The 2023 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine has been awarded to two scientists who developed the groundbreaking technology of mRNA vaccines, which have been widely used to combat the Covid-19 pandemic. The laureates are Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman, who discovered how to modify mRNA molecules to make them safe and effective for delivering genetic instructions to human cells .
mRNA, or messenger RNA, is a molecule that carries the genetic code from DNA to the protein-making machinery of the cell. By introducing synthetic mRNA molecules into the body, scientists can instruct the cells to produce specific proteins, such as antigens that trigger an immune response against a disease .
Karikó and Weissman, who are both based in the US, made their breakthrough discovery in the late 1990s and early 2000s, when they found a way to overcome the major challenges of using mRNA as a vaccine platform. The duo showed that by modifying certain nucleosides in the mRNA molecule, we can prevent it from being degraded by enzymes or triggering an inflammatory reaction in the body.
Their work paved the way for the development of mRNA vaccines for various diseases, such as influenza, Zika, rabies and cancer. However, it was not until the Covid-19 pandemic that their technology gained global recognition and approval. Two of the first Covid-19 vaccines to be authorized and distributed worldwide were based on mRNA technology: one developed by Pfizer-BioNTech, where Karikó is a senior vice president, and another by Moderna .
The Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institute, which announced the prize on Monday, said that Karikó and Weissman had made “one of the most remarkable medical discoveries of our time” and that their technology had “revolutionized vaccine development”.
The assembly also praised their contribution to the fight against Covid-19, saying that their vaccines had “saved millions of lives and reduced human suffering” .
Karikó and Weissman will share the prize money of 10 million Swedish kronor (about $1.1 million) and receive gold medals and diplomas at a ceremony in Stockholm on December 10 .
Karikó and Weissman are the first Nobel laureates in medicine to be awarded for vaccine research since 1951, when Max Theiler won the prize for developing a vaccine against yellow fever.
