On May 19, 2025, Katalin Karikó was awarded an honorary doctorate and the Semmelweis Medal by the Medical University of Vienna. The Nobel Prize-winning professor from the University of Szeged delivered a lecture before an audience of nearly 900 people.

On Tuesday, May 20, 2025, Nobel Laureate Katalin Karikó spoke at the Collegium Hungaricum in Vienna, addressing Austrian high school students and their peers from Hungary. In her presentation, the renowned biochemist emphasized the importance of maintaining both physical and mental well-being. She shared personal reflections from her life, recalling how her fascination with nature – especially with plants – first took root in childhood, gradually growing to include chemistry, biology, and geography, and inspiring her to create detailed illustrations of living organisms.

A captivating exhibition titled Forever Forward, celebrating the life and work of Katalin Karikó, has opened at the Josephinum, Vienna’s Museum of Medical History.

On May 12, the University of Szeged held an official ceremony to inaugurate its new research unit: the Host–Pathogen Interaction Center. Located within the Institute of Biology, the Center features Hungary’s only in vivo experimental station of its kind, alongside five newly renovated laboratories. This state-of-the-art facility is designed to support the development of antimicrobial therapies, with a particular focus on antifungal treatments – addressing a pressing yet often overlooked public health concern. The project was made possible through both professional and financial support from Katalin Karikó, an SZTE alumna and recipient of the 2023 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.

The Foundation for Szeged hosted its 36th annual awards gala on March 8, 2025, at the Szeged National Theater. This year, the event carried an added sense of prestige with Nobel Laureate and University of Szeged professor Katalin Karikó attending as the guest of honor.

A research consortium led by Prof. Dr. Attila Gácser, with the University of Szeged, the University of Pennsylvania (USA), and King’s College London (UK) as partners, has been awarded a HU-rizont grant. The project focuses on developing an mRNA-based therapy designed to strengthen mucosal tissue and enhance its defense against the harmful effects of Candida fungi.

The “most fragile molecule” took center stage at the 2024 mRNA Conference in Szeged, one of the year’s most prestigious scientific gatherings. To reflect on the symposium and its impact, we spoke with Ernő Duda, retired professor from the University of Szeged’s Albert Szent-Györgyi Medical School and senior session chair at the international event. This interview concludes our series, “Highlights from the Szeged mRNA Conference”.

The Nobel Prize, widely regarded as the world’s highest scientific honor, is celebrated in Stockholm with a meticulously organized series of events culminating in the award ceremony. We have compiled 10 fascinating insights into Albert Szent-Györgyi’s time in the Swedish capital 88 years ago and Katalin Karikó’s noteworthy moments during Nobel Week in 2023.

Stem cells implanted near spinal cord injuries spring into action to produce anti-inflammatory proteins – a function they do not display when isolated. This remarkable form of adaptation is what guided Prof. Dr. Antal Nógrádi’s research group in identifying the proteins most suitable for treating experimental spinal cord injuries in rodent models. To deliver the proteins, they began utilizing mRNA-based therapy as early as 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic. Their cutting-edge research on mRNA treatments also garnered significant attention at the mRNA Conference hosted by the University of Szeged and funded by the Novo Nordisk Foundation. Professor Nógrádi, Head of the Department of Anatomy, Histology, and Embryology at the University of Szeged’s Albert Szent-Györgyi Medical School, gave an interview following his presentation at the conference.

“mRNA: More Applications than Limitations” was the headline of the article on the University of Szeged’s news portal, highlighting presentations by seven of the 15 researchers featured at the mRNA conference organized by the Novo Nordisk Foundation and the University of Szeged. For those who were unable to attend the event on November 7–8, 2024, this follow-up provides an overview of research insights shared by eight additional distinguished speakers: Rein Verbeke, Nicolas Manel, Zoltán Kis, Norbert Pardi, Katrien Remaut, Gerald Schwank, Zoltán Jakus, and Katalin Karikó.

