From Doubt to Triumph: The Inspiring Journey of Katalin Karikó, Nobel Prize Winner in mRNA Research

Katalin Karikó, who was rejected by the University of Pennsylvania (Penn) for a tenure-track position due to her inability to secure funds for her research, has won the Nobel Prize in medicine for her work on messenger RNA (mRNA) that paved the way for COVID-19 vaccines. In her autobiography, Karikó describes years of struggle and rejection, highlighting the competitive nature of academic science where success is often defined by funding and publication metrics. Despite facing setbacks, Karikó persisted in her pursuit of using mRNA to fight disease and eventually joined BioNTech, which collaborated with Pfizer to develop the first COVID-19 vaccine. Penn has acknowledged her valuable contributions and the university's president expressed pride in her achievements.