The Nobel Assembly has awarded the 2023 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine jointly to Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman for their discoveries concerning nucleoside base modifications that enabled the development of effective mRNA vaccines against COVID-19.

The discoveries by the two Nobel Laureates were critical for developing effective mRNA vaccines during the pandemic that began in early 2020. “Through their groundbreaking findings, the laureates contributed to the unprecedented rate of vaccine development during of the greatest threats to human health in modern times,” the Nobel Assembly said.