(CNN) The 2018 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to Frances H. Arnold and the other half jointly to George P. Smith and Sir Gregory P. Winter on Wednesday for their work harnessing the power of evolution to develop new proteins used in drugs and medical treatments.

In announcing the award, the Royal Swedish Academy said that this year's prize "awards a revolution based on evolution," and goes to scientists who "applied the principles of Darwin in the test tube."

The methods developed by the laureates have been put to work to create new enzymes and antibodies used in promoting a greener chemicals industry, mitigating disease and saving lives.

This year's Chemistry Laureates have taken control of evolution and used the same principles -- genetic change and selection -- to develop proteins that solve humankind's chemical problems. #NobelPrize pic.twitter.com/rDKc2YwLgb — The Nobel Prize (@NobelPrize) October 3, 2018

Arnold, of the California Institute of Technology, was recognized for performing the first-ever "directed evolution" of enzymes -- proteins that catalyze chemical reactions -- to see if they could be tailored to work differently, for example in new environments.

Arnold directed an enzyme's evolution by introducing genetic mutations to create multiple variants of a chosen enzyme. She would then see the effect each mutation had and choose the variants that could prove to be useful, such as one that could operate in a solvent, rather than a water-based environment.

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