Two Past Albany Prize Recipients Awarded 2023 Nobel Prize

Katalin Karikó, PhD and Drew Weissman, MD, PhD, who received the 2021 Albany Medical Center Prize in Medicine and Biomedical Research, have been awarded the 2023 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.

In making the announcement, the committee noted that Drs. Karikó and Weissman were awarded the Nobel Prize for their discoveries “that enabled the development of effective mRNA vaccines against Covid-19.”

“Through their groundbreaking findings, which have fundamentally changed our understanding of how mRNA interacts with our immune system, the laureates contributed to the unprecedented rate of vaccine development during one of the greatest threats to human health in modern times,” the announcement continued.

Together with Barney Graham, MD, PhD, Drs. Karikó and Weissman were awarded the 2021 Albany Prize for their critical roles in accelerating the development of two mRNA Covid-19 vaccines.

The Albany Prize is awarded annually to a physician, scientist, or group whose work has led to significant advances in health care and scientific research with demonstrated translational benefits for improved patient care.

Two previous Nobel Prize winners have been among the ranks of researchers honored by the Albany Prize. Ten Albany Prize recipients have now gone on to win the Nobel Prize.

The 2023 winners of the Albany Prize will be honored at an award ceremony and press conference in Albany on Oct. 5.