Katalin Karikó
Katalin Karikó | |
---|---|
mRNA technology in immunology and therapies | |
Spouse | Béla Francia |
Children | Susan |
Awards | Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (2023) and several others |
Scientific career | |
Fields |
|
Institutions |
Katalin "Kati" Karikó (
Karikó spent more than twenty years[when?] as a poorly supported researcher at the University of Pennsylvania, where she is an adjunct professor.[7][8] Prior to her winning the Nobel Prize, the University of Pennsylvania had demoted her, cut her pay, and described Karikó as "not of faculty quality"; she was never granted tenure.[9][10] Karikó co-founded and was CEO of RNARx from 2006 to 2013.[7] From 2013 to 2022, she was associated with BioNTech RNA Pharmaceuticals, first as a vice president and promoted to senior vice president in 2019.[11] In 2022, she left BioNTech to devote more time to research.[12] In 2021, she received an honorary doctorate from the University of Szeged in Hungary,[13] where she has since become a professor.[14]
Karikó's work includes scientific research on RNA-mediated immune activation, resulting in the co-discovery with Drew Weissman of the
The messenger RNA-based technology developed by Karikó and the two most effective vaccines based on it,
Early life and education
Katalin Karikó was born in Szolnok,[25] and grew up in Kisújszállás, Hungary, in a small home without running water, a refrigerator, or television.[26] Her father was a butcher, and her mother was a bookkeeper.[26][1] She excelled in science during her primary education, earning third place in Hungary in a biology competition.[26]
Karikó obtained a
In 1985, her lab at the BRC lost its funding,[26] and Karikó sought work at institutions in other countries. After being offered a research position by Robert J. Suhadolnik of Temple University,[30] Karikó left Hungary for the United States with her husband and two-year-old daughter[26] (and, smuggled inside her daughter's teddy bear, £900 that they had received from selling their car[31][32] and buying British pounds on the black market).[33]
Career
Between 1985 and 1988, Karikó served as a postdoctoral fellow at
In 1988, Karikó accepted a job at
In 1989, she was hired by the University of Pennsylvania to work with cardiologist Elliot Barnathan on messenger RNA (mRNA).[26] In 1990, while an adjunct professor at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Karikó submitted her first grant application in which she proposed establishing mRNA-based gene therapy.[11] Ever since, mRNA-based therapy has been Karikó's primary research interest. However, in the 1990s, mRNA fell out of favor as many researchers, biotechs, and pharmaceutical companies doubted its potential. Though supported by Elliot Barnathan (who left UPenn in 1997) and David Langer (who then hired her), Karikó found it difficult to gain funding.[8][38] She was initially on track to become a full professor, but after repeated grant rejections the university demoted her in 1995.[19][39] Nevertheless, she chose to remain and continue her mRNA research.[8][40]
In 1997, she met Drew Weissman, a professor of immunology who had recently arrived at the University of Pennsylvania.[41] They began to exchange ideas and then to collaborate. Weissman's funding was critical in helping Karikó to continue and extend her research[8][40] and the combination of Weissman's immunology and Karikó's biochemistry was extremely effective.[38] They began to move the technology forward, solving problems one at a time, and eventually gaining recognition. Weissman has commented "We had to fight the entire way."[8][40] Karikó's persistence was noted as exceptional against the norms of academic research work conditions.[42][28][4]
Kate was really just unbelievable... She was always incredibly inquisitive. She read voraciously. She would always know the latest technology or the latest paper, even if it was in a totally different area, and she'd put two and two together and say, 'Well why don't we do this?' Or, 'Why don't we try this formulation?'
— Elliot Barnathan[8]
Before 2005, a major problem with the proposed therapeutic use of mRNA was that in vivo use led to inflammatory reactions.[3] A key insight came about when Karikó focused on why transfer RNA (tRNA), used as a control in an experiment, did not provoke the same immune reaction as mRNA.[1] A series of landmark studies beginning in 2005 demonstrated that while synthetic mRNA was highly inflammatory, tRNA was noninflammatory. Karikó and Weissman determined how specific nucleoside modifications in mRNA led to a reduced immune response:[40][3] by replacing uridine with pseudouridine.[43] Their key finding of a chemical modification of mRNA to render it non-immunogenic was rejected by the journals Nature and Science,[failed verification] but eventually accepted by the publication Immunity.[15]
Another important achievement by the researchers was the development of a delivery technique to package the mRNA in
Karikó and Weissman founded a small company, RNARx, and in 2006 and 2013 received patents for the use of several modified nucleosides to reduce the antiviral immune response to mRNA. Soon afterward, the University of Pennsylvania sold the intellectual property license to Gary Dahl, the head of a lab supply company that eventually became Cellscript.[47] Weeks later, Flagship Pioneering, the venture capital company backing Moderna, contacted her in an attempt to license the patent, at which point Karikó had to tell them it was no longer available.[11]
In 2006, Katalin Karikó reached out to biochemist Ian MacLachlan to work with him on the chemically altered mRNA.[48] Initially, MacLachlan and Tekmira turned away from the collaboration. Karikó wanted to team up with Ian MacLachlan because he was the leader of a team that helped advance mRNA technology. Karikó was working on establishing the formulated lipid nanoparticle delivery system that encapsulates mRNA in a dense particle through a mixing process.[49][50]
In early 2013, Karikó heard of Moderna's $240 million deal with AstraZeneca to develop a Vascular endothelial growth factor mRNA. Karikó realized that she would not get a chance to apply her experience with mRNA at the University of Pennsylvania, so she took a role as vice president at BioNTech RNA Pharmaceuticals[11] (and subsequently became a senior vice president in 2019), while maintaining an adjunct professorship at the University.[51]
As of October 2023, Karikó is a professor at University of Szeged in Hungary.[14]
Scientific contributions
Karikó's research and its specializations have a broad impact with potential implications for areas such as the generation of
Karikó's work laid the foundation for BioNTech and Moderna to create therapeutic mRNAs that do not induce an immune response.[11] In 2020, Karikó and Weissman's technology was used in vaccines for COVID-19 produced by BioNTech and its partner Pfizer[18][40] and by Moderna. The mRNA vaccines were developed and approved for use at unprecedented speed, and demonstrated over 90% efficacy. In addition to vaccines for infectious diseases, mRNA has potential applications in treatment of cancer, cardiovascular and metabolic diseases[53][54][55] including ischemia.[56]
Awards and honors
Karikó has received more than 130 international awards and honors for her pioneering and globally significant work in biochemistry.
The Nobel Assembly at the Karolinska Institute announced on 2 October 2023 that the 2023 Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine was awarded to Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman for the development of mRNA technology.[57][58][59]
In 2022, Karikó was awarded The Novo Nordisk Prize along with Drew Weissman for their pioneering forces for more than a decade in discovering a nucleoside-modified form of mRNA.[60]
In 2023, Karikó was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame for her research into messenger RNA.[61]
Personal life
Karikó is married to Béla Francia, and they are the parents of two-time Olympic gold medalist rower Susan Francia.[18] Their grandson was born in the U.S. in February 2021 to their daughter and son-in-law, architect Ryan Amos.[62][63]
Media visibility and memoir
In April 2021,
On 10 June 2021, The Daily podcast from The New York Times highlighted Karikó's career, emphasizing the many challenges she had to overcome before her work was recognized.[64]
In November 2021, the US online publication Glamour named her a Woman of the Year.[65]
In 2023, two children's books were released about her: Never Give Up: Dr. Kati Karikó and the Race for the Future of Vaccines, by Debbie Dadey and Juliana Oakley,[66][67] and Kati's Tiny Messengers: Dr. Katalin Karikó and the Battle Against COVID-19, by Megan Hoyt and Vivien Mildenberger.[68]
Katalin Karikó's autobiography was published by Crown Publishing Group on 10 October, just days after she won the Nobel Prize.[69][70][71] It is titled Breaking Through: My Life in Science.[72]
Selected publications
- Wikidata Q100392375.
- Wikidata Q38252360.
- Bart R. Anderson; Hiromi Muramatsu; Subba R Nallagatla; Wikidata Q34146278.
- Katalin Karikó; Hiromi Muramatsu; Frank A Welsh; János Ludwig; Hiroki Kato; Wikidata Q37416925.
- Katalin Karikó; Michael Buckstein; Houping Ni; Wikidata Q24316383.
- Katalin Karikó; Wikidata Q35951508.
- Katalin Karikó; Houping Ni; John Capodici; Marc Lamphier; Wikidata Q34290592.)
{{cite journal}}
: CS1 maint: unflagged free DOI (link
See also
- Tozinameran– COVID-19 vaccine from Pfizer BioNTech, sold under the brand name Comirnaty
- Uğur Şahin – German oncologist and immunologist (born 1965), co-founder of BioNTech
- Özlem Türeci – German physician, scientist and entrepreneur, co-founder of BioNTech
References
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- ^ Mole, Beth (2 October 2023). "After being demoted and forced to retire, mRNA researcher wins Nobel". Ars Technica. Retrieved 3 October 2023.
- ^ a b "Katalin Karikó". 8th International mRNA Health Conference. Retrieved 10 January 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f g De George, Matthew (2021). "The Vaccine Trenches" (PDF). The Pennsylvania Gazette. No. May/June. pp. 42–49.
- ^ Zuckerman, Gregory (4 October 2023). "After Shunning Scientist, University of Pennsylvania Celebrates Her Nobel Prize". WSJ. Retrieved 5 October 2023.
- ^ Zahneis, Megan (5 October 2023). "Penn Demoted Her. Then she won the Nobel Prize. On Katalin Karikó's triumphant vindication". The Chronicle of Higher Education.
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- ^ a b c Kollewe, Julia (21 November 2020). "Covid vaccine technology pioneer: 'I never doubted it would work'". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
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- ^ a b "Tudományegyetem Szegedi – The University of Szeged congratulates its Professor, Katalin Karikó on the Nobel Prize". u-szeged.hu. 2 October 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f Johnson, Carolyn Y. (1 October 2021). "A one-way ticket. A cash-stuffed teddy bear. A dream decades in the making". The Washington Post. Retrieved 3 October 2021.
- ^ "Katalin Kariko, PhD profile | PennMedicine.org". www.pennmedicine.org.
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- ^ Trouillard, Stéphanie (18 December 2020). "Katalin Kariko, the scientist behind the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine". France 24.
- ^ "Covid vaccine technology pioneer: 'I never doubted it would work'". The Guardian. 11 November 2020. Retrieved 22 September 2021.
- ^ "#147: Forging the mRNA Revolution — Katalin Karikó". The Joe Walker Podcast. 2 August 2023.
- ^ Schwarz-Romond, Thomas (7 November 2016). "Transforming RNA research into future treatments: Q&A with 2 biotech leaders". Elsevier Connect. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
- ^ A Shot to Save the World: The Inside Story of the Life-or-Death Race for a COVID-19 Vaccine; p. 69; by Gregory Zuckerman; published 26 October 2021, by Penguin Books
- ^ Part one: The true story of the COVID-19 vaccines, by Rick Morton, in The Saturday Paper; published 11 December 2021 (no. 379); retrieved 4 October 2023
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- ^ "The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2023". NobelPrize.org. Retrieved 3 October 2023.
- ^ "Hungarian and US scientists win Nobel for COVID-19 vaccine discoveries". Reuters. 2 October 2023. Retrieved 3 October 2023.
- ^ "The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2023". NobelPrize.org. Retrieved 3 October 2023.
- ^ "Four scientists receive the Novo Nordisk Prize for their combined contributions to COVID-19 mRNA vaccine". Novo Nordisk Fonden. Retrieved 5 April 2024.
- ^ Singhi, Shaurya. "Penn researchers behind mRNA vaccine inducted into the American National Inventors Hall of Fame". www.thedp.com. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
- ^ Krisztina, Balogh (25 February 2021). "Nagymama lett Karikó Katalin". index.hu (in Hungarian). Retrieved 8 March 2021.
- ^ "Csodaszép Karikó Katalin unokája" [Katalin Karikó's beautiful grandson]. szeged.hu (in Hungarian). 1 March 2021. Retrieved 8 March 2021.
- ^ Barbaro, Michael (10 June 2021). "The Unlikely Pioneer Behind mRNA Vaccines". The Daily (Podcast). The New York Times. Archived from the original on 28 December 2021. Retrieved 18 June 2021.
- ^ "The Scientist Who Saved the World". Glamour. 2 November 2021. Retrieved 31 January 2024.
- ^ Cronce, Tracy (1 February 2023). "Debbie Dadey: Never Give Up: Dr. Kati Karikó and the Race for the Future of Vaccines (Review)". School Library Journal.
- ^ Ciskowski, Megan (14 March 2023). "Never Give Up: An interview with author Debbie Dadey and illustrator Juliana Oakley". The Lerner Blog.
- ^ "Rights Report: Week of December 13, 2021". PublishersWeekly.com. 13 December 2021.
- ^ "Breaking Through: My Life in Science by Katalin Karikó". PublishersWeekly.com.
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- ^ BREAKING THROUGH | Kirkus Reviews.
- ^ "Breaking Through by Katalin Karikó: 9780593443163 | PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books". PenguinRandomhouse.com. Retrieved 5 October 2023.
External links
- Katalin Karikó on Nobelprize.org
- Katalin Karikó publications indexed by Google Scholar
- "Katalin Karikó – University of Szeged Klebelsberg Library virtual exhibition: life and research". Retrieved 2 October 2023.