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How mRNA Vaccines Were 30 Years in the Making

COVID-19 mRNA vaccines seemed to appear overnight, but the technology took three decades to develop. Katalin Kariko spent years struggling to get funding for mRNA research at the University of Pennsylvania. She and Drew Weissman solved a critical problem: synthetic mRNA triggered dangerous immune reactions.

By modifying the mRNA with pseudouridine, they made it safe. This modification enabled the COVID vaccines that protected billions of people. Kariko and Weissman received the Nobel Prize in 2023.

The mRNA platform may lead to vaccines for cancer, HIV, and other diseases in the coming years..

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