Katalin Kariko
Dr Kariko developed the technology behind the Moderna and Pfizer vaccine, and her story is incredible. She began her work in Hungry on ways to make RNA in a lab. In 1985, she sold her car, hid $1200 in a teddy bear and flew to the US with her 2 year old daughter. She later developed the “messenger RNA” technology and wrote a paper in 2005 which inspired the scientists who went on to develop the Moderna and Pfizer vaccine. Eventually, she became a senior vice president at a technology company, BioNTech. Through her grit and perseverance, scientists can make vaccines faster and safer.
Fun fact: Her daughter, Susan Francia won a gold metal in rowing for the US at the Beijing and London Olympics.
Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett
Dr Corbett the scientific lead for the Coronavirus Vaccine and Immunopathogenesis Team at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). It was her YEARS AND YEARS of work in understanding how to fight different types of coronairuses that lead to the rapid development of the Moderna vaccine. She is also working on a “universal” flu vaccine. She is now teaming up with Harvard to further develop the next generation of vaccines, and is incredibly active in addressing vaccine hesitancy.
“For a long time, we left the general public on the outside of vaccine development, until it was time to give them their shot. And that’s just unacceptable. I can’t even blame anyone for being sceptical about this, because they don’t have any idea what went into it. So, our goal is to inform people. It’s very helpful for people to feel like they’re part of something…Vaccines have the potential to be the equalizer of health disparities, especially around infectious diseases. I could never sleep at night if I developed anything — if any product of my science came out — and it did not equally benefit the people that look like me. Period.”
Read more: This COVID-vaccine designer is tackling vaccine hesitancy — in churches and on Twitter (nature.com)
Dr. Nita Patel
Dr. Patel is the lead vaccine scientist at Novavax, a vaccine which is late stage trials now. She grew up in India and worked at AstraZeneca before taking a huge chance, and joining a biotechnology start up in Maryland. In a recent interview, this incredible woman recounted working 18 hours a day to develop the vaccine. She is also working with an all female team. When asked about women in science she replied:
“We have a power inside us. We are very goal oriented, very persistent in achieving that goal…"here is no boundary. It's unlimited space. It's a lot more fun than people can think."
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Drs. Sahin and Tureci, founders of BioNTech
This husband and wife team founded BioNTech, the company that worked with Pfizer to develop their Covid-19 vaccine. Their work on the vaccine started very early, after learning about Covid-19 in China. They correctly realized it could become a pandemic. The collaboration between NioNTech and Pfizer had been in the works since 2018 to develop a better flu vaccine. Dr. Sahin was born in Turkey, and moved to Germany when he was just 4 years old. He earned his PhD in 1993 for his work on therapies for cancer. Dr Tureci had originally wanted to become a nun, but thankfully decided to study medicine. She was born in Germany and her father was a physician in Turkey. She help to develop the next generation of cancer fighting medicines and has founded a number of successful companies.
In Germany, as in the US, immigration is a hot topic. However, this incredible multicultural duo has helped to break down boarders and their brilliant work is helping to save millions of lives.
Read more! (photo from below)