By Jahnavi Dalmia, Research Team Member
Dr. Katalin Karikó is among the leading pioneers in the field of mRNA technology in modern medicine. Her work has emerged as the foundation of mRNA vaccines, contributing greatly to contemporary medicine, as we see it today. Her path, however, was not without difficulty; it called for perseverance, an insatiable curiosity, and, most crucially, persistent faith in the ability of mRNA to transform medicine. Karikó received her bachelor's degree in biology in 1978 and her PhD in biochemistry in 1982 from the University of Szeged. She had spent the early years of her research career at the Biological Research Center of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. In 1985, she made the important decision to emigrate to the United States, furthering her knowledge in a new and different country. She joined the University of Pennsylvania's Perelman School of Medicine in 1989, to investigate the significance of RNA-mediated mechanisms, more precisely the development of mRNA for protein therapy. Rejected grant applications, underfunding, and even demotion did little to sway Karikó from her belief in the transformative power of mRNA.
Her career-defining breakthrough came in 1997 when she started a collaboration with Dr. Drew Weissman. Their combined efforts brought forth the discovery that transformed the course of modern medicine: modification of nucleosides could decrease the immunogenicity of mRNA and thus ensure its safety and efficiency in therapeutic uses. Her work has not only helped to shape the response to COVID-19, but it has also established new benchmarks for healthcare in the twenty-first century. Her major breakthrough in developing mRNA vaccines to fight infectious diseases laid the groundwork for Biotech and Moderna, which were at the forefront for combating the COVID-19 pandemic. In recognition of her efforts, Karikó was awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 2023, the Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences, and the Princess of Asturias Award. She currently serves as the vice president of BioNTech, researching applications for mRNA in cardiovascular diseases, metabolic syndromes, etc. The story of Karikó serves as an example of tenacity and creativity.
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