The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research has selected two scientists from the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Katalin Karikó, PhD, and Drew Weissman, MD, PhD, as awardees of the ninth annual Ross Prize in Molecular Medicine for their tireless research in messenger RNA (mRNA) technology and contributions to developing mRNA-based vaccines to prevent the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).

The Ross Prize is awarded annually through the Feinstein Institute’s peer-reviewed, open-access journal, Molecular Medicine. Two awardees were selected after the pandemic-related cancellation of the 2021 prize. The Prize includes a US $50,000 award for each recipient and will be presented on June 7 with the New York Academy of Sciences (NYAS) at Cure on 345 Park Avenue South in Manhattan. It will take place as part of a half-day research symposium.

“Development of the mRNA vaccines for Covid-19 brought to light the decades-long scientific process and power of medical research,” said Dr. Karikó, adjunct professor of Neurosurgery at Penn and a senior vice president at BioNTech. “Through the support of the Ross Prize I am eager to continue our mRNA research to advance the technology even further.”

The duo is heralded for inventing the mRNA technology used in Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna's vaccines to prevent Covid-19 infection. For more than two decades, Drs. Karikó and Weissman studied mRNA to understand how to harness gene information and create new, more effective vaccines. Tapping mRNA technology has unlocked genes to create a blueprint for making proteins that help the body to function. The pandemic has illuminated its vast potential for an array of medical breakthroughs.