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Katalin Karikó

The new mRNA vaccines have become true beacons of hope in the Corona crisis. What hardly anyone knows is that behind them is the Hungarian biochemist Katalin Karikó, who was already working on the synthesis of RNA, a sister molecule of DNA, in the 1980s. After several setbacks, the breakthrough finally followed: she found a way to get mRNA molecules past the body's immune system without the natural immune defense system sounding the alarm. Using these synthetic molecules, the production of specific proteins in the cell can be stimulated, thus strengthening resistance to certain pathogens.

Both the founders of Moderna and BioNTech took their technology and developed it further. Today, Prof. Dr. Katalin Karikó is senior vice president of BioNTech AG, teaches neurosurgery at the University of Pennsylvania and is considered a promising candidate for the Nobel Prize. In September 2021, together with the founders of BioNTech AG, she was awarded one of the most prestigious medical prizes, the Paul Ehrlich Prize, and was included in Time Magazine's list of the 100 most influential people.

Introduction: Prof. Dr. Matthias W. Hentze, Director EMBL (European Molecular Biology Laboratory), Heidelberg, Germany

Language: English

In the framework of the International Science Festival - Geist Heidelberg

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Details:

Date: 03.11.2021

Time: 20:00

Type:

mRNA

The woman behind the new vaccine