Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine 2023: Development of mRNA therapeutics that paved the path of formulation of COVID-19 vaccine

Abstract

Since the concept of the vaccine was developed by Edward Jenner in 1796, vaccinology has traveled a long way with gradual improvement toward developing better methods of formulation of vaccines. In this premises in the 1990s, Karikó and Weissman joined their hands and minds aiming at understanding how different RNA species interact with the immune system. During their long journey in this direction, they performed extensive studies involving well-conceived molecular biology-based experiments that resulted in a breakthrough discovery relating to RNA therapeutics in general and messenger RNA (mRNA) therapeutics in particular. In this endeavor, they developed mRNA technology that actually paved the path leading to the development of mRNA vaccine that has many advantages. In December 2019, when the deadly virus SARS-CoV-2 emerged, which, in no time, caused a pandemic as well as an epidemic, thereby throwing a fierce challenge to the total healthcare systems worldwide, it was possible to take care of that challenge through the formulation and manufacturing on a large scale the mRNA vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 using the above technology. Thus, mRNA technology has created a strong platform that has spelled out a great promise toward controlling any pathogen infection and saving human life through the development of mRNA vaccine at a quick pace. In this short review, an attempt will be made to highlight the contributions of Karikó and Weissman and how they led the formulation of a vaccine against COVID-19, which fetched them the Nobel Prize in Medicine or Physiology, 2023.