On October 7, 2026, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced that the Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2026 has been awarded to Henri B. Kagan (Université Paris-Sud, France) and Kenso Soai (Tokyo University of Science, Japan) for the discovery of non-linear effects and autocatalysis in asymmetric organic synthesis.

A Century-Old Puzzle

Some molecules, such as amino acids, exist as two variants that are mirror images of each other—a property known as chirality. Like your left and right hands, these two forms share the same constituent atoms but cannot be superimposed. Remarkably, living organisms contain only one of these mirror images: amino acids in your cells are almost exclusively L-form, and the sugars in DNA are exclusively D-form. This phenomenon, called homochirality, has puzzled chemists for over a century.

When chemists attempt to synthesize chiral molecules in the lab, they typically obtain equal proportions of both mirror images. Yet producing only one form is crucial for pharmaceutical development, because the two mirror images of a drug molecule can have entirely different—and sometimes harmful—biological effects.

Two Decisive Steps

Henri Kagan took the first step in 1986, when he discovered a new way of manipulating chemical reactions. He showed that the enantiomeric excess of a product could be amplified beyond what the chiral purity of the catalyst would suggest—a phenomenon he termed the “non-linear effect.”

Kenso Soai then advanced the field by designing the first chemical reaction with the potential for homochirality. In a landmark 1995 publication in Nature, he described the “Soai reaction,” in which the reaction product itself acts as a catalyst to promote the formation of more molecules with the same handedness—a process called asymmetric autocatalysis. In 2003, Soai finally achieved a reaction in which only one of the two possible mirror images was formed. Other than life itself, no one had previously achieved this feat.

As Heiner Linke, chair of the Nobel Committee for Chemistry, remarked: “Henri Kagan and Kenso Soai have provided a solution to a chemical mystery that is over a century old: how homochirality can emerge spontaneously. The chemical reactions they have developed are spectacular.”

Significance and Connection to Our Group

The discoveries by Kagan and Soai have been decisive for chemists who design reactions for the manufacture of pharmaceuticals, and they offer important clues to understanding the chemical origin of life. Their work demonstrates that a tiny initial imbalance in chirality can be amplified through autocatalytic processes into a nearly pure single-handed form—a principle that resonates deeply with our group’s research.

At the Feng Group, we focus on the bottom-up construction of functional soft materials through supramolecular self-assembly, with a particular emphasis on chiral supramolecular hydrogels and their biomedical applications. Our work addresses a fundamental question that parallels the challenges recognized by this year’s Nobel Prize: how chirality can be precisely controlled and transferred across multiple length scales—from individual molecules to supramolecular architectures and ultimately to macroscopic materials.

We have developed C₂-symmetric chiral gelators that enable the long-range ordered assembly of chiral supramolecules and achieved precise control over chirality transfer from the molecular level to micro- and nanoscale structures in hydrogel fibers. More importantly, we have discovered that artificial chiral structures can significantly regulate cell adhesion, proliferation, and stem cell differentiation, opening new directions for regenerative medicine and chiral biomedical materials.

The Nobel Committee’s recognition of homochirality as a fundamental chemical principle reinforces our conviction that chirality is not merely a structural curiosity but a powerful design dimension for functional materials and biological regulation. We congratulate Professors Kagan and Soai on this well-deserved honor, and we look forward to continuing our exploration of chiral supramolecular materials that bridge the gap between molecular asymmetry and biological function.