Nobel Prize in medicine awarded to scientists who laid foundation for messenger RNA vaccines
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Source: Philadelphia Inquirer
The Nobel Prize in medicine was awarded Monday to two scientists whose research laid the groundwork for messenger RNA vaccines that transformed the threat of the coronavirus pandemic.
For years, Katalin Kariko, a Hungarian-born scientist whose ferocious and single-minded pursuit of messenger RNA exiled her to the outskirts of science, worked closely with Drew Weissman, an immunologist at the University of Pennsylvania who saw the potential for the technology to create a new kind of vaccine.
Together, they discovered how to chemically tweak messenger RNA, turning basic biology into a technology ready to change the world when the pandemic struck. Their discovery is incorporated into the coronavirus vaccines made by Moderna and Pfizer and its German partner, BioNTech.
Thomas Perlmann, secretary general of the Nobel Assembly said that when he reached both scientists early Monday morning, they were overwhelmed. He said that Kariko in particular reflected on the change in circumstances. A decade ago, after struggles securing funding or support for her research, she moved to Germany to work for a little-known start-up called BioNTech that was working on turning mRNA into medicine. Eventually, that company would partner with Pfizer to create an mRNA vaccine against the coronavirus.
Read more: https://www.inquirer.com/health/coronavirus/nobel-prize-medicine-katalin-kariko-drew-weissman-university-of-pennsylvania-20231002.html
Archived (no paywall) link: https://archive.ph/xgZTU
Kudos to our awesome scientists at the University of Pennsylvania - Katalin Kariko and Drew Weissman.
Bravo and well done!
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