The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine is perhaps of the most renowned awards in the world of science. It recognizes individuals or groups who have made outstanding contributions to the field of medical science.
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The 2023 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine has been awarded to Katalin Kariko and Drew Weissman for their groundbreaking discoveries concerning nucleoside base modifications that enabled the development of effective mRNA vaccines against COVID-19.
This accomplishment has reformed the world of medicine but has also played a pivotal role in combating the global pandemic.
Katalin Kariko, a Hungari biochemist brought into the world in Szolnok, Hungary, in 1955, has dedicated her life to scientific research.
She received her PhD from Szeged’s University in 1982 and embarked on a journey that would eventually lead to a Nobel Prize.
Her early career involved postdoctoral research at the Hungarian Academy of Sciences in Szeged and later at Temple University in Philadelphia. In 1989, she joined the University of Pennsylvania as an Assistant Professor, where she remained until 2013.
One of the central characteristics of Katalin Kariko’s career was her unwavering commitment to the potential of mRNA as a therapeutic tool.
During the early 1990s, when she was an assistant professor at the University of Pennsylvania, she was determined to explore the possibilities of using mRNA for therapy, despite facing numerous challenges.
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At that time, the use of in vitro transcribed mRNA was considered unstable and difficult to deliver, and it gave rise to inflammatory reactions.
Convincing research funders of the significance of her project was a daunting task, but Kariko remained true to her vision.
Katalin Kariko’s noteworthy work took a huge turn when she teamed up with immunologist Drew Weissman, who was interested in dendritic cells and their role in immune surveillance and vaccine-induced immune responses.
This collaboration between Kariko and Weissman, both at the University of Pennsylvania, marked a turning point in their research journey. Together, they began to explore how different RNA types interacted with the immune system.
Drew Weissman, brought into the world in 1959 in Lexington, Massachusetts, procured his MD and PhD degrees from Boston College in 1987.
He received clinical training at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center at Harvard Medical School and conducted postdoctoral research at the National Institutes of Health.
In 1997, Weissman established his research group at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, where he holds the position of Roberts Family Professor in Vaccine Research and serves as the Director of the Penn Institute for RNA Innovations.
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Their notable discoveries, published in a seminal 2005 paper, laid the foundation for the development of mRNA-based vaccines.
At the time, their work received little attention, but its importance would become evident in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The use of messenger RNA (mRNA) as a tool for vaccine development has transformed the field of medicine. In our cells, genetic information encoded in DNA is transferred to mRNA, which serves as a template for protein production.
The breakthrough in the 1980s of efficient methods for producing mRNA without cell culture, known as in vitro transcription, was a pivotal moment.
However, using in vitro-transcribed mRNA for clinical purposes posed significant challenges. It was considered unstable, difficult to deliver, and often led to inflammatory reactions.
Katalin Kariko and Drew Weissman’s work addressed these challenges head-on. They not only believed in the therapeutic potential of mRNA but also developed methods to make it a reality.
This included the development of sophisticated carrier lipid systems to encapsulate mRNA, overcoming the stability issues that had previously plagued its use.
Their dedication to advancing mRNA technology for clinical purposes was a testament to their vision and determination.
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