In the 1960s, George Kenner, R.A. Gregory and Hilda Tracy were involved in the seminal discovery and synthesis of the peptide hormone gastrin at the University of Liverpool.
The first chemical synthesis of a lysozyme-like enzyme of 129 amino acids using the classical approach was attempted by Kenner and his group at the University of Liverpool in the 1970s.
[4] He carefully planned a convergent synthesis of this lysozyme analogue, containing 129 amino acid residues joined in a rigorously defined order.
The synthesis of functionally active lysozyme was done 30 years later by a single individual, Thomas Durek, working in Steve B. Kent's group at the University of Chicago.
Several famous organic chemists were awarded this honour and these include Gilbert Stork, Ryoji Noyori, Steven V. Ley, Albert Eschenmoser, John George Adami, Duilio Arigoni, and Jean-Marie Lehn.