The Szeged mRNA Conference, featuring the world’s leading experts in mRNA research, took place on November 7–8, 2024, at the József Attila Study and Information Centre of the University of Szeged. Sponsored by the Novo Nordisk Foundation and hosted by the University of Szeged, the event showcased the groundbreaking work of 15 scientists in the field of mRNA technology. For those unable to attend, this article offers key insights from engaging talks by Drew Weissman, Karin Loré, Antal Nógrádi, Uğur Şahin, Robin Shattock, Persephone Borrow, and Tamás Kiss. To ensure that each research topic is presented accurately, PhD students from the University of Szeged’s Institute of Biology assisted the university press team throughout the writing process.

On November 7, 2024, an international press event was held on the first day of the mRNA Conference at the University of Szeged. Answering questions from journalists were Katalin Karikó, Nobel laureate professor at the University of Szeged; her research partner, Professor Drew Weissman, Roberts Family Professor in Vaccine Research and Director of the Penn Institute for RNA Innovation in Medicine at the Perelman School of Medicine; and Professor László Rovó, rector of the University of Szeged, host of the symposium. The Nobel laureates answered a range of questions, touching on their latest research, how they work together, and how their lives have changed over the past year. They even shared memories of where they were when the first person landed on the Moon.

For two days, Szeged is the world’s science capital. Coming from 15 countries, leading researchers in mRNA technology, including Nobel laureates Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman, have gathered in the Hungarian city. The mRNA conference, taking place on November 7–8 at the József Attila Study and Information Center of the University of Szeged, marks the highlight of the Celebration of Hungarian Science series of events.

The gathering of top mRNA researchers at the University of Szeged on November 7–8, 2024, adds a remarkable flair to Hungary’s Month of Science events. For those wondering what makes this event stand out, we’ve rounded up some fascinating highlights about the mRNA Conference in Szeged, sponsored by the Novo Nordisk Foundation, as well as a few notable insights from the symposium.

“Accessible, visually engaging, and packed with detailed animations!” This is how Dániel Viczián, a second-year student at the University of Szeged, described the Coursera mRNA course available on the online platform. Ahead of the international mRNA conference on November 7–8, 2024, students were encouraged to complete the course and share their feedback.

Organized in collaboration between the University of Szeged and the 2022 Novo Nordisk Prize laureates Katalin Karikó, Drew Weissman, Ugur Şahin, and Özlem Türeci, the mRNA Conference in Szeged is a highly prominent event for Hungary’s scientific community. With the Novo Nordisk Foundation providing primary funding for the summit, this article highlights the Danish foundation’s significant contributions on a global scale.

Not sure how to get a basic understanding of mRNA and its therapeutic applications? Try the Coursera course recommended by Katalin Karikó!

The University of Szeged already boasts three research programs aiming to harness the mRNA technology pioneered by Katalin Karikó. Prof. Dr. Antal Nógrádi’s research group is developing mRNA-based treatments for spinal cord injuries; Prof. Dr. Attila Gácser and his team are working on therapies for inflammation caused by fungal infections; and Prof. Dr. Ildikó Csóka’s research group is investigating the targeted delivery of active pharmaceutical ingredients via nano-carriers, with researcher Dr. Gábor Katona exploring whether siRNAs that inhibit mRNA decoding can be delivered to tumor cells. Additionally, Prof. Dr. Márta Széll, Vice Rector for Strategic Affairs at the University of Szeged, has revealed that the University is setting up a new research center to advance its cutting-edge mRNA research, with the Pasteur Institute now recognizing the University as its partner.

What is mRNA good for? Just over a year after October 2, 2023, when Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman were named winners of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, the University of Szeged will host a conference showcasing the latest breakthroughs in mRNA research. At the press conference held to announce the event, Katalin Karikó, joining online, revealed that intensive research efforts have already led to the clinical testing of various mRNA-based drugs and treatments.

