Nobel Prize Honors Scientists for mRNA Covid Vaccines

Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman have been awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their groundbreaking work on messenger RNA (mRNA) that laid the foundation for the development of Covid-19 vaccines. Their discovery of a chemical tweak to mRNA allowed cells to produce viral proteins, mimicking a real infection and prompting a robust immune response. Initially overlooked by scientific journals, their work caught the attention of biotech companies Moderna and BioNTech, leading to the creation of highly effective mRNA vaccines. This is the first of six Nobel Prizes to be awarded this year.