After a chance meeting at Penn in the late ’90s, Drs. Karikó and Weissman began investigating mRNA as a potential therapeutic. In 2005, the scientists discovered that messenger RNA could be modified and delivered effectively into the body to activate a protective immune response. Years later when the pandemic struck, this breakthrough proved invaluable by allowing for the rapid development of mRNA COVID vaccines.
Princeton Health is proud to be a part of Penn Medicine, which has supported the work of these scientists, and their groundbreaking discoveries. Together, Drs. Karikó and Weissman met the challenge of a global pandemic, and their work will have a profound impact on the treatment and prevention of many other diseases in the decades to come.
Penn Medicine scientists Katalin Karikó, PhD, and Drew Weissman, MD, PhD, were awarded the 2023 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their development of mRNA vaccines.