As Katalin Karikó received an award and delivered a lecture in Philadelphia, near the Schuylkill River waterfront, she was simultaneously being honored across the Atlantic in Budapest at the Eureka! outdoor exhibition on the Buda riverbank of the Danube. On October 8, 2024, one year after the announcement of the 2023 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, both Philadelphia and Budapest celebrated the researcher whose relentless pursuit of her dreams made her the first Hungarian woman to earn a Nobel Prize.

Katalin Karikó used to start each day with a morning run. That’s just one of the many insights the Nobel laureate professor shared during a press conference hosted by the University of Szeged to announce an upcoming two-day conference on mRNA, often called the ‘Swiss army knife’ of medical science. In response to journalists’ questions, Karikó – who played a key role in bringing the conference to Szeged – discussed her research and explained why she invited a former fellow student from university and an old acquaintance from her hometown of Kisújszállás to deliver talks at the symposium.

In early November 2024, people in Szeged might easily spot Nobel laureates in the city, thanks to the upcoming international conference at the University of Szeged. Staring on November 7, the event will bring together Katalin Karikó, Drew Weissman, and other leading experts in mRNA technology.

In 2024, Nobel laureate Katalin Karikó, professor at the University of Szeged, added yet another prestigious recognition to her impressive list of awards. Along with fellow researchers Uğur Şahin and Özlem Türeci from the German company BioNTech, she was honored with the Distinguished Medical Science Award by the Friends of the National Library of Medicine (NLM) in the U.S.

The Novo Nordisk Foundation supports the mRNA conference in Szeged. Journalists curious about the details of the November 2024 event and the latest scientific findings about the messenger molecule that offers extraordinary possibilities had the opportunity to ask questions, among others, to Nobel Laureate Katalin Karikó, who joined the press conference online on September 12.

The two medals representing the two Nobel Prizes connected to the University of Szeged are now available for public viewing in the same exhibition space, with Albert Szent-Györgyi’s 1937 Nobel Prize and Katalin Karikó’s 2023 Nobel Prize both on display at the university’s exhibition Katalin Karikó's Journey to the Nobel Prize and Beyond. The revamped exhibition was unveiled before the opening ceremony of the new academic year at the University of Szeged.

Katalin Karikó, Nobel Prize-winning professor at the University of Szeged, has received honorary doctorates from 18 universities so far. As the academic year begins, we take a look back at her honors, starting with the 2021 'Doctor honoris causa' title from her alma mater, the University of Szeged, and culminating in the 2024 'Honorary Doctor' recognition from New York University. The recognitions of Katalin Karikó, SZTE's Nobel Prize-winning alumna, have forged strong connections between the University of Szeged and the world’s most prestigious universities.

At the invitation of the University of Szeged and the ELI ALPS Laser Research Center, the French/Swedish Nobel Prize-winning physicist Anne L'Huillier visited Szeged. The name of the Lund University professor, together with the other two Nobel Prize-winning researchers of attosecond physics, Pierre Agostini and Ferenc Krausz, is preserved by a science history landmark on the way to the ELI ALPS. Anne L'Huillier carried out the experiment that led to today's attosecond physics at a young age, just after her doctoral thesis.

Katalin Karikó, research professor at the University of Szeged, has been appointed as a university professor. The decision was published in the latest issue of the Hungarian Official Journal Publisher (Magyar Közlöny).

Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman, i.e. the two Nobel Prize-winning scientists who pioneered the development of mRNA vaccines against COVID-19, and the Prime Minister of Barbados received the “Award for Global Health" founded by the Director-General of the WHO. The award ceremony was held in Geneva on the occasion of a joint event of the World Health Organization and the International Olympic Committee on May 27, 2024. The international award will be placed at the Karikó collection of the University of Szeged.

After Katalin Karikó, the University of Szeged has another Nobel Prize-winning professor, Professor Gérard Mourou, who received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2018 for his invention of chirped pulse amplification in the field of laser physics. On April 11, 2024, in the framework of a conference, in the presence of Professor László Rovó, rector of SZTE, and Minister of Culture and Innovation János Csák, Professor Mourou signed his research professor contract with the University of Szeged.

The possible areas of use of mRNA technology are wide-ranging: within a few years, it may even provide a therapeutic strategy that can be used in the case of cancer, cardiovascular, or autoimmune diseases. Several mRNA-based research projects are taking place at the University of Szeged with the support of Katalin Karikó, the first female Hungarian Nobel laureate. Among these, we present the research work carried out in the Laboratory of Neural Regeneration of SZTE SZAOK Department of Anatomy, Histology, and Embryology. The work of the researchers here can form the basis for treating spinal cord injury with mRNA therapy.

Katalin Karikó visited Szeged on April 16-17, 2024, for the first time after the 2023 Nobel ceremony held in Stockholm. The two-day visit included several programs – a celebratory senate meeting, an award ceremony, and a visit to the Botanical Garden, among others. During her visit, the alumna and research professor of the University of Szeged generously donated an authentic replica of her Nobel medal as well as the prize money that comes with the Nobel Prize to her alma mater.

From now on, the Nobel portrait plaque representing Katalin Karikó's Nobel Prize is on permanent display in the dedicated exhibition hall of the József Attila Study and Information Centre of SZTE. The Nobel Prize-winning professor of the University of Szeged announced at the welcoming ceremony on April 16, 2024 that she would donate the authentic replica of her 24-carat gold-plated Nobel medal to the university.

On the first day of her visit to Szeged, Katalin Karikó answered journalists' questions at the University of Szeged. The main focus of the interview was the Nobel Prize, which is on permanent exhibition at the József Attila Study and Information Centre, and the generous donation of five hundred thousand dollars that Dr. Karikó offered to inspire students and young researchers at the university. The discussion was moderated by Ilona Újszászi, the curator of the exhibition and a journalist with a long-standing, direct relationship with Katalin Karikó. Ilona Újszászi is also a member of the SZTE Directorate for International Affairs and Public Relations.

The management of the University of Szeged welcomed Katalin Karikó, research professor, who donated her Nobel Prize to her Alma Mater, at a gala dinner. The main patron of the event, Tamás Sulyok, President of Hungary, also attended the gala evening at the József Attila Study and Information Centre of the University of Szeged on 16 April. In his welcome speech, the head of state stressed that Katalin Karikó remained true to herself even after reaching the top of the world, returning to where she started from and taking responsibility for her country.

On April 16, 2024, Tuesday morning, Professor Dr. Katalin Karikó announced at the József Attila Department of Education and Information Center (TIK) of the University of Szeged that she has offered her Nobel Prize and the associated prize money of over half a million dollars to the University of Szeged. The research professor at the University of Szeged, also shared her experience on the events preceding the Nobel Prize ceremony and the ceremony itself in Sweden.

Dániel Viczián not only partied in a tailcoat at the Nobel Prize ceremony but also gave a presentation on the fascinating world of chemistry as a speaker at the "Stockholm International Youth Science Seminar". The first-year chemistry student of the University of Szeged won the right in a competition to represent Hungary as the only young person to participate in the most prestigious programs of the Nobel Week in Sweden. In addition to nanocomposites, we asked Dániel Viczián about his experiences at the Nobel Prize ceremony.

In his book published twenty years ago, Pál Venetianer compares the Nobel Prize ceremony to great moments and turning points in human and cultural history. By asking the 89-year-old academician and some of Katalin Karikó's guests, we relived the small and big moments of the highlight of Stockholm's Nobel Week on December 10, 2023.

Two Nobel Prize winners from Hungary and the University of Szeged have been awarded the world's most prestigious scientific prize. The mRNA researcher Katalin Karikó, Professor at the University of Szeged, is the first Hungarian woman to receive the Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine. Ferenc Krausz, who conducted his molecular fingerprinting research in Szeged, is a Nobel Prize winner in physics. Our coverage of the event, which took place at the Stockholm Concert Hall on 10 December 2023, is complemented by exclusive information from our correspondent on the ground.

The Stockholm Concert Hall has seen a lot and still has a lot more to see. Two days after the concert on 8 December 2023 organised in honour of the Nobel Prize winners, this fascinating building will host the world's most prestigious award ceremony on 10 December. Among the distinguished attendees of the concert were the Nobel laureates and the esteemed members of the Swedish royal family.

What kind of jewel is pseudouridine? What tableware is used for the banquet after the Nobel Prize ceremony? What items did this year's laureates donate to the Nobel Prize Museum? We will show the donations of the 2023 Nobel laureates – including Katalin Karikó and Ferenc Krausz, who have strong ties to the University of Szeged.

The lectures by Nobel Prize winners in physiology or medicine, Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman, were well attended in Stockholm. If you missed the live broadcast, you can watch the recording in our article.

Animations and archival footage add color to this year's television portrait of Nobel laureates. The 59-minute film illustrates some of the uplifting, dramatic, and sporty moments of the researchers' lives. In the first twenty minutes of the summary, Katalin Karikó walks and talks at significant places in her life, including locations at the University of Szeged. From the 54th minute, Ferenc Krausz jogs and explains. The stories of two Hungarian researchers frame the film celebrating this year's Nobel laureates, scheduled for broadcast on STV2.

Referring Kuno Klebelsberg in relation to Katalin Karikó's Nobel Prize is more than a historical artifact of the University. According to Prof. Dr. Márta Széll, Vice-Rector for Strategic Planning at the University of Szeged, due to the network-like character of research, a clear scientific history can be traced between the major biochemical research laboratories at the University of Szeged and the new Nobel Prize.

Stockholm is adorned in pristine white and lights, eagerly awaiting the distinguished guests and honorees for the Nobel Weeks. Nobel laureate Katalin Karikó arrived on December 4, 2023. As an honoree guest, she is a research professor at the University of Szeged. Dániel Viczián, a first-year chemistry student at the University of Szeged, is attending the Nobel Prize award ceremony as a spectator. The official events celebrating personalities recognized with the world's most prestigious scientific award officially begin on December 6, 2023.

The exhibition "Katalin Karikó's Journey to the Lasker Prize and Beyond" of the University of Szeged International Affairs and Public Relations Directorate and the Klebelsberg Library of the University of Szeged was presented in the lobby of the new theoretical block of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Pécs.

The "Nobel Weeks at the University of Szeged" awareness campaign is launched. "Where knowledge and intention meet" - a series of programmes organised under the motto of the University of Szeged extends beyond the borders of Szeged.

"I had a B average in my first class, while half of the class was excellent," said Katalin Karikó when she was asked when and how talent is recognised. According to the Nobel Prize-winning biochemist and research professor at the University of Szeged, if you have goals, determination and perseverance, you can succeed. The "Nobel Weeks at the University of Szeged" information campaign kicked off with a roundtable discussion jointly organised by SZTE and the Mathias Corvinus Collegium (MCC).

Professor Gérard Mourou, the initiator of the ELI laser infrastructure and the Nobel laureate physicist recognized for his work on chirped pulse amplification technology in 2018, was a guest in Szeged at ELI ALPS. Professor Mourou participated in a seminar held at the research institute on Friday, where Dr. Károly Osvay reported on the results of the first five-year research cycle of the National Laser-Initiated Transmutation Laboratory operating at the University of Szeged. During the event, participants, including former Minister of the Ministry for Innovation and Technology of Hungary - László Palkovics, Minister for Energy - Csaba Lantos, and Gábor Szabó - Managing Director of ELI ALPS, also discussed the prospects for the next period of the laser transmutation project.

In the week of the announcement of Katalin Karikó's Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, the memoir "Breaking Through - My Life in Science" was published in Hungarian. Since then, several book reviews have been published. By summarizing what happened since then we will direct the attention to those who contributed to the success of Breaking Through.