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How mRNA went from a scientific backwater to a pandemic crusher

For decades, Katalin Karikó's work into mRNA therapeutics was overlooked by her colleagues. Now it's at the heart of the two leading coronavirus vaccines. Kariko's discovery made it possible to safely administer mRNA to patients, some of the original goals for mRNA back in the 1970s, had become viable possibilities again. 

With the Covid-19 pandemic requiring vaccine development on an unprecedented scale, mRNA vaccine approaches held a clear advantage to create an immune response.