Pioneers of mRNA COVID Vaccines Win 2023 Nobel Prize
Pioneers of mRNA COVID vaccines, Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman were awarded 2023 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for discoveries that made the development possible.
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The Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institute made the announcement in a statement on Monday.
The assembly said their groundbreaking findings contributed to the unprecedented rate of vaccine development during one of the greatest threats to human health in modern times.
“This year’s Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine goes to a transformative medical technology that significantly altered the path of the pandemic and saved millions: the mRNA vaccines against COVID.”
Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman were jointly awarded the prize for advancements that have changed the field of vaccine development and researchers’ understanding of how messenger RNA (mRNA) interacts with the body’s immune system.
Speaking to Scientific American, Weissman describes the rollercoaster of emotions he went through after learning of the news.
“I’m going through a series of steps, it started off just incredible enjoyment and surprise.
“And right now I’m pretty much numb,” he said.
Karikó and Weissman began studying in vitro synthetic mRNA technology in the 1990s, when they worked together at the University of Pennsylvania.
Their seminal paper in 2005 described how they were able to successfully deliver modified mRNA into the body and trigger an immune response, the kind that trains the immune system for future viral infections.
Over the years, their research with mRNA vaccines solved some of the major issues confronting the technique, such as the inflammatory response by the body that involves the production of harmful cytokines.
During the pandemic, this mRNA technology led to the production of highly effective vaccines against SARS-CoV-2, the COVID-causing virus, and particularly ones that were adaptable for large-scale rollout.
The Nobel Prizes carry a cash award of 11 million Swedish kronor ($1 million).
