Katalin Karikó, recent Nobel Prize Laureate and adjunct professor of neurosurgery, was awarded the Dean’s Distinguished Award, along with the Weissman Lab.
The award, presented by Dean of Perelman School of Medicine J. Larry Jameson, recognizes an exceptional individual or collaborative team whose research pursuits have resulted in transformative discoveries in the global landscape of healthcare, according to the Penn Almanac.
“Nobel Prize Laureates Drs. Karikó and Weissman have pioneered research that has rewritten the annals of medical science and history,” the award read.
Karikó has made pioneering contributions to mRNA technology at the forefront of transformative research at the Weissman Lab, led by colleague Dr. Drew Weissman. The lab has been a hub of innovation, carving a “new frontier” in medicine, Penn Almanac reported.
Research conducted by Dr. Karikó and the Weissman Lab has played a role in the implementation of mRNA-based therapies which were critical in the development of Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccines. The technology they developed has not only shown efficacy in preventing infectious diseases, but also holds promise for treating a variety of other conditions, from cancer to genetic disorders.
Karikó and Weissman were recently named winners of the 2023 Nobel Prize in Medicine for their contributions to mRNA technology, becoming the 28th and 29th Nobel laureates affiliated with Penn.
Dr. Karikó was also honored with the Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences, the Princess of Asturias Award, and the Vilcek Prize for Excellence in Biotechnology for her continuing research on therapeutic applications of mRNA technology.
However, eight of Karikó’s colleagues recently told The Daily Pennsylvanian that Penn had “shunned” both Karikó and her research over the course of three decades. Karikó’s colleagues said that it was her work ethic that had led to her success despite Penn’s mistreatment and administrators, who told her she was “not of faculty quality.”
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