The Nobel Prize in medicine 2023 explained
The 2023 Nobel Prize in Medicine has been awarded to Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman, for their remarkable contributions that made it possible to create mRNA COVID-19 vaccines.
Let's break down what this means in simple terms.
Imagine our body is like a fortress, and viruses are the invaders trying to breach its defenses. When these invaders attack, we need a way to train our immune system to recognize and fight them off quickly, just like having soldiers ready for battle. This is where vaccines come in.
Before the pandemic.
We had vaccines that were like giving our soldiers pictures of the enemy, so they knew who to fight when they saw them. But creating these pictures was a long and resource-intensive process, like making a movie frame by frame.
Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman changed the game.
They discovered a way to create a special type of message called mRNA that acts like a cheat code for our body's soldiers. This cheat code helps our immune system recognize and fight off the enemy virus more quickly and effectively.
The brilliant part is that they figured out how to make this mRNA stable and safe to use. You can think of it like putting this cheat code into a steady protective envelope so that our body's soldiers can use it without any harm. This was a big challenge, but their work made it possible to create vaccines super fast.
In fact, the COVID-19 vaccines we've been using to fight the pandemic were developed incredibly quickly thanks to their discoveries. These vaccines have been incredibly efficient, with about a 95% success rate in protecting people from COVID-19. They were approved and started saving lives in record time.
This groundbreaking technology isn't just for COVID-19.
It's like having a magical tool that can be used to create vaccines for all kinds of other diseases. It can even help us fight some types of cancer or deliver important medicines.
So, Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman have truly changed the game when it comes to how we create vaccines and fight off diseases. Their work has been a lifeline during one of the most challenging health crises the world has ever faced, and it's a game-changer for our future battles against diseases. Their discoveries have saved lives, prevented illness, and allowed us to get back to our normal lives.
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