The 2023 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine has been awarded to Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman for their discoveries concerning nucleoside base modifications that enabled the development of effective mRNA vaccines against COVID-19.

Katalin Karikó is a professor at Sagan's University in Hungary and an adjunct professor at the University of Pennsylvania. Drew Weissman performed his prize-winning research together with Karikó at the University of Pennsylvania.

The laureates contributed to the unprecedented rate of vaccine development during a period when there were severe threats to human health.

The pair will receive their prize, consisting of a diploma, a gold medal, and a $1 million cheque, from King Carl XVI Gustaf at a formal ceremony in Stockholm on December 10, the death anniversary of scientist Alfred Nobel who created prizes in his last will and testament. The prestigious peace prize is handed out in Oslo.

The medicine prize starts off this year's awards with the remaining five to be unveiled in the coming days.

The prizes, first handed out in 1901 were created by Swedish dynamite inventor and wealthy businessman Alfred Nobel and are awarded for achievements in science, literature, and peace and in later years also for economics.

What is mRNA?

mRNA stands for 'messenger RNA'. It is a molecule that carries genetic information from DNA to ribosomes in cells, where it is used as a template for protein synthesis.

What are mRNA vaccines?

It is a type of vaccine that uses messenger RNA (mRNA) to instruct cells in the body to produce a specific viral protein such as the spike protein of the Covid-19 virus. This protein triggers an immune response against the virus.

Notably, mRNA vaccines do not contain live or weakened viruses, making them safe and effective tools for preventing infectious diseases like COVID-19.

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Reference:

• www.nobelprize.org
  
• livemint.com
• insightsonindia.com