On Sept. 9, 2021, the University of Pennsylvania announced that the Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences was awarded to Penn Medicine mRNA Pioneers Drew Weissman and Katalin Karik. It was a scientific discovery 16 years ago that paved the way for creation of lifesaving vaccines when the COVID-19 pandemic spread across the globe in 2020.

Weissman and Karikó teamed up more than 20 years ago at Penn to investigate mRNA as a potential therapeutic. In 2005, they published landmark research that revealed how mRNA could be altered in order to use it therapeutically and developed an effective strategy that allows mRNA to be delivered into the body to reach the proper target. Prior to their discovery, mRNA vaccines being developed to prevent infectious diseases did not effectively and safely spur protective immune-system responses in animal models. The 2005 research and subsequent findings led to successful animal and human trials, and both Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna licensed Penn technology which is used in the vaccines, a combined 360 million doses of which have now been administered in the U.S. alone. The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is being deployed in 126 countries across the globe, and 71 countries are using the Moderna vaccine.

Since its founding in 2013 by Sergey Brin, Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg, Yuri and Julia Milner, and Anne Wojcicki, the Breakthrough Prize has been given to standout individuals in life sciences, mathematics, and fundamental physics. Along with Weissman and Karikó, this year’s recipients are Jeffery W. Kelly of the Scripps Research Institute; and Shankar Balasubramanian and David Klenerman of the University of Cambridge, along with Pascal Mayer of Alphanosos. Traditionally celebrated during a live, televised awards ceremony that honors the laureates, this year’s program is postponed until 2022 due to the pandemic.