Katalin Karikó

Katalin Karikó struggled for funding for years until a chance meeting at a University of Pennsylvania photocopier led to her partnership with immunologist Drew Weissman. Together they showed in 2005 that modified nucleosides stop synthetic mRNA from triggering inflammation, the key step behind the mRNA Covid-19 vaccines. They shared the 2023 Nobel prize in physiology or medicine. Her expertise in RNA and his in immunology were both essential.