--- title: 'Research Daily Summary: What Happened on October 8, 2026' headline: Kagan and Soai share Chemistry Nobel for work on molecular chirality description: A review mapped nine antifungal candidates in clinical development. Other coverage followed families affected by a rare syndrome and diabetes research. url: https://thebench.bio/news/research/2026-10-08 topic: research date: '2026-10-08' covers: - '2026-10-08' date_published: '2026-10-08T12:03:39Z' date_modified: '2026-10-08T12:03:39Z' sources: 5 publisher: The Bench (thebench.bio) --- # Research Daily Summary: What Happened on October 8, 2026 **Kagan and Soai share Chemistry Nobel for work on molecular chirality** A review mapped nine antifungal candidates in clinical development. Other coverage followed families affected by a rare syndrome and diabetes research. ## Today in brief Henri Kagan and Kenso Soai received the 2026 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for discoveries in asymmetric organic synthesis, including work on reactions that favor one mirror-image form of a molecule. [1] [2] Their findings helped explain homochirality, the presence of only one mirror-image form of natural amino acids and sugars, and gave chemists tools for preparing chiral molecules. [1] [2] ## Kagan and Soai’s work addressed a long-standing chemical question Kagan and Soai were named the 2026 Chemistry Nobel laureates on October 7 for discoveries in asymmetric organic synthesis, which studies reactions that favor one mirror-image form of a molecule. [2] Kagan’s 1986 experiments showed that catalyst composition and the chirality of the resulting product do not always have a linear relationship. [2] Soai reported a self-forming chiral substance in 1995, then described a reaction that produced an excess of one mirror-image form in 2003. [2] Their work helps explain how homochirality can arise, though Peter Somfai said laboratory research has not reproduced how it arose billions of years ago. [2] ## Also worth knowing - BioCentury mapped nine clinical-stage antifungal candidates. Six cover a broad range of pathogens, two target molds and one targets yeasts. Some approaches target fungal biology beyond the cell wall or membrane. [3] - Maya was diagnosed with Nicolaides-Baraitser syndrome at age 11. Her family helped connect people affected by the rare condition, with 337 cases reported worldwide. The NCBRS Worldwide Foundation is working with the University of Düsseldorf to study differences in symptom severity. [4] - GlobalData analysts said diabetes care is increasingly considering overall health, the quality of weight loss and longer-term outcomes alongside blood sugar and weight. Sara Reci said tolerability is playing a larger role in GLP-1 drug positioning after the EASD meeting in Milan. [5] ## The day in numbers - **9 candidates**: Clinical-stage antifungal programs mapped, including six broad-spectrum, two mold-specific and one yeast-specific candidate. [3] - **337 cases**: Reported worldwide cases of Nicolaides-Baraitser syndrome. [4] ## Also published - [Chemistry Nobel goes to molecular chirality researchers](), pharmaphorum - [Nobel Prize honors researchers who solved chemistry's asymmetry mystery](), Science News ## Sources 1. [Solving a century-old mirror-image mystery wins Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2026](), BioTechniques, 2026-10-08 2. [Kagan, Soai Win 2026 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for Discoveries Related to Asymmetric Organic Synthesis](), GEN, 2026-10-07 3. [Invasive fungal infections: a pipeline finally branching beyond the cell wall](), BioCentury, 2026-10-08 4. [A mother-daughter quest to find fellow members of an ultra-rare genetic community](), STAT Biotech, 2026-10-08 5. [Podcast: Key takeaways from EASD 2026 on where GLP-1s are headed](), Pharmaceutical Technology, 2026-10-08 --- The Bench wrote this from the reporting cited above, with a language model drafting and editing. [1]: [2]: [3]: [4]: [5]: