On Monday, Kariko and Weissman were awarded the Nobel Medicine Prize for they, as the jury said, "contributed to the unprecedented rate of vaccine development during one of the greatest threats to human health in modern times".
The first mRNA vaccines were approved for use against the illness in December, 2020, less than 10 months after the pandemic was declared. Together with other Covid vaccines, the mRNA doses "have saved millions of lives and prevented severe disease in many more", the jury said.
Kariko, 68, and Weissman, 64, longstanding colleagues at the University of Pennsylvania in the US, have already won a slew of awards for their research.
mRNA as a potential for therapeutic use was first mooted in 1990s but it hardly translated into practical use. What Kariko and Weissman did, put simply, is cracked the last piece of the puzzle to make the platform usable.
MEDICINE NUB They swapped out a basic building block of mRNA called uridine for a related molecule called pseudouridine, allowing strands of mRNA to get their message to cells without triggering an immune attack.
They released their findings in a groundbreaking paper in 2005.
But the true nature of their discovery would be visible only during the pandemic, when the platform led to not just some of the most potent vaccines, but also the ones that could be produced the quickest, even though they were so expensive that they remain out of reach for the Global South even today.
This story is from the October 03, 2023 edition of Hindustan Times.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the October 03, 2023 edition of Hindustan Times.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Palestinian PM Resigns Citing 'New Reality' Of War In Gaza
The United States and other powers have called for a reformed Palestinian Authority to take charge of all Palestinian territories after the end of war
Future Perfect: The Kids Are All Right
Gill and Jurel hold out promise by simplifying a challenging chase to help India seal series
Akshay feels 'blessed' to have worked with OG Ramayan cast
Director Akshay K Agarwal shot a music video, Humare Ram Aaye Hai, with the cast of the 1987 TV show, Ramayanactors Arun Govil, Dipika Chikhlia and Sunil Lahri - in Ayodhya recently.
Musk's firm gets nod for Sat Net; joins Jio, Bharti
Starlink, owned by billionaire Elon Musk, has been allowed to offer satellite broadband services in India, two officials aware of the development said.
A temple, 169 years in the making
Through decades of design and reworks, hurdles in engineering and construction, HT pieces together how the grandeur of the Ram Temple was reclaimed
'Political interference' forces Vihari to quit Andhra cricket
After Andhra bowed out of the Ranji Trophy at the quarter-final stage with a four-run defeat to Madhya Pradesh in Indore on Monday, senior batter Hanuma Vihari launched a scathing attack on the Andhra Cricket Association (ACA), saying he will never turn up for the state again.
Shafali, Kapp lead Capitals to a 9-wicket win over Warriorz
A blazing fifty by Shafali Verma (64₹, 43 balls) helped Delhi Capitals make a mockery of a target of 120 and open their account in the second edition of the Women's Premier League (WPL).
Making 'unbelievable things believable', the Ayhika way
The India No. 7 was an inspired pick for the world team event and she repaid the faith, beating the Chinese world No.1
'Connected TVs to reach 45 mn by 2024-end in India'
With improvement in broadband penetration, Indian households are increasingly opting for connected or addressable TVs.
India chip strategy makes progress as $21 billion in proposals received
The Indian government, after years of watching from the sidelines of the chips race, now has to evaluate $21 billion of semiconductor proposals and divvy up taxpayer support between foreign chipmakers, local champions or some combination of the two.