At a press conference, Dr. Catalin Calico, a researcher at an American university who was selected as the winner of this year's Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, and two others expressed their feelings, saying, "I didn't expect to be selected."
The selection committee for the Nobel Prize in Sweden announced on the 2nd that Katalin Calico
, a researcher at the University of Pennsylvania in the United States from Hungary, and Drew Weissmann, also from the University of Pennsylvania, who
made a significant contribution to this year's Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, have made significant contributions to the development of an "mRNA vaccine" for the new coronavirus.
I chose two people.
In response to this, a press conference was held at the University of Pennsylvania on the 2nd, attended by two people.
"In 1997, we met in front of a copy machine, and although we were in different buildings and departments, we worked together and fought together," Calico recalled.
Weissman said, "We have always worked together without funding for research and no one interested, and the recognition of the effectiveness of the coronavirus vaccine was a major turning point. I never gave up and kept working on it, and I think we are where we are now."
The two developed a method that would serve as a basis for using mRNA as a vaccine, and during the pandemic, vaccines were developed in record time.
Commenting on the short time since the vaccine was developed, Carrico said, "We don't work for awards, it's about creating something that works for people. That's why I didn't expect to be selected."
When asked about what it means for younger generations to learn science, Weissman emphasized, "We need science to move society forward, and we need to tell our children, grandchildren, and everyone that science is what makes the world go."