American Dairy Association North East (ADANE) is a non-profit organization representing over 10,000 dairy farm families in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Northern Virginia and the District of Columbia.
ADANE is committed to nutrition education and research-based communications, with a long-standing history working with schools, retailers, and health professionals to help educate on the positive health benefits of consuming dairy products – like milk, yogurt and cheese.
The MDAFP partners with Atlantic Health Partners to help you, our members, successfully address the financial and administrative challenges of providing immunizations to your patients.
Celebrating the Faces of Vaccinology: Katalin "Kati" Karikó
In March 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the first global pandemic in over a century. COVID-19, a highly contagious viral infection caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began spreading rapidly across the globe. With no vaccine available, local governments implemented stay-at-home orders, urging communities to practice social distancing, wear masks, and maintain good hygiene to curb the spread. Meanwhile, scientists worked at unprecedented speed, collaborating to develop and advance a vaccine through clinical trials.
In the second edition of our Celebrating the Faces of Vaccinology series, we’re spotlighting, Katalin "Kati" Karikó’, whose decades of mRNA research laid the groundwork for the quick, life-saving development of the first mRNA and COVID vaccine, marking a pivotal turning point in the fight against the pandemic.
Overcoming Skepticism: Breakthroughs in mRNA Research
Kati was born in Szolnok, Hungary in 1955. After obtaining her Bachelor of Science in biology and PhD in biochemistry from the University of Szeged, Karikó moved to the United States, where her cutting-edge work researching double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) laid the foundation for her pioneering work in messenger RNA (mRNA).
Karikó’s work with mRNA began at the University of Pennsylvania, where her collaboration with cardiologist Elliot Barnathan led her to submit her first grant application to establish mRNA-based gene therapy. However, mRNA technology soon fell out of the favor of the scientific community, which decreased available funding and institutional support for her work. Despite significant barriers, she committed to her research, partnering with Drew Weissman, a professor of immunology at the University of Pennsylvania. Together, their relentless determination and complementary expertise enabled them to successfully overcome the challenges of mRNA technology, which later paved the way for mRNA vaccine development.
Early scientific efforts to develop mRNA therapeutics were hindered by inflammatory reactions in the body. After extensive trial and error, Karikó and Weissman made a critical discovery: unlike mRNA, transfer RNA (tRNA) did not trigger this inflammatory response. This insight led to a major breakthrough—they were able to modify the structure of mRNA to mimic tRNA, making it a viable candidate for use in vaccines.
Next came the challenge of effectively delivering mRNA into the body. To overcome this, Karikó and Weissman pioneered the use of lipid nanoparticles, tiny fat droplets that act as protective carriers to enhance molecular stability, ensuring the mRNA could reach its targeted destination and trigger an immune response to fight disease. After validating this process in animal models, they secured patents for these techniques in 2006.
By the time the first COVID-19 cases emerged, Karikó and Weissman had already initiated five phase 1 clinical trials using mRNA technology. Working at BioNTech RNA Pharmaceuticals, Karikó was essential to the development of the COVID-19 vaccine, leveraging decades of her groundbreaking research to help the team design the COVID mRNA vaccine within hours. In partnership with Pfizer, this vaccine became the first mRNA and COVID-19 vaccine to receive FDA approval for emergency use in December 2020.
mRNA Innovations in COVID-19 and Beyond
Karikó’s research was pivotal in the development of the COVID-19 vaccine, significantly shortening the timeline and enabling rapid progression to clinical trials. This advancement played a crucial role in global public health efforts, which earned her and Weissman a Nobel Prize in the discipline in Physiology or Medicine. In fact, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) estimates that between December 2020 and 2021, the vaccine prevented 14.4 million deaths worldwide.
The immense success of the COVID-19 vaccine also validated mRNA technology, leading to increased investment in mRNA vaccine research and development. This has accelerated a new wave of mRNA vaccines, including those targeting seasonal influenza, H1N1 (bird flu), and even melanoma, many of which have shown promising potential.
Despite numerous setbacks, Karikó remained unwavering in her commitment to research and vaccine innovation. At Atlantic Health Partners, we share that same dedication to advancing public health, working to bridge the gap in vaccine procurement across all clinical care settings. Talk to a member of our team to learn how becoming a member can unlock exclusive benefits and keep your practice at the forefront of patient care.
Disclaimer: The Maryland Academy of Family Physicians (MDAFP) is in a business relationship with these partners to offer our members discounts, exclusive savings and/or resources. These partnerships or any affinity program relationships presented by the MDAFP in no way implies a MDAFP endorsement of the program, supplier, or vendor.
