In the late 1990s, biochemist Venkatraman "Venki" Ramakrishnan left the University of Utah, despite a sizable pay cut, to pursue molecular biology at a prestigious Cambridge laboratory. On Wednesday, the sacrifice paid off when the former U. professor was awarded the 2009 Nobel Prize in chemistry, science's top honor.

"I have to say that I am deeply indebted to all of the brilliant associates, students and post-doctors who worked in my lab, as science is a highly collaborative enterprise," Ramakrishnan told the Indian news agency NDTV. "The (Medical Research Council) Laboratory of Molecular Biology and the University of Utah supported this work, and the collegiate atmosphere there made it all possible."

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced Wednesday that it was awarding the prize to Ramakrishnan, Thomas Steitz of Yale University and Ada Yonath of Israel's Weizmann Institute of Science, for their work in mapping the atomic structure of ribosomes, which make proteins within cells and read genetic codes housed within the genetic structure of every living organism. The research has led to the development of new antibiotics that target ribosomes, and could eventually help to develop more potent drugs to fight against extreme forms of tuberculosis – a disease that causes nearly 1.9 million deaths every year.

Dana Carroll, professor and chairman of biochemistry at the U. from 1985 until earlier this year, said he fought hard to keep Ramakrishnan in Utah, even offering him a larger salary, but the Indian-born scientist couldn't pass up an opportunity to work at the world-renowned British school.

"That is one of the premier molecular biology research labs in the world," said Carroll. "So when I asked Venki what can I do to keep you, he said, 'I don't think there is anything.' "

The free provision of technical assistance and research materials at the MRC lab attracted Ramakrishnan, who was doubtful federal funding agencies in the U.S. would provide long-term support for his research, which was considered "high-risk" and "technically very challenging," Carroll said. "He cared more about the science he'd be able to do than about his personal compensation," Carroll said.

Research teams at several institutions bounced X-rays off crystallized ribosomes to get a detailed look at their three-dimensional structure, first at the molecular level in 1999, then at the atomic level in 2000.

Ramakrishnan headed one such team. He spent four years at the U., taking a leave of absence in 1999 to work at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, becoming a full-time employee there in the fall of 2000.