The prestigious award, considered one of the highest honors in the scientific community, comes with a prize of 11 million Swedish crowns, or around USD 1 million.
The Nobel Assembly recognized their exceptional contributions, stating, "The 2023 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine has been awarded to Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman for their discoveries concerning nucleoside base modifications that enabled the development of effective mRNA vaccines against COVID-19."
Karikó is a professor at the University of Szeged in Hungary and an adjunct professor at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine, while Weissman, renowned for his work in vaccine research, currently holds a faculty position at the Perelman School, the Reuters news agency reported.
One of Karikó's key breakthroughs was her discovery of a method to prevent the immune system from initiating an inflammatory response against artificially synthesized mRNA. Previously, this immune response had been a significant obstacle to the therapeutic use of mRNA.
In collaboration with Weissman in 2005, they demonstrated that modifications to nucleosides—the molecular building blocks of mRNA's genetic code—could effectively shield mRNA from the scrutiny of the immune system.
The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine marks the commencement of this year's awards, with the unveiling of the remaining five laureates expected in the coming days.
For more information, please visit the Nobel Prize official website.
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Source: Reuters
