Contents
Drew Weissman
Discovering, with Katalin Karikó, RNA modifications that helped make effective mRNA vaccines possible.
Modified RNA · Protein production
- Born
- 7 September 1959
- Birthplace
- Lexington, United States
More people
Drew Weissman
Drew Weissman is an American immunologist who shared the 2023 medicine Nobel for work underlying mRNA vaccination.
Early life
Massachusetts childhood
Grew up in Lexington.
Scientific training
Studied at Brandeis before earning medical and doctoral degrees at Boston University.
Career
- 1987
Medical doctorate
Completed his MD and PhD training.
- 1997
Penn laboratory
Moved to the University of Pennsylvania to study immunity.
- 2006
RNA venture
Co-founded RNARx with Katalin Karikó.
Contributions
Modified RNA
Co-authored research showing how base changes reduced unwanted immune activation.
Protein production
Further studies showed improved protein production from modified mRNA.
Medicine Nobel
Shared the award recognising the discoveries’ vaccine impact.
Beyond the lab
Wider access
Worked with Thai researchers on locally accessible vaccine development.
Scientific outreach
Has spoken publicly about the years of difficulty funding RNA research.
Sources & photo credit
Biography and career ↗Further source ↗Photo: John Sears. CC BY-SA 4.0 · Original image. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.
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