Katalin Karikó is the name that is currently in talks among people around the world as she was conferred with the Nobel Prize in medicine for her pioneering work on messenger RNA. Since Katalin Karikó was awarded the Nobel Prize in medicine, people have been eagerly taking over the internet to learn more about her. You would be surprised to know that once the school demoted Katalin Karikó and cut her salary. But the school has been making millions of dollars from Katalin Karikó’s work. The University of Pennsylvania is celebrating Katalin Karikó’s novel prize, after disregarding her for a long time. You should learn more about her in the following sections. Scroll down the page.
Who is Katalin Karikó?
The Unversity of Pennsylvania demoted scientist Katalin Karikó and shunted her to a lab on the outskirts of campus. In addition, the school also cut her payout. Her colleagues denigrated her messenger RNA research while other scientists refused to work with her in the lab. However, she persuaded another scientist at the University of Pennsylvania named Drew Weissman to join her in her research of modifying message RNA for drugs and vaccines. Although most of the people at the university remained skeptical about Katalin Karikó’s mRNA research, Drew Weissman agreed to work with her.
Now Katalin Karikó has proved all her detractors incorrect. In addition, she also made herself the pinnacle of science by winning the Nobel Prize in medicine for her mRNA research that led to the mRNA vaccines that were used to save lives during the COVID-19 pandemic throughout the world. Katalin Karikó’s mRNA research is also looking useful for cancer, flu, and other diseases.
University of Pennsylvania Patented Katalin Karikó’s mRNA
The school patented Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman’s mRNA technology which made the school millions of dollars from the pharma companies. On Monday, both Drew and Katalin were conferred with the Nobel Prize in medicine, on top of prestigious science prizes in recent years. Therefore, the University of Pennsylvania that first ignored her, is now expressing a different perspective on Katalin Karikó’s work.
David Langer, the chair of neurosurgery at Lenox Hill Hospital and a student of Katalin Karikó, said, “It’s a flawed system” The relationship between Penn University and Karikó became strained over many years. Karikó joined the University of Pennsylvania in the cardiology department of the medical school as a research assistant professor in 1989. Her job was to do research and deliver lectures for graduate students.