From Vice-Presidency of a German Biotech Company to Global Fame

„What I find refreshing at BioNTech is that everyone is working towards the same goal.”

The mRNA-based vaccine, based on the results of Katalin Karikó's research and innovative developments, represents a revolutionary new approach to vaccine production. The production of COVID-19 vaccine, also technological breakthrough, was significantly helped by the fact that Katalin Karikó joined BioNTech SE, a biotechnology company in Germany in 2013 to further develop her basic research results.
 
Özlem Türeci and Uğur Şahin, who founded the company, have a background in cancer research and vaccine development. Since the mid-1990s they have worked at the Medical Universities of Homburg and Mainz. They have been working on optimising the structure of mRNA molecules for delivery as cancer vaccines. They have modified the various structural components of mRNA with extreme precision, significantly increasing its stability within the cell and its translational efficiency. BioNTech has made significant progress in the clinical application of cancer vaccines, through such as the development of suitable lipid nanoparticles as delivery vehicles.

With Uğur Şahin

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 The two research directions were linked when Katalin Karikó joined BioNTech. Modified mRNA molecules that do not cause inflammation are essential for the rapid development of protein replacement therapies and vaccines against SARS-CoV-2. The development of vaccines against Covid-19 disease has accelerated the creation of an mRNA-based technology platform that is a "magic bullet" triggering a paradigm shift in some areas of medicine.

BioNTech, Mainz

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This joint achievement is recognised, inter alia, by the Paul Ehrlich and Ludwig Darmstaedler Prize, which the three researchers jointly received.

 

Katalin Karikó has repeatedly declared that she is still mobilising the contacts she made as a student at the University of Szeged in search of solutions to the problems she encounters in her research. As the founder of the International mRNA Health Conference, she organises events providing a platform for the exchange of experience. Her supportive attention extends to young Hungarian researchers working in her field.

Based on her persistent and task-oriented research, her commitment to scientific conviction, Katalin Karikó's innovative attitude and her development activities - which are of outstanding importance for society as a whole - are exemplary for any researcher working in the field. The University of Szeged is proud to have Katalin Karikó as an honoured member of its Alumni Community through the award of the honorary degree of Doctor Honoris Causa, and now a researcher-professor at the University of Szeged.

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