  • 1987 - German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina - Deutsche Akademie der Naturforscher Leopoldina – Nationale Akademie der Wissenschaften Biochemistry and Biophysics
  • Member of the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO)
  • Member of the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO)
  • Member of the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO)
  • Member of the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO)
  • Member of the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO)
  • Member of the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO)
  • Member of the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO)

Overview

Kurt Wüthrich is affiliated with ETH Zurich in Switzerland and has an extensive body of research primarily in the field of biochemistry, genetics, and molecular biology. Their work is concentrated in molecular biology, physiology, cellular and molecular neuroscience, materials chemistry, and spectroscopy.

Their research topics cover a broad range including receptor mechanisms and signaling, adenosine and purinergic signaling, protein structure and dynamics, neuropeptides and animal physiology, pharmacological receptor mechanisms and effects, enzyme structure and function, and prion diseases and protein misfolding.

Recent publications demonstrate a continued focus on receptor dynamics and structural biology. Notable papers include:

  • "Biased Signaling of the G-Protein-Coupled Receptor β2AR Is Governed by Conformational Exchange Kinetics," 2020, published in Structure
  • "A2A Adenosine Receptor Partial Agonism Related to Structural Rearrangements in an Activation Microswitch," 2020, published in Structure
  • "GPCR large-amplitude dynamics by 19F-NMR of aprepitant bound to the neurokinin 1 receptor," 2022, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
  • "Tumor Immunotherapy Using A2A Adenosine Receptor Antagonists," 2020, published in Pharmaceuticals
  • "G Protein-coupled Receptor (GPCR) Reconstitution and Labeling for Solution Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) Studies of the Structural Basis of Transmembrane Signaling," 2022, published in Molecules

Kurt Wüthrich has frequently published in several scientific venues, with multiple contributions in:

  • Structure
  • Molecules
  • Journal of Biomolecular NMR
  • Journal of the American Chemical Society
  • Journal of Magnetic Resonance

They have also contributed to book publications, notably with titles released by World Scientific, including:

  • NMR with Biological Macromolecules in Solution (2020)
  • Chemistry Challenges of the 21st Century (2023)

Kurt Wüthrich has collaborated frequently with colleagues such as Dongsheng Liu, Lingyun Yang, Gerhard Wider, Canyong Guo, and Raymond C. Stevens.

Awards conferred include the Nobel Prize in 2002 for the development of nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy to determine the three-dimensional structure of biological macromolecules in solution. Additional honors include the Fellow of the Royal Society (2010), Oesper Award from the University of Cincinnati and American Chemical Society (2010), Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (1998), Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (1993), membership in the National Academy of Sciences (1992), Louisa Gross Horwitz Prize from Columbia University (1991), member of Academia Europaea (1989), membership in the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina (1987) in biochemistry and biophysics, and membership in the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO).

Best Publications

  • NMR of proteins and nucleic acids

    Kurt Wuthrich

  • MOLMOL: a program for display and analysis of macromolecular structures.

    Reto Koradi;Martin Billeter;Kurt Wüthrich

  • NMR with Proteins and Nucleic Acids

    Kurt Wüthrich

  • Application of phase sensitive two-dimensional correlated spectroscopy (COSY) for measurements of 1H-1H spin-spin coupling constants in proteins.

    D. Marion;K. Wüthrich

  • Attenuated T2 relaxation by mutual cancellation of dipole–dipole coupling and chemical shift anisotropy indicates an avenue to NMR structures of very large biological macromolecules in solution

    Konstantin Pervushin;Roland Riek;Gerhard Wider;Kurt Wüthrich

  • TORSION ANGLE DYNAMICS FOR NMR STRUCTURE CALCULATION WITH THE NEW PROGRAM DYANA

    P. Güntert;C. Mumenthaler;K. Wüthrich

  • Improved spectral resolution in cosy 1H NMR spectra of proteins via double quantum filtering.

    M. Rance;O.W. Sørensen;G. Bodenhausen;G. Wagner

  • A TWO-DIMENSIONAL NUCLEAR OVERHAUSER ENHANCEMENT (2D NOE) EXPERIMENT FOR THE ELUCIDATION OF COMPLETE PROTON-PROTON CROSS-RELAXATION NETWORKS IN BIOLOGICAL MACROMOLECULES

    Anil Kumar;R.R. Ernst;K. Wüthrich

  • The program XEASY for computer-supported NMR spectral analysis of biological macromolecules.

    Christian Bartels;Tai-he Xia;Martin Billeter;Peter Güntert

  • Protein NMR structure determination with automated NOE assignment using the new software CANDID and the torsion angle dynamics algorithm DYANA.

    Torsten Herrmann;Peter Güntert;Kurt Wüthrich

  • Pseudo-structures for the 20 common amino acids for use in studies of protein conformations by measurements of intramolecular proton-proton distance constraints with nuclear magnetic resonance.

    K. Wüthrich;M. Billeter;Werner Braun

  • NMR Solution Structure of the Human Prion Protein

    Ralph Zahn;Aizhuo Liu;Thorsten Lührs;Roland Riek

  • Efficient computation of three-dimensional protein structures in solution from nuclear magnetic resonance data using the program DIANA and the supporting programs CALIBA, HABAS and GLOMSA.

    Peter Güntert;Werner Braun;Kurt Wüthrich

  • Calibration of the angular dependence of the amide proton-Cα proton coupling constants, 3JHNα, in a globular protein: Use of 3JHNα for identification of helical secondary structure

    A. Pardi;M. Billeter;K. Wüthrich

  • 1H-nmr parameters of the common amino acid residues measured in aqueous solutions of the linear tetrapeptides H-Gly-Gly-X-L-Ala-OH

    Arno Bundi;Kurt Wüthrich

  • Polypeptide secondary structure determination by nuclear magnetic resonance observation of short proton-proton distances.

    Kurt Wüthrich;Martin Billeter;Werner Braun

  • NMR characterization of the full-length recombinant murine prion protein, mPrP(23-231).

    Roland Riek;Simone Hornemann;Gerhard Wider;Rudi Glockshuber

  • Homeodomain-DNA recognition

    Walter J. Gehring;Yan Qiu Qian;Martin Billeter;Katsuo Furukubo-Tokunaga

  • Protein hydration in aqueous solution.

    Gottfried Otting;Edvards Liepinsh;Kurt Wüthrich

  • Experimental techniques of two-dimensional correlated spectroscopy

    K Nagayama;Anil Kumar;K Wüthrich;R.R Ernst

  • Attenuated T2 relaxation by mutual cancellation of dipole–dipole coupling and chemical shift anisotropy indicates an avenue to NMR structures of very large biological macromolecules in solution

    Unknown

Frequent Co-Authors

Gerhard Wagner
Gerhard Wagner Harvard University
Peter Güntert
Peter Güntert ETH Zurich
Martin Billeter
Martin Billeter University of Gothenburg
Thomas Szyperski
Thomas Szyperski University at Buffalo, State University of New York
Gottfried Otting
Gottfried Otting Australian National University
Roland Riek
Roland Riek ETH Zurich
Werner Braun
Werner Braun The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston
Ian A. Wilson
Ian A. Wilson Scripps Research Institute
Raymond C. Stevens
Raymond C. Stevens University of Southern California

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