Katalin Karikó

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The native form of this personal name is Karikó Katalin. This article uses the Western name order.
Katalin Karikó
File:Katalin Kariko light corrected.jpeg
Karikó (2020)
Born (1955-01-17) 17 January 1955 (age 70)
Szolnok, Hungary
Fields Biochemistry; RNA technologies
Institutions University of Szeged
Temple University
University of Pennsylvania
BioNTech
Alma mater University of Szeged
Known for mRNA technology in immunology and therapies
Notable awards Rosenstiel Award (2020)
Széchenyi Prize (2021)
Wilhelm Exner Medal (2021)
Semmelweis Prize (2021)
Vilcek Prize for Excellence (2022)
Spouse Béla Francia
Children Susan Francia

Katalin Karikó (Hungarian: Karikó Katalin, Hungarian pronunciation: [ˈkɒrikoː ˌkɒtɒlin]; born 17 January 1955) is a Hungarian biochemist who specializes in RNA-mediated mechanisms. Her research has been the development of in vitro-transcribed mRNA for protein therapies. She co-founded and was CEO of RNARx, from 2006 to 2013.[1] Since 2013, she has been a vice president and promoted to senior vice president in 2019 at BioNTech RNA Pharmaceuticals.[2] She is also an adjunct professor at the University of Pennsylvania.[1]

Karikó's work includes the scientific research of RNA-mediated immune activation, resulting in the co-discovery with American immunologist Drew Weissman of the nucleoside modifications that suppress the immunogenicity of RNA.[3][4][5] This is seen as permitting the therapeutic use of mRNA.[6] Together with Weissman, she holds U.S. patents for the application of non-immunogenic, nucleoside-modified RNA. This technology has been licensed by BioNTech and Moderna to develop their COVID-19 vaccines.[7]

Early life and education

Karikó grew up in Kisújszállás, Hungary, where she attended Móricz Zsigmond Református Gimnázium. Her father was a butcher.[8]

After earning her Ph.D. at the University of Szeged, Karikó continued her research and postdoctoral studies at the Institute of Biochemistry, Biological Research Centre of Hungary, the Temple University Department of Biochemistry, and the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. While serving as postdoctoral fellow at Temple University in Philadelphia, between 1985 and 1988, Karikó participated in a clinical trial in which patients with AIDS, hematologic diseases, and chronic fatigue syndrome were treated with double stranded RNA (dsRNA). At the time, this was considered groundbreaking research, as the molecular mechanism of interferon induction by dsRNA was not known, but the antiviral and antineoplastic effects of interferon were well documented.[9]

Career

In 1990, while a Research Assistant professor at the University of Pennsylvania, Karikó submitted her first grant application in which she proposed to establish mRNA-based gene therapy.[2] Ever since, mRNA-based therapy has been Karikó’s primary research interest. She was on track to become full professor, but grant rejections led to her being demoted by the university in 1995.[7] She stayed on and in 1997 met Drew Weissman, professor of immunology at the University of Pennsylvania.[10] Her persistence was noted as exceptional against the norms of academic research work conditions.[11]

Karikó's key insight came about after she focused on why transfer RNA used as a control in an experiment did not provoke the same immune reaction as messenger RNA.[8] In a series of articles beginning in 2005, Karikó and Weissman described how specific nucleoside modifications in mRNA led to a reduced immune response.[10][3] They founded a small company and in 2006 and 2013 received patents for the use of several modified nucleosides to reduce the antiviral immune response to mRNA. Soon after, the university sold the intellectual property license to Gary Dahl, the head of a lab supply company that eventually became Cellscript. Weeks later, Flagship Pioneering, the venture capital company backing Moderna, contacted her to license the patent. All Karikó said was “we don't have it.” In early 2013, Karikó heard of Moderna's $240 million deal with AstraZeneca to develop a VEGF mRNA. Karikó realized that she would not get a chance to apply her experience with mRNA at the University of Pennsylvania, so she took a role as vice president at BioNTech RNA Pharmaceuticals (and subsequently became a senior vice president in 2019).[2]

Her research and specializations include messenger RNA-based gene therapy, RNA-induced immune reactions, molecular bases of ischemic tolerance, and treatment of brain ischemia.

Scientific contributions

The work and research of Karikó has contributed to BioNTech's effort to create immune cells that produce vaccine antigens — her research revealed that the antiviral response from mRNA gave their cancer vaccines an extra boost in defense against tumors.[2] In 2020, Karikó's and Weissman's technology was used within a vaccine for COVID-19 that was produced jointly by Pfizer and BioNTech.[6][10] The British ethologist Richard Dawkins, as well as the Canadian stem cell biologist Derrick Rossi, who helped found Moderna, have called for these two to receive a Nobel Prize.[12][13][14]

Patents

US8278036B2[15] & US8748089B2[16] — This invention provides RNA, oligoribonucleotide, and polyribonucleotide molecules comprising pseudouridine or a modified nucleoside, gene therapy vectors comprising same, methods of synthesizing same, and methods for gene replacement, gene therapy, gene transcription silencing, and the delivery of therapeutic proteins to tissue in vivo, comprising the molecules. The present invention also provides methods of reducing the immunogenicity of RNA, oligoribonucleotide, and polyribonucleotide molecules.[15][16]

Awards and honors

Selected publications

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Personal life

Karikó is married to Béla Francia and is the mother of two-time Olympic gold medalist Susan Francia.[6][12] Her grandson, Alexander Bear Amos, was born in the U.S. in February 2021, and at the time of his birth, Karikó was able to be there in person with her daughter and son-in-law, architect Ryan Amos.[32][33]

Media

In April 2021, The New York Times featured her career that laid the groundwork for mRNA vaccines to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.[8] On June 10, 2021, The Daily podcast from The New York Times highlighted Kariko's career, emphasizing the many challenges she had to overcome before her work was recognized.[34]

See also

References

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External links

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  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 US 8278036, Kariko K, Weissman D, "RNA containing modified nucleosides and methods of use thereof", issued 21 August 2006, assigned to University of Pennsylvania 
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 US 8748089, Kariko K, Weissman D, "RNA containing modified nucleosides and methods of use thereof", issued 15 March 2013, assigned to University of Pennsylvania 
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