Nobel Prize Winner's Overlooked mRNA Research Paved the Way for COVID Vaccine

Immunologist Drew Weissman and his research partner Katalin Karikó have been awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine for their groundbreaking research that led to the development of the COVID-19 vaccine. By engineering a modified version of messenger RNA (mRNA) and developing a delivery system, they were able to trick the immune system into producing antibodies and creating partial immunity. The ceremony in Stockholm, Sweden, included a speech highlighting the impact of their research on public trust in science. Weissman, a Brandeis alumnus, is the second from the university to win a Nobel Prize.