Katalin Karikó, the Hungarian biochemist who was fundamental in the creation of Pfizer-BioNTech’s vaccine, is currently in Hungary until May 27. While her schedule and work responsibilities have kept her very busy, since she has arrived she has spoken at the Hungarian Academy of Science (MTA), given interviews to Hungarian media, and met with the rector of Semmelweis University, Béla Merkely.
At her speech for the 194th conference of the Hungarian Academy of Science (MTA), Katalin Karikó spoke about her career path, which started at the University of Szeged, and gave details on the scientific know-how of messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) technology. It was Karikó’s decades of hard work which led to this technology becoming the foundation for Pfizer-BioNTech’s coronavirus vaccine.
Pfizer-BioNTech Vaccine Creator Presents at Academy of Science
Katalin Karikó, the famous Hungarian biochemist who was crucial in the creation of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, held a presentation at the 194th conference of the Hungarian Academy of Science (MTA) on Monday. Her speech mostly focused on her scientific works, so for better understanding we’ve complemented that with personal details of her career, with the help of a publication by Wired Magazine.
The focus of her presentation was on the creation of messenger RNA therapy, but she also spoke about her experience as a researcher and student in Hungary.
An Ambitious Endeavor from the Beginning