Katalin Kariko, Drew Weissman win Nobel in medicine for COVID-19 vaccine work

Katalin Kariko and Drew Weissman were awarded the 2023 Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine on Monday for their discoveries that gave the world a vaccine to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Nobel Assembly in Sweden honored Kariko and Weissman "for their discoveries concerning nucleoside base modifications that enabled the development of effective mRNA vaccines against COVID-19," Thomas Perlmann, secretary of the body, announced.

"The discoveries by the two Nobel Laureates were critical for developing effective mRNA vaccines against COVID-19 during the pandemic that began in early 2020," said a statement by the organizer.

Hungarian-American biochemist Kariko was born in 1955 and specializes in RNA-mediated mechanisms. Her research has been the development of in vitro-transcribed mRNA for protein therapies.

American physician-scientist Weissman, who was born in 1959, is best known for his contributions to RNA biology. His work helped enable the development of mRNA vaccines.

It was the first Nobel Prize awarded this year, with more announcements to be made over the week.  

114TH NOBEL PRIZES IN PHYSIOLOGY OR MEDICINE 

"For the 20 years that we worked together before anybody knew about us or cared it was literally the two of us sitting side by side at a bench and working together," Weissman told the organizer on his partnership with his co-laureate Kariko.

"Usually at 3 or 5 a.m. we would be emailing each other with new ideas," he added.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen congratulated Kariko and Weissman, recalling their work paved the way for mRNA vaccines. 

"This recognition shows the crucial role of science in defeating COVID-19 and liberating the world from the pandemic," she wrote on X.

Also congratulating the laureates, World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus said: "Today is a great day for health, a great day for science, and a great day for vaccines." 

A total of 114 Nobel prizes in physiology or medicine have been awarded since 1901, including 13 women awarded the medicine prize so far. 

*Beyza Binnur Donmez in Geneva contributed to this report.