Nobel Prize 2023 in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman for discoveries that enabled the development of mRNA vaccines against COVID-19
The 2023 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine has been awarded to Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman for their research that enabled the development of mRNA vaccines against COVID-19. The prize was announced by The Royal Swedish Academy of Science on October 2, 2023.
The discoveries by the two Nobel Laureates were critical “for developing effective mRNA vaccines against COVID-19 during the pandemic that began in early 2020,” a statement released on the official website stated.
In vitro-produced mRNA is seen by dendritic cells as a foreign material, which causes them to become activated and release inflammatory signaling molecules, as discovered by Karikó and Weissman. Karikó and Weissman came to the conclusion that specific characteristics were required to separate the various mRNA types.
Karikó and Weissman demonstrated in research presented in 2008 and 2010 that the administration of mRNA produced with base changes significantly boosted protein synthesis compared to unmodified mRNA, it added.
Through their discoveries that base modifications ‘both reduced inflammatory responses and increased protein production’, Karikó and Weissman eliminated critical roadblocks on the path to clinical applications of mRNA, it further added.
