This week on October 2nd, the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine was joint-awarded to two impactful scientists: Drew Weissman and Katalin Karikó. They contributed to the development of the vaccine by creating vaccine technology that was originally for H.I.V., which also ended up becoming a foundation for the COVID vaccine. 

Drew Weissman is a physician who runs a lab at the University of Pennsylvania. In the past, he made desperate attempts to create a vaccine for AIDS, but had no success. Eventually, he and Dr. Karikó teamed up to make an attempt at creating a vaccine to fight against the indestructible H.I.V. disease. The issue with creating a vaccine for H.I.V. was that when injecting the delicate mRNA (messenger ribonucleic acid is for creating new proteins through the transcription phase of protein synthesis) to the cells, it would be destroyed instantly.  After many failed attempts, they noticed something about the cell’s mRNA that would be vital for having success. The cell’s protected their own mRNA, which was why there was an immune response which led to the injected mRNA to be destroyed. They made the same modifications to their mRNA, and it worked. The mRNA was successfully inserted into the cells without triggering an immune response.

The people who awarded Dr. Weissman and Dr. Karikó said that the discovery “fundamentally changed our understanding of how mRNA interacts with our immune system,” and how the work “contributed to the unprecedented rate of vaccine development during one of the greatest threats to human health in modern times.” 

Dr. Karikó’s mother always imagined listening to the radio and hearing that her daughter won a Nobel prize, and it actually happened. Dr. Karikó always doubted this would happen, however. She is now the 13th woman to be awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, which is just a small fraction of the 227 total people who have won the prize, which reflects the underrepresentation of women in science and scientific awards.

When COVID-19 emerged, their discovery was a major contributor to developing the vaccine. Without their contribution, the vaccine may have taken years longer to develop. Thankfully, however, it only took less than a year due to this discovery. And of course, this discovery not only contributed to the COVID vaccine, but also combatted many diseases before it. Because of their outstanding work, they have saved and will continue to save millions of lives.