BREAKING NEWS

The 2023 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine has been awarded to Katalin Kariko (currently Adjunct professor at the University of Pennsylvania; USA and formerly Senior Vice-president at BioNTech RNA Pharmaceuticals) and Drew Weissman (Professor at University of Pennsylvania; USA) « for their discoveries concerning nucleoside base modifications that enabled the development of effective mRNA vaccines against COVID-19 ». For more details, see https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/medicine/2023/press-release/

This award underlines the importance of the interface between cutting-edge research on RNA oligonucleotides, RNA modifications and therapeutic applications, which are at the heart of the GDR RNA. It also demonstrates that basic science upstream of applied science is essential.

The members of the GDR RNA would like to congratulate Katalin Kariko and Drew Weissman on receiving this prestigious award.

Credits: Chantal Pichon
In the top picture, Pr. Drew Weissman at ASGCT annual meeting last year.

In the left picture, Pr. Katalin Kariko is portraied with Pr. Chantal Pichon, a current member of GDR RNA.

The GDR RNA aims to bring together French teams working on the targeting of RNA, its modifications and its use as a tool around three main themes:

Axis 1. Design and synthesis of tools: from small molecule RNA ligands to modified RNA oligonucleotides

Axis 2. Study of interactions: development of biochemical and biophysical tools for the understanding of interaction mechanisms at the molecular and cellular level

Axis 3. Therapeutic applications: in vitro and in vivo models