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Winners of the Biochemical Analytics Prize (DGKL), who later received a Nobel Prize

by | Jan 15, 2026 | Research

The Biochemical Analysis Prize of the German Society for Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (DGKL) has been awarded since 1970 and honors outstanding work in biochemical and molecular analysis. Several laureates have gone on to receive a Nobel Prize (the DGKL Prize always came first).

Logo of the Nobel Foundation. Photo: Public Domain
Logo of the Nobel Foundation. Photo: Public Domain

Here are the affected award winners (based on the list from the given page, sorted chronologically):

YearAward winnerNobel Prize year and categoryRationale for the Nobel Prize
1980Walter Gilbert1980 (Chemistry)For contributions to the determination of base sequences in nucleic acids (together with Frederick Sanger and Paul Berg)
1980Frederick Sanger1980 (Chemistry)Same as above (Sanger also received a second Nobel Prize in protein sequencing in 1958)
1982César Milstein
Georges J. F. Köhler
1984 (Physiology or Medicine)For the discovery of the principle of monoclonal antibody production
1990Kary B. Mullis1993 (Chemistry)For the invention of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR)
1995Gregory P. Winter2018 (Chemistry)For the phage display technique for the evolution of antibodies (together with George P. Smith and Frances H. Arnold)
2011Svante Pääbo2022 (Physiology or Medicine)For discoveries on the genomes of extinct hominins and human evolution
2017Emmanuelle Charpentier2020 (Chemistry)For the development of the CRISPR-Cas9 gene scissors (together with Jennifer A. Doudna)

Conclusion:
Of the previous laureates (until 2024), seven people (from six awards) have subsequently received a Nobel Prize. DGKL and Nobel Foundation sources often proudly mention that up to six or more of these laureates became Nobel laureates – the exact number varies depending on the count (e.g., Sanger and Gilbert in the same year).

Other laureates such as Alec J. Jeffreys (1988, inventor of the genetic fingerprint) or Matthias Mann (2006) are highly decorated but have not received a Nobel Prize. Newer laureates (e.g. from 2019 onwards) naturally do not yet have a Nobel Prize.


Editor: X-Press Journalistenbüro GbR

Gender Notice. The personal designations used in this text always refer equally to female, male and diverse persons. Double/triple naming and gendered designations are used for better readability. ected.

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