mRNA vaccine scientists win Nobel Prize

Prof Katalin Kariko and Prof Drew Weissman, the scientists who developed the technology that led to the mRNA Covid vaccines have been awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.

The Prize was awarded "for their discoveries concerning nucleoside base modifications that enabled the development of effective mRNA vaccines against COVID-19".

The Nobel Prize Committee said: "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. Through their groundbreaking findings, which have fundamentally changed our understanding of how mRNA interacts with our immune system, the laureates contributed to the unprecedented rate of vaccine development during one of the greatest threats to human health in modern times."

The Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines developed during the pandemic were both based on mRNA technology.

The pair met in the 1990s at the University of Pennsylvania. Professor Weissman still works there and Professor Kariko now works at Szeged University in Hungary.

Dr June Raine, MHRA Chief Executive, said: “The COVID-19 pandemic affected each and every one of us, but through scientific and regulatory innovation and collaboration, we brought effective and very safe vaccines to the UK and came through it together.

“Today, the world congratulates Dr Katalin Kariko and Dr Drew Weissman, who have deservedly received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, for the development of the technology behind the vaccines that continue to keep millions of people safe around the world.

“We’ve all learned what’s possible when we apply the collective strength of the brilliant life sciences sector, and agile, enabling regulation, to our common goal of providing the best benefit risk balance and health outcomes for patients and the public.”

Image by Spencer Davis from Pixabay