Drew Weissman

Drew Weissman stands as a transformative figure in medical science, earning the 2023 Nobel Prize in Medicine for his groundbreaking work on mRNA technology that revolutionized vaccine development. As the Roberts Family Professor in Vaccine Research and director of the Penn Institute for RNA Innovation at the Perelman School of Medicine, his academic journey began at Brandeis University, where he earned his bachelor's and master's degrees, followed by MD and PhD degrees from Boston University School of Medicine. His pivotal collaboration with Katalin Karikó led to the discovery of modified nucleoside mRNA technology, which became the foundation for the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines. Before joining Penn in 1997, he worked with Dr. Anthony Fauci at the National Institutes of Health studying HIV. Currently, Weissman's laboratory focuses on developing next-generation therapeutics, including a pan-coronavirus vaccine, universal flu vaccine, cancer treatments, and herpes prevention. His team is also working on revolutionary gene therapy approaches, including a promising treatment for sickle cell anemia using IV-delivered RNA. The impact of his work extends globally, with his mRNA technology being used in vaccines that have been administered in over 164 countries, saving millions of lives during the COVID-19 pandemic.