How does the COVID-19 vaccine work? Ask the women who developed it!

Drs Emmanuelle Charpentier-L & Jennifer Doudna-R 2020 Nobel laureates creators of CRISPR gene editing tool

The mRNA vaccine which has been developed first by Moderna, then by Pfizer-BioNTech (Moderna was first to develop a vaccine, first to deliver it to FDA for research, but second receiving approval), and others, is truly amazing and remarkable for many reasons, not the least of which is that it, and the fundamental underlying science behind it – gene editing/splicing – has been made possible in significant, if not whole part, by women.

This is quite possibly the first disease to ever be primarily resolved by the research of female scientists.

A team of 2 women – Dr. Emmanuelle Charpentier, PhD, and Dr. Jennifer Doudna, PhD – were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in Chemistry for developing the CRISPR-Cas9 gene splicing/editing tool in 2020.

Dr. Katalin Karikó, PhD, Senior Vice President, BioNTech

A woman – Dr. Katalin Karikó, PhD – was the scientist whose relentless pursuit of an idea how to deliver genetic therapy increased scientific understanding and formed the foundational work using modified synthetic mRNA with lipid nanoparticles to edit genes enabling them to pursue the work that others are building upon, not only on COVID-19, but other areas of genetic research, and genetic therapies.

Dr. Melissa J. Moore, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer, mRNA Research Platform, Moderna Therapeutics

And at Moderna, it was a woman – Dr. Melissa J. Moore, PhD – as the Chief Scientific Officer, mRNA Research Platform whose leadership brought a vaccine design TWO DAYS after the genetic sequence to the SARS-CoV2 virus was published, and then less than a month later a vaccine was produced, and submitted to the FDA… at least 2 months BEFORE news reports emerged that the Trump administration was considering a “fast track” program which they monikered as “Operation Warp Speed.”

Science fact has been made by women!

For additional reading, see: https://www.vanguardngr.com/2020/12/demoted-for-her-research-katalin-karikos-work-made-pfizer-moderna-covid-19-possible/

See also: https://nypost.com/2020/12/05/this-scientists-decades-of-mrna-research-led-to-covid-vaccines/

See also: https://businessinsider.mx/rss-international/biontech-scientist-katalin-kariko-risked-her-career-to-develop-mrna-vaccines-americans-will-start-getting-her-coronavirus-shot-on-monday-3/

See also: https://www.statnews.com/2020/11/10/the-story-of-mrna-how-a-once-dismissed-idea-became-a-leading-technology-in-the-covid-vaccine-race/

Watch: mRNA vaccines face their first test in the fight against Covid-19. How do they work?