According to BioNTech Covid's leading researcher, scientists would be able to make faster progress in solving the world's problems if they could learn to let their egos go and work together better.
Professor Katalin Karik was the senior vice president for RNA protein substitute therapies at BioNTech, Germany. She endured decades-long skepticism and was eventually demoted.
Karik's vaccines helped to create smuggle genetic material called "mRNA" into cells. This allows them to produce the coronavirus spike protein, which primes the immune system to fight the disease. She was awarded a $3m (2.2mi) Breakthrough Prize for Life Sciences by Drew Weissman, University of Pennsylvania.
Karik explained to the Guardian that if so many people in a field came together and forgot their names, egos, or titles, then they would find so many solutions. But all those titles and whatnot would get in their way.
Karik was born in Kisjszlls 150 km east of Budapest. Photograph: Csilla Cseke/EPA
I have always believed that nobody cares. My name will not be known for 100 years. She said titles, promotions and older men all get in the way. She admits that it is not only men who prioritize power over progress. However, they have had more time and practice using power.
Covid vaccines saved the lives of hundreds of thousands of people during the pandemic. New mRNA-based therapies are in development that will produce antibodies against viruses immediately. This means protection does not take weeks to build up. Although the immunity will not last as long as a vaccine, it could help doctors prevent new diseases from emerging. She envisions that people will have home freezers of mRNAs to treat burns, wounds, and other conditions.
Karik was born in Kisjszlls 150 km (93 miles) east Budapest. Her family lived in one room with no running water, no fridge or television. At 14 she was third in a national biology contest. She worked hard. After graduating from high school in Hungary, she obtained a postdoctoral degree and sold her car on an illegal market. She then sewed the money into a teddy bear for her children and moved her family to the USA.
Her first job was as a postdoctoral fellow at Temple University in Philadelphia. This earned her $17,000 per year to support her family. I'm able to live on a tight budget and spend no more than $30 per week on food for my family. She said that was the limit. She moved to Pennsylvania after a falling out with her boss.
Although mRNA therapies were promising, there was no shortage of failures that led to a loss of enthusiasm. One problem with mRNAs was their ability to trigger severe immune reactions in cells when they were smuggled into them. Karik was diagnosed in 1995 with cancer. The university gave her an ultimatum that she either stop working on mRNAs or lose her highly regarded faculty position. Karik chose to be degraded and receive a significant pay cut in order to continue her research. She met Weissman two years later. They discovered how to inject mRNA into cells without triggering severe immune reactions. This was the basis of the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines.
She said that people love to hate big Pharma, but that these people are so smart. They don't care about how many papers or committees you belong to. I was able to move from academia into a company. It doesn't matter how many papers you have or whether you are on any committees. What matters is that your product has an impact. It is all about destroying your ego. It's so much better.
Karik stated that she was positive despite the challenges of her career and looked for the positives.
It is important to be focused on what you can accomplish. Many people are distracted by the fact that they work less or get promoted or have more money. They lose sight of what is most important. They focus on things that they can't change. You work because your goal is to be the best. You will be disappointed if you think you can please your boss or someone else.
Don't panic if you lose your job. Every situation has a positive side, but you must find it.
She is now $1.5m more financially secure than she was before her Breakthrough prize. She said that although she was thrilled, it wasn't the highlight of her year. The staff and residents at a New York residential care facility were vaccinated with Pfizer's jab. This was declared 2 September Katalin Karik Appreciation Day. The home was hit by a Covid epidemic a week later. Seventy-eight people tested positive, but no one died.
They were so happy. They are still here today, thanks to the vaccine. I believe that no money, no award or any other financial reward could be more valuable than this.
