Discoveries that have led to the development of effective mRNA vaccines against Covid-19 led to the awarding of the Nobel Prize in Medicine to Hungarian Katalin Karikó and American Drew Weissman on Monday.
The research “played an important role in the development of effective mRNA vaccines against Covid-19 during the pandemic that began in early 2020. With their groundbreaking discoveries that changed our understanding of how mRNA interacts with our immune system, the laureates have contributed to an unprecedented number of vaccine developments during one of the greatest threats to human health of our time,” the Nobel Assembly said in a statement.
Katalin Kariko, 68 years old, professor at Sagan University (Hungary) and associate professor at the University of Pennsylvania (USA). American physician and researcher Drew Weissman, 64, conducted his research with Kariko in Pennsylvania, explained Nobel Assembly Secretary Thomas Perlmann.
The researchers observed that dendritic cells recognize the mRNA “in vitro” as a foreign substance, which leads to its activation and the release of inflammatory signaling molecules. “Kariko and Weissman realized that certain critical properties should distinguish different types of mRNA,” it is mentioned.
In the study, they created different variants of mRNA, each with unique chemical changes in the bases, which they delivered to dendritic cells. “The results were unexpected: the inflammatory response virtually disappeared when the base modifications were incorporated into the mRNA.” These results were published in 2005, 15 years before the pandemic.
Egas Moniz: award 1949.
Antonio Egas Moniz (1874–1955), neurologist, researcher, politician and writer, received the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1949 for research related to lobotomy. He developed cerebral angiography and prefrontal leucotomy and held various positions in hospitals and other health care institutions.
The difference in Portugal
Nobel Prize-winning scientists were already awarded in Portugal last year for the same research through the Bial Foundation.
Vaccination diseases
The National School of Public Health said Monday that the Nobel Prize in Medicine places an “emphasis on large-scale vaccination” as one of the most important tools for disease prevention.
Author: Paulo Fonte([email protected])
Source: CM Jornal
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