Live After Quit

“Two Scientists Awarded Nobel Prize for Unprecedented Discoveries in mRNA Covid-19 Vaccine Research

The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine has been awarded to two scientists who have made groundbreaking discoveries into mRNA covid-19 vaccines. The laureates are Drs. Jennifer A. Doudna and Emmanuelle Charpentier. They have been awarded for their development of a method for genome editing, called CRISPR-cas9, which has made it easier, faster, and cheaper to splice the genetic code and modify the genes responsible for the production of proteins that are linked to diseases. Their research was essential in the development of a working mRNA vaccine for Covid-19, a potential life-saving development considering the rampant nature of the virus. Dr. Doudna is a professor at the University of California Berkeley and a Howard Hughes medical investigator. She modified the bacteria-derived CRISPR-cas9 system in order to target and edit specific parts of a DNA molecule. Dr. Charpentier is based in Berlin and is a professor of Regulation in Infection Biology at the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research. She identified the role of a specific molecule, known as tracrRNA, which acts as a guide for the CRISPR-cas9 protein to edit the targeted DNA sequence. The pioneering research undertaken by Drs. Doudna and Charpentier has been widely lauded as one of the most important breakthroughs in medicine in recent years. The development of the CRISPR-cas9 system has opened up the gates to a number of potential medical treatments, including the production of mRNA vaccines to protect against Covid-19. The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine is a highly-esteemed accolade in the scientific world, and to receive such an honour is a testament to the incredible work which Doudna and Charpentier have carried out over the years. We can only hope that the research and discovery of such talented and intelligent scientists will lead to more breakthroughs in the medical world to better the lives of people around the globe.