Approximately six months ago, Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna both announced testing success for breakthrough COVID-19 vaccines. The breakthrough use of messenger RNA, or mRNA, pioneered in these COVID-19 vaccines may now be the key to many other medical interventions, including the possibility of a future vaccine for HIV. The story of messenger RNA, and the scientist who spent her entire career trying to convince the world of its potential, has important lessons for us all.
The human body relies on millions of tiny proteins to keep itself alive and healthy, and it uses mRNA to tell cells which proteins to make. Katalin Karikó, a Hungarian born bioengineer, was convinced that if scientists could design synthetic mRNA, then we could in theory, use the body's natural process to create any protein we would like. We could, for example, develop antibodies to vaccinate against infection; enzymes to reverse rare diseases; or growth agents to mend damaged tissue. The key was to identify how to introduce the synthetic mRNA without the body's defences attacking and destroying it before it could do its work. Katalin made it her mission to solve this problem.
But for decades, she received almost no support. The science academy had very little confidence in the idea, and for every research grant proposal she submitted, the answer she received was no. By the mid-90s, with no funding coming in to support her research, she was demoted. Her pathway to a full professorship at the University of Pennsylvania ended, and she was pushed back to the junior levels of the scientific academy. Alongside this, she endured a cancer scare, and her husband remained in Hungary, unable to come join her in the U.S because of a visa issue. To many of us, this would have signalled that it was time to move on --to pursue another path. Katalin Karikó probably had many moments of self-doubt Katalin Karikó, but she was persistent; and every time she questioned her path, she would also tell herself, "everything is here. I just have to do better experiments." And in time, she was proven right.
Together with another colleague at UPenn, she would eventually make a breakthrough. Their research paper, published in 2005, explained how synthetic mRNA could be introduced into the body, without triggering immune system response. The research mainly went unnoticed by pharmaceutical companies and funders until much later, when two scientists used the research as inspiration to start two companies. Those two companies? Moderna and BioNtech. In fact, in 2013, BioNtech recruited Kariko to join their team as a Senior Vice President to continue her research around practical use cases for mRNA. And in 2020, when COVID-19 struck the world and it became clear that without a Katalin Karikó vaccine the virus would not go away, Kariko's work helped bring some of the most effective vaccines to the world.
The story of the Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines is sometimes told as the story of how scientists were able to create a vaccine in less than a year. The truth is, it is the culmination of 40 years of work --of commitment, resilience and belief. It is the story of how a few people, choosing to focus their life's work on game-changing solutions, can sometimes make all the difference in advancing the world forward and transforming billions of lives. And if you look into the foundations of much of the breakthroughs in the world today --from healthcare to energy, transportation to telecommunications-- you will often find many stories like Kariko's. Stories of people and teams dedicating their life's work to transformative solutions and eventually making a breakthrough.
On this day, with all that the past year has taught us, I considered it essential that we reflect on stories like Katalina Kariko's and the lessons they carry for how we all choose to invest our careers. Especially for you, Class of 2020, with all the years you have ahead of you, this may be one of the best times to reflect on what you want your life's work to stand for. And my challenge to you Class of 2020, and to the hundreds of other Ashesi alumni out in the world today, is that you find work that will have enduring impact.
When we welcomed you to Ashesi in September 2016, I remember saying to you, that “Ashesi’s mission –-to transform Africa and its people-- is not just something written on a piece of paper; it is written in our minds, and most importantly it is written in our hearts. My charge to you in 2016, was that you allow that mission to be written in your minds and in your hearts as well.
Over the past two decades of Ashesi, there have been many people who have invested their life's work into helping you understand this mission and gain the skills to pursue it. Their work has touched generations of students that came before you and many that will come after you. Faculty, administrators, members of our boards, advocates and donors have chosen this path and made it our life's mission because we believe in you to be the generation of leaders who will transform the African continent for the better. Despite all the challenges ahead of you, and the barriers you will inevitably have to overcome, the opportunities to pursue game-changing work are many.
We believe in your potential. Four decades from now, we know that the stories they tell of game-changers who reshaped the world through quiet, diligent work will include stories of you, Class of 2020. We wish you godspeed as you begin this next phase of your journey.