2023 Nobel Prize in Medicine awarded to developers of mRNA vaccines against COVID-19

Katalin Kariko and Drew Weissman has been awarded the 2023 Nobel Prize in Medicine for their work that enabled the development of effective mRNA vaccines against COVID-19.

Hungary’s Kariko and US’ Weissman “contributed to the unprecedented rate of vaccine development during one of the greatest threats to human health in modern times,” the Nobel jury in Stockholm said. 

The prize money this year was increased by 1 million kronor to 11 million kronor (just over $1 million, or slightly under €1 million) because of the plunging value of the Swedish currency.

The Nobel Prize is considered the most prestigious award in the fields in which it is presented.

The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine has been awarded 113 times since the prize’s first year in 1901. It’s gone to 225 scientists, but only 12 women.

Last year’s award went to Swedish scientist Svante Paabo for discoveries in human evolution that unlocked secrets of Neanderthal DNA that which provided key insights into the human immune system, including vulnerability to severe COVID-19.