Scientists Behind mRNA Covid-19 Vaccines Receive 2023 Nobel Prize For Medicine

The 2023 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was given to scientists Katalin Kariko and Drew Weissman from Hungary and the United States respectively. Their discoveries made the development of mRNA Covid-19 vaccines possible, the Nobel Foundation announced on Monday.

Nobel Foundation

Considered the among the prestigious prizes in the scientific community, the winners for it are selected by the Nobel Assembly of Sweden¡¯s Karolinska Institute, a medical university. The recipients receive 11 million Swedish crowns (about $1 million) for their contributions.

BREAKING NEWS
The 2023 #NobelPrize in Physiology or Medicine has been awarded to Katalin Karik¨® and Drew Weissman for their discoveries concerning nucleoside base modifications that enabled the development of effective mRNA vaccines against COVID-19. pic.twitter.com/Y62uJDlNMj

¡ª The Nobel Prize (@NobelPrize) October 2, 2023

"The 2023 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine has been awarded to Katalin Karik¨® and Drew Weissman for their discoveries concerning nucleoside base modifications that enabled the development of effective mRNA vaccines against COVID-19," the body said.

Kariko and Weissman's contributions to Covid-19 vaccines

Kariko was the senior vice president and head of RNA protein replacement at BioNTech until 2022. Since then, she has acted as an advisor to the company. In addition, she's a professor at the University of Szeged in Hungary and adjunct professor at the University of Pennsylvania¡¯s Perelman School of Medicine, Reuters reported. Weissman is a professor in vaccine research at the Perelman School.

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Kariko devised a method to prevent the body's immune system from triggering an inflammatory reaction to lab-made mRNA. With Weissman, she showed that adjustments made to nucleosides, the molecular letters that make up the mRNA's genetic code, can keep the mRNA safe from the immune system's attacks.

Also read: After Covid-19, mRNA Vaccines Aim To Cure HIV With Historic Human Trials

"So this year¡¯s Nobel Prize recognizes their basic science discovery that fundamentally changed our understanding of how mRNA interacts with the immune system and had a major impact on society during the recent pandemic," said Rickard Sandberg, member of the Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institute while announcing the recipients of the Nobel Prize in medicine.

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Also read: American-German Duo Win Chemistry Nobel For 'Greatest Benefit To Humankind'

The remaining recipients of the five categories will be unveiled in the coming days. What do you think about the Nobel Prize winners and their contributions? Let us know in the comments below. For more in the world of technology and science, keep reading Indiatimes.com.