On 2nd October (local time), the Nobel Prize committee announced that this year’s Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine had been awarded to Professor Katalin Kariko and Professor Drew Weissman, who created the technology behind the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines. Professor Kariko is a professor at Szeged University in Hungary, while Professor Weissman is a professor at the University of Pennsylvania.
Congratulations to one of our new medicine laureates: Katalin Karikó (@kkariko)! 🎉
— The Nobel Prize (@NobelPrize) October 2, 2023
An interview with her will be coming soon. pic.twitter.com/n3oltlM1zG
Before the Covid pandemic, technology was still in the experimental stage. It is now used to develop mRNA vaccines to prevent people from getting severe Coronavirus. Scientists are also working on finding ways to use the technology to combat other diseases, including cancer.
Early morning wake-up call! ⏰
— The Nobel Prize (@NobelPrize) October 2, 2023
Say good morning to one of the 2023 medicine laureates – Drew Weissman.
We'll have an interview with our new #NobelPrize laureate coming out later today. pic.twitter.com/kYnCb182jQ
The award has been given to the two professors for their significant contribution to the rapid development of the Covid-19 vaccines during the pandemic.
In a post on X, the Nobel Prize’s official handle wrote, “The discoveries by Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman – awarded the 2023 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine – were critical for developing effective mRNA vaccines against COVID-19 during the pandemic that began in early 2020. Through their groundbreaking findings, this year’s laureates have fundamentally changed our understanding of how mRNA interacts with our immune system. They have contributed to the unprecedented rate of vaccine development during one of the greatest threats to human health in modern times.”
The discoveries by Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman – awarded the 2023 #NobelPrize in Physiology or Medicine – were critical for developing effective mRNA vaccines against COVID-19 during the pandemic that began in early 2020.
— The Nobel Prize (@NobelPrize) October 2, 2023
Through their groundbreaking findings, this year’s… pic.twitter.com/LCdXLnOQMI
According to an official press release by the Nobel Prize committee, the Nobel Laureates made groundbreaking discoveries that have revolutionised the development of mRNA vaccines against COVID-19. Their work fundamentally changed our understanding of how mRNA interacts with the immune system, leading to the rapid development of highly effective vaccines during the pandemic. Traditional vaccines were created using whole viruses, viral components, or vectors, which required a resource-intensive cell culture process. The idea of using mRNA for vaccines has been around since the 1980s, but it faced challenges due to instability and inflammatory reactions.
Learn more about the 2023 #NobelPrize in Physiology or Medicine
— The Nobel Prize (@NobelPrize) October 2, 2023
Press release: https://t.co/zt5sbwgiF9
Advanced information: https://t.co/TflgbxjddN pic.twitter.com/3e5lbW0qQv
Katalin Karikó, a Hungarian biochemist, and Drew Weissman, an immunologist, faced several obstacles while working with in vitro transcribed mRNA. They discovered that this mRNA lacked certain chemical modifications found in mammalian cell-produced mRNA. These modifications helped reduce inflammatory responses and increase protein production, making it possible for mRNA to be used in clinical applications. Their groundbreaking findings were published in 2005, well before the COVID-19 pandemic.
As the interest in mRNA technology grew, several companies began developing mRNA vaccines. This led to the rapid development and approval of COVID-19 vaccines, which have shown remarkable protective effects. The flexible and speedy platform of mRNA technology also holds potential for vaccines against other infectious diseases and therapeutic applications. The discoveries of the Nobel Laureates have played a crucial role in this transformative development, especially during one of the most significant health crises in recent history. The vaccines have saved millions of lives and have enabled societies to return to normalcy.
How mRNA vaccines work
Traditionally, vaccines use a weakened or inactive form of pathogens like virus or bacteria or fragments of infectious agents to train the immune system how to fight them. However, in the case of mRNA vaccines, the process is different. These vaccines contain genetic instructions to build a specific component of the coronavirus, a protein. Upon receiving the instructions, human cells start producing the protein in large quantities, and the immune system recognises the foreign proteins as a threat, learning how to fight against them.
mRNA vaccines can be swiftly developed for various diseases provided scientists know the correct genetic instructions. Researchers are now experimenting with the technology that can be used to help the body fight cancer. If they succeed, the scientists will be able to identify abnormal proteins produced by cancer cells and create a unique vaccine to target them, making it easier for the immune system to fight the disease.
Professor Kariko and Professor Weissman’s breakthroughs in refining the technology to develop proteins without causing harmful levels of inflammation were instrumental in making the mRNA vaccine a reality.
mRNA vaccines and side effects
In November 2021, it was reported that mRNA Covid-19 vaccines are causing serious side effects. A report presented at the American Heart Association (AHA) Scientific Sessions 2021 says the risk of developing acute coronary syndrome (ACS) increases significantly in patients receiving mRNA COVID-19 vaccines. The study found that the risk of developing heart disease increases from 11% to 25% in patients who receive the COVID-19 vaccines developed by Pfizer and Moderna using the new mRNA technology.
Though the technology fast-tracked the development of COVID-19 vaccines, it raised serious concerns about the safety and long-term side effects, including serious heart conditions in the patients who received the vaccines.
