Biotech Updates

COVID-19 Vaccine Developers Win Nobel Prize

October 4, 2023

Photo Source: Nobel Prize Facebook Page/Penn Medicine (Peggy Peterson)

Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman were awarded the 2023 Noble Prize in Physiology or Medicine in recognition of their discoveries that were helpful in the development of effective mRNA vaccines to combat COVID-19. The award was granted to them on October 2, 2023.

Drs. Karikó and Weissman have found that mRNA with modified bases is less likely to trigger an immune response and produces more protein. Their findings published in 2005, together with other recent technologies, led to the development and adoption of two most successful mRNA-based vaccines in late 2020. These vaccines saved tens of millions of lives and contributed to the global recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dr. Karikó is a Professor at Szeged University in Hungary and an Adjunct Professor at Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. On the other hand, Dr. Weissman is a Professor in Vaccine Research and Director of the Penn Institute for RNA Innovations.

Read the press release from Nobel Prize.


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