Katalin Karikó

This is biochemist Katalin Karikó’s second time on the STATUS List, and with good reason: Her pioneering research on mRNA technology that led to the speedy development of Covid-19 vaccines, in partnership with immunologist Drew Weissman, won the Nobel Prize in medicine or physiology this past fall. It was the latest in a series of awards and recognition that Karikó has received after persisting through decades of struggle to get adequate funding, and her story has brought fresh attention to the academia’s problem of chronically ignoring and underestimating promising scientists, particularly women and others from marginalized backgrounds. But as Karikó noted at a Nobel press briefing, for her, the recent wave of recognition is beside the point. “We are not working for any kind of award,” Karikó said. “The importance was to have a product which is helpful.” Those curious to learn more about her career journey from an impoverished Hungarian family to co-creator of a revolutionary technology can dive into her recently published memoir, “Breaking Through.”