Kariko and Weissman Publish mRNA Nucleoside Modification Research

Katalin Kariko and Drew Weissman published research demonstrating that substituting uridine with pseudouridine in synthetic mRNA suppressed inflammatory immune responses triggered by Toll-like receptors. Their paper, initially rejected by Nature and Science, appeared in the journal Immunity. This nucleoside modification also increased protein production from the modified mRNA. The technique became foundational to the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines developed fifteen years later, earning Kariko and Weissman the 2023 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.