The discovery that led to Covid vaccines

Witness History

Dr Katalin Karikó grew up in a small town in Hungary with no electricity or running water at home. She overcame great adversity to become a scientist and publish a groundbreaking paper in 2005 showing how the mRNA molecule could be used to protect the human immune system from viruses. But, her findings were initially overlooked and she even lost her job after failing to attract funding. However, she persisted with her research, which laid the scientific groundwork for mRNA vaccines that saved countless lives during the Covid pandemic. She was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2023. She speaks to Ben Henderson.

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(Photo: Dr Katalin Karikó. Credit: Janos Kummer/Getty Images)