University of Pennsylvania professors win Nobel Prize for work enabling COVID-19 vaccines

The Nobel committee on Monday awarded Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman with the 2023 Nobel Prize in medicine for their “groundbreaking findings” on mRNA vaccines. The pair’s research on how mRNA interacts with the human immune system enabled the production of COVID-19 vaccines. They will receive about $1 million in cash, left by the award’s namesake Alfred Nobel, and will be honored at a ceremony in December. Other Nobel prizes will be announced later this week.

What do mRNA vaccines do? Messenger RNA is a temporary genetic code human bodies read to build proteins. The mRNA vaccines contain mRNA coded to match the targeted virus or bacteria, trigger bodies to build proteins from the virus or bacteria, and prompt a reaction from the immune system. The mRNA vaccines forego users’ exposure to weakened or inactive germs as in traditional vaccines. COVID-19 is the only illness with an approved mRNA vaccine. A 2021 study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed two shots to have a 90 percent effectiveness. 

Dig deeper: From the WORLD archives, read Dr. Charles Horton’s response to questions and concerns over mRNA vaccines.