Drew Weissman, MD, PhD and Katalin Karikó, PhD, the Penn scientists whose brilliance and persistence converted a fragile, unpromising molecule into the basis for the COVID-19 vaccines that saved millions of lives.
The University of Pennsylvania researchers whose years of scientific partnership unlocked understanding of how to modify mRNA to make it an effective therapeutic were named winners of the 2023 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine on Oct. 2, 2023. Katalin Karikó, PhD, an adjunct professor of Neurosurgery in Penn’s Perelman School of Medicine, and Drew Weissman, MD, PhD, the Roberts Family Professor of Vaccine Research in the Perelman School of Medicine, became the 28th and 29th Nobel laureates affiliated with Penn, joining nine previous Nobel laureates with ties to the University of Pennsylvania who have won the Nobel Prize in Medicine. That day, the campus and the world erupted with praise and celebration of their discoveries and their receipt of medicine’s highest honor.
Does any other story make the importance of novel medical research and the need to support those who conduct it so clear?
As they so often do for significant Philadelphia causes, the Roberts family has taken a leadership role in supporting both today’s mRNA researchers and the explorations of the future. In 2021, they established the Roberts Family Professorship in Vaccine Research for Weissman to help his team realize the promise of mRNA to fight a multitude of diseases. The Roberts family also created the Katalin Karikó Fellowship to provide support for early-career scientists in the field of immunology. Currently, the Karikó fellowship is jointly held by Norbert Pardi, PhD, and Michela Locci, PhD, both assistant professors of Microbiology. The two are close collaborators in the Weissman lab’s program to develop universal influenza vaccines. The chair and fellowship exist in perpetuity and will be passed on to researchers who will make the discoveries of tomorrow.
This fall, winning the world’s best-known donor-sponsored prize has shone a very bright light on the achievements of Weismann and Karikó. From research support to fellowships to funding for international partnerships, donors are finding many ways to support the future of mRNA and novel science at Penn.
Taking aim at every infectious disease, cancer, and genetic disorders
Aileen and Brian Roberts: “It is our family’s privilege to support the life-changing research conducted at Penn and we are eager to see how the next generation of scientists and physicians work to accelerate the development of the advanced therapies of the future.”
The mRNA delivery system can activate the immune system against not just the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, but all manner of devastating diseases. These biomedical innovations represent a multi-use tool whose potential is virtually unlimited. Through the Penn Institute for RNA Innovation, researchers are working to ensure this limitless potential meets the world’s most challenging and important needs. Read more about how researchers at the Penn Institute for RNA Innovation are changing the world with mRNA.
Fellowships for junior faculty and international scholars
Many exploratory studies are run by less experienced researchers who often fail to attract conventional funding and who are most vulnerable when budget cuts are needed.
In addition, educating young minds from both the United States and around the world is essential to scaling up mRNA research and production. People everywhere can only benefit from the new protections of mRNA when knowledgeable scientists can assist in distribution and treatment across the world. The cost of such education is difficult for less affluent nations to afford. Weissman’s lab already trains scientists from nations including Argentina, Brazil, and Thailand, but more outreach is needed.
Worldwide access
Penn Medicine is collaborating with world governments to expand access by establishing production sites and training local scientists. For instance, Weissman’s lab is working with local partners in Thailand to create a COVID-19 vaccine to be used in middle- and low-income countries throughout the region.
Learn more about Penn Medicine’s mRNA research and about opportunities to get involved with philanthropy at Penn Medicine’s mRNA overview page.