Dr. Katalin Kariko, a renowned Hungarian-American biochemist, made groundbreaking contributions to the field of medicine, earning her the prestigious 2023 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, alongside Professor Drew Weissman, for her pioneering research on messenger RNA, a breakthrough that revolutionized the development of Covid vaccines.
Born in a small Hungarian town, Kariko was the daughter of a butcher and a bookkeeper. She embarked on an international journey, relocating to the United States in the 1980s with her husband and young daughter. As she navigated her career, she held various research positions before joining the esteemed University of Pennsylvania.
Kariko's professional path took an unexpected turn when she joined an obscure start-up in Germany, BioNTech, which was dedicated to exploring the medical applications of mRNA. This innovative venture led to a fruitful collaboration with Pfizer, resulting in the creation of a coronavirus vaccine that has had a profound impact on the global fight against the pandemic.
