02 Oct Bayh-Dole Coalition Congratulates Nobel Prize Winner Dr. Katalin Karikó
WASHINGTON (October 2, 2023) — Today, Bayh-Dole Coalition American Innovator Award recipient Dr. Katalin Karikó and fellow researcher Dr. Drew Weissman were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their work on mRNA, which underpinned the development of the Covid-19 vaccines. In response, Executive Director of the Bayh-Dole Coalition Joseph P. Allen issued the following statement:
“On behalf of the Bayh-Dole Coalition, