Contents
Katalin Karikó
Helping make messenger RNA usable in vaccines through discoveries about modified RNA.
mRNA research · Nobel Prize 2023
- Born
- 17 January 1955
- Birthplace
- Szolnok, Hungary
More people
Katalin Karikó
Katalin Karikó is a Hungarian-American biochemist whose research with Drew Weissman helped enable effective mRNA vaccines. They shared the 2023 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.
Early life
Hungarian upbringing
Grew up in Kisújszállás and studied biology at the University of Szeged.
Move to America
After doctoral research in Hungary, moved to the United States with her family in 1985.
Career
- 1989
Pennsylvania research
Joined the University of Pennsylvania and pursued therapeutic uses of RNA.
- 2005
Modified RNA
With Weissman, showed how modified nucleosides could reduce an unwanted immune response.
- 2013
BioNTech
Joined the biotechnology company to continue developing RNA applications.
- 2023
Medicine Nobel
Shared the prize for discoveries that enabled effective mRNA vaccines against COVID-19.
Contributions
Reducing inflammation
Showed how chemical changes to RNA could avoid triggering a strong inflammatory response.
Protein production
Continued work on making modified RNA more useful for producing proteins.
Breaking Through
Published a memoir about her life and scientific career.
Beyond the lab
Research setbacks
Continued pursuing mRNA despite funding difficulties and a demotion during her university career.
Olympic daughter
Her daughter Susan Francia won Olympic rowing gold medals in 2008 and 2012.
Sources & photo credit
Life, career and references ↗Nobel Prize biography and award ↗Photo: US Embassy Sweden. CC BY 2.0 · Original image. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.
.jpg){kind=link}