Hungarian scientist Katalin Kariko and U.S. colleague Drew Weissman have been awarded the 2023 Nobel Prize for Medicine for their groundbreaking contributions to the development of COVID-19 vaccines. The pair’s discoveries in mRNA molecule technology laid the foundation for the rapid development of vaccines during the pandemic. The Nobel Assembly of Sweden’s Karolinska Institute recognized the duo’s efforts in saving millions of lives by accelerating vaccine development. Kariko, a former executive at BioNTech, and Weissman, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania, have dedicated decades of work to mRNA research, overcoming challenges and ridicule along the way.
Kariko and Weissman’s breakthrough came in 2005 when they developed nucleoside base modifications that enabled the use of lab-made mRNA in therapeutic applications. Previously, the immune system would launch an inflammatory response against mRNA, hindering its use as a treatment tool. Their work paved the way for the wide-scale use of mRNA vaccines, with BioNTech’s shot, co-developed with Pfizer, being the most widely used vaccine in the Western world. The Nobel Prize comes as a validation of their persistent efforts, which were often overlooked by the scientific community.
Both Kariko and Weissman expressed their gratitude for the recognition. Kariko, who struggled for years to secure research grants, emphasized that the importance of their work was to develop a product that could help people. Weissman regarded winning the Nobel Prize as a lifelong dream and noted the intense collaboration between him and Kariko over the past two decades. Despite the challenges they faced, the pair persisted in their pursuit of mRNA research and have now been rewarded for their remarkable contributions to science and public health.
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