Katalin Karikó Traces mRNA Journey from Discovery to Therapeutic Revolution at 75th Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting
核心洞察
The 75th Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting convened 70 Nobel laureates and 600 young researchers from June 28 to July 3, 2026, under the theme "75 Years and Beyond – Science Transcending Borders."
Katalin Karikó (搜索) delivered a landmark lecture detailing mRNA research milestones, from the 1978 demonstration of protein production in mammalian cells to the pseudouridine (搜索) modification that unlocked therapeutic potential.
Karikó highlighted how replacing uridine with pseudouridine (搜索) eliminated the inflammatory response that had limited mRNA's clinical utility, enabling the development of effective mRNA-based vaccines and therapies.
The 75th Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting, held from June 28 to July 3, 2026, in the picturesque German town of Lindau, brought together 70 Nobel laureates and 600 outstanding young researchers from around the world. Under the theme "75 Years and Beyond – Science Transcending Borders," the jubilee event marked a historic milestone: the first-ever in-person meeting of three Nobel laureates of Hungarian origin—Avram Hershko (搜索), Katalin Karikó (搜索), and Ferenc Krausz (搜索).
The opening ceremony featured a welcome address by Frank-Walter Steinmeier, President of the Federal Republic of Germany, with former German Chancellor Angela Merkel also in attendance, underscoring the stature of the gathering within the international scientific community.
Karikó's mRNA Journey: From Basic Science to Global Impact
Professor Katalin Karikó (搜索), co-recipient of the 2023 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, played a particularly prominent role at the meeting. Arriving from England where she had just received an honorary degree from the University of Oxford, Karikó delivered an inspiring lecture on June 29 titled "Developing mRNA for Therapy: My Journey."
In her lecture, Karikó traced the evolution of messenger RNA research from its discovery in 1961 through to the development of mRNA-based vaccines that helped curb the COVID-19 (搜索) pandemic. She outlined the critical milestones that transformed mRNA from a laboratory curiosity into a therapeutic platform.
"In 1978, researchers demonstrated that isolated mRNA introduced into mammalian cells could produce the encoded protein," Karikó recounted. "A major breakthrough followed in 1984 with the introduction of in vitro transcription, which made it possible to synthesize mRNA encoding virtually any desired protein from the corresponding DNA using phage RNA polymerases."
During the early 1990s, in vitro-transcribed mRNA was primarily investigated in animal models as a potential vaccine platform against infectious diseases and cancer. However, the inflammatory nature of mRNA initially limited its clinical potential—a barrier that Karikó and her colleagues would ultimately overcome.
"Together with my colleagues, we reached a major milestone by eliminating this immune response through the replacement of uridine with pseudouridine (搜索) in mRNA," Karikó explained. "We also demonstrated that nucleoside-modified mRNA formulated in lipid nanoparticles could serve as an effective vaccine platform."
She concluded by emphasizing the broader therapeutic horizon: "These discoveries paved the way for the development of groundbreaking mRNA-based therapies to treat previously incurable diseases and address unmet medical needs."
Global Health and Scientific Responsibility
The opening panel discussion on June 27, 2026, addressed one of today's most pressing global challenges. Karikó joined immunologist Frederick J. Ramsdell, biochemist Morten Meldal of the University of Copenhagen, and José Manuel Barroso, former Prime Minister of Portugal and former President of the European Commission, to examine the question: "Is global health a reality or an illusion in a divided world?"
A subsequent panel on June 28, moderated by immunologist Stefan H. E. Kaufmann of the Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology, explored the roles of solidarity, accountability, and scientific responsibility in confronting global challenges—a theme that resonated throughout the meeting.
Ferenc Krausz (搜索) on Attosecond Metrology and Preventive Healthcare
Ferenc Krausz (搜索), co-recipient of the 2023 Nobel Prize in Physics, presented emerging opportunities for advancing preventive healthcare through attosecond metrology. "At the dawn of the new millennium, the emergence of attosecond metrology made it possible to record subatomic motion for the first time," Krausz explained. "When these motions are induced and measured in molecules found in human blood, they can reveal changes in a sample's molecular composition and provide early indicators of emerging health disorders."
Krausz reported that his team had found evidence that "this approach can provide signals of emerging chronic diseases years before they produce symptoms and are clinically diagnosed. For the first time, these findings open up the possibility of monitoring human health in a cost-effective way."
A Historic Hungarian Trio and Lessons from a Life in Science
For Karikó, the Lindau Meeting held personal significance: it was here that she met fellow Nobel laureate Avram Hershko (搜索) in person for the first time. Both have roots in Hungary's Nagykunság region—Karikó grew up in Kisújszállás, while Hershko was born in nearby Karcag—yet their scientific careers followed markedly different paths. Karikó, a biochemist, received the 2023 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, whereas Hershko, a physician-scientist, was awarded the 2004 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Both have also received the Lasker Award and the Canada Gairdner International Award.
On July 1, 2026, Karikó and Hershko participated in the "Lessons From Life Synergy Talk," joined by biochemist Tim Hunt, pharmacologist Louis J. Ignarro, and economist Robert C. Merton. The discussion explored failure, creativity, unconventional thinking, and the life experiences that shape scientific discovery.
Engaging the Next Generation
Beyond the formal program, the meeting's impact was shaped by direct encounters between laureates and early-career researchers. Two young scientists from the Institute for Clinical Pharmacology at LMU Klinikum, Dr. Marcel Trefny and Philipp Jie Müller, participated after being nominated by Prof. Stefan Endres through the Else Kröner-Fresenius-Stiftung and the Wilhelm Sander-Stiftung, respectively.
Dr. Trefny was also invited by the Swiss State Secretary for Education, Research and Innovation to engage in a panel discussion on "How AI Transforms Scientific Discovery" alongside Nobel Laureate Kurt Wüthrich. The meeting also featured John Jumper reflecting on solving the protein structure prediction problem with AlphaFold and on building trust in AI.
As the LMU participants noted, "it was the informal exchanges during breaks, lunch hours or science walks around the island that gave the participants the chance to interact with the Laureates. Encountering Laureates not as distant figures but as curious, humble, and endlessly passionate scientists reminded both scientists why they chose this path in the first place."
Continuing a long-standing Lindau tradition, the lectures delivered at the 75th Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting will be published, allowing the ideas shared there to reach audiences well beyond the event itself. Until the Meeting concluded on July 3, 2026, the picturesque German island town served as a vibrant hub of the international scientific community.