Honoring mRNA pioneers Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman

<p>While the Covid vaccines were developed and deployed in less than a year, the messenger RNA (mRNA) technology that powered them took more than five decades to develop. On this episode, we speak with two researchers who played a key role in advancing the science: Katalin Kariko, PhD, adjunct professor of Neurosurgery at the University of Pennsylvania and a senior vice president at BioNTech; and Drew Weissman, MD, PhD, the Roberts Family Professor of Vaccine Research in Penn's Perelman School of Medicine. Despite setbacks and even ridicule from peers, they worked tirelessly to find a way to harness the potential they saw in mRNA. In 2001, they discovered a way to turn fragile mRNA strands into viable vaccines and medicines by packaging them into lipid nanoparticles (LNPs). For their contributions to medical research, they were recently awarded the <a href='https://feinstein.northwell.edu/news/the-latest/mrna-technology-covid-19-vaccine-innovators-ross-prize'>2022 Ross Prize</a> in Molecular Medicine, an annual award meant to cultivate promising careers in the fields of science and research.  </p> <p>In this episode, the history-making duo discusses what motivated them to endure their decades-long scientific struggles, their plans to continue their mRNA research and what it means to be awarded the Ross Prize. Also on the show, we speak with <a href='https://feinstein.northwell.edu/institutes-researchers/our-researchers/kevin-j-tracey-md'>Kevin Tracey, MD</a>, president of the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, about the importance of supporting young scientists, early-stage research, the culture of science and how listeners can nominate a candidate for the 2023 Ross Prize.</p> <p><a href='https://molecularmedicine.submittable.com/submit/220431/2023-ross-prize-in-molecular-medicine'>Make a submission here</a>.</p> More on the history of mRNA technology <p>Learn more about the history of mRNA technology and the development of the Covid-19 vaccines on this <a href='https://northwell.podbean.com/e/the-race-to