The Novo Nordisk Prize 2022 was presented to Karikó and Weissman for pioneering discoveries in nucleoside-modified mRNA.
On May 27, 2022, Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman were presented with the Novo Nordisk Prize 2022, one of Scandinavia's most significant biomedical research awards, recognizing their pioneering discoveries in nucleoside-modified mRNA technology.
The prize specifically honored the scientific insight that chemically modifying mRNA nucleosides could prevent the immune system from destroying synthetic RNA, thereby enabling its use as a safe and effective vehicle for vaccines and potential future therapeutics.
Awarded by the Novo Nordisk Foundation, one of the world's largest philanthropic funders of biomedical research, this prize underscored the international scope of recognition Karikó received in the years following the successful global rollout of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines.
The presentation reflected how thoroughly the scientific community had come to embrace the significance of Karikó's once-overlooked research, marking yet another milestone in a remarkable sequence of honors bestowed upon her in the two years preceding her Nobel Prize.