Hungarian-American, Katalin “Kati” Karikó, a biochemist who focuses on ribonucleic acid (RNA)-mediated mechanisms, particularly in vitro-transcribed messenger RNA (mRNA) for protein replacement therapy, was born on January 17, 1955.
Karikó overcame significant challenges and criticism within the scientific community to lay the scientific foundation for mRNA vaccines. In 2023, Karikó and American immunologist Drew Weissman shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their contributions to science.
Keep reading to explore more about her educational background.
Where did Katalin Karikó go to college and high school? Katalin Karikó’s educational background explored
Karikó earned her B.Sc. in biology from the University of Szeged in 1978 and her Ph.D. in biochemistry there in 1982.
At the Institute of Biochemistry, Biological Research Centre (BRC) of Hungary, she collaborated with Jen Tomasz and carried out more postdoctoral research.
She was designated as an intelligence asset by the Communist Hungarian secret police from 1978 until 1985, a listing she claims was forced into out of fear for her career or retaliation against her father.
