The 50th Annual Lewis S. Rosenstiel Award Ceremony sponsored by the Office of the President at Brandeis University, https://www.brandeis.edu was held virtually February 8, 2021.
Two research scientists were honored for their pioneering work in modifying nucleic acids to develop RNA therapeutics and vaccines. Ron Liebowitz, President, Brandies University, opened the award ceremony with the scientists:
- Katalin Kariko, PhD, Senior Vice President, RNA Protein Replacement Therapies at BioNTech
- Drew Weissman MD, PhD, Brandeis Graduate, Professor of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and Director of Vaccine Research, Division of Infectious Diseases.
Ron Liebowitz told the attendees, “Both researchers pioneered much of the science underlying the COVID-19 vaccines now being given to millions of people across the globe. Their groundbreaking research enables us to have hope and offers the proof that science holds the power to rescue us from calamity.”
Dr. Kariko and Dr. Weissman began working together over 20 years ago when both were at U. Penn. At that time, many scientists didn’t believe mRNA which transports instructions from DNA to the ribosomes for the production of proteins could be the basis for a vaccine.
By engineering a modified version of the messenger RNA (mRNA) inside human cells and then developing a system to deliver it to its target, the researchers laid the groundwork for the vaccines brought to fruition by Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna.
Dr. Jim Haber, Professor of Biology and Director of Rosenstiel Basic Medical Sciences Research, said, “University, scientists Katalin Kariko and Drew Weissman enable us to celebrate how basic research in molecular biology can be the foundation for applications that can affect the lives of us all.”
According to Dr. Weissman, “The coronavirus has been around for many years. There really wasn’t much concern until 2002 when the first SARS epidemic took place. At that point, the coronavirus was transmitted to humans and then humans transmitted the virus to others. Fortunately, the coronavirus was not very effective at transferring the virus human to human, so the epidemic died out. However, it had nearly a 10% mortality rate.
The COVID-19 mRNA vaccines work by spurring human cells to produce the spike-shaped protein found on SARS-CoV-2, which is the virus that causes the illness, and then triggers the immune system to produce protective antibodies. Dr. Kariko added, “The scientists thought that if it is possible to synthesize the mRNA code in a lab, then you could instruct the body to better fight off a wide range of diseases.”
As Dr. Kariko and Dr. Weissman accomplished a great deal in their research, Derrick J. Rossi PhD, retired as Associate Professor, Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology at the Harvard Medical School and Founder of Moderna Therapeutics, began to pay attention to Dr. Kariko and Dr. Weissman’s research. He was able to recognize the promise of mRNA to serve as a platform for vaccines.
Dr. Rossi explained, “The development of the COVID-19 vaccine normally would have taken ten years but the development of the vaccine was accomplished in just ten months. The vaccine has been found to be safe, does not change, alter, or damage DNA, and does not induce or activate autoimmune diseases. However, we don’t know the effect yet on pregnant or breast feeding women.”
Anthony Fauci, MD, Director, of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NAID) within NIH, offered remarks by saying, “I congratulate the pioneering scientists for receiving the 50th Rosenstiel Award for their distinguished basic medical research. Both Dr. Kariko and Dr. Weissman have made unusual progress in the real world of medicine as they have ushered in an important era of mNRA based vaccines and therapeutics.
To watch the event, go to https://ensemble.brandeis.edu/Watch/Aj7x3G8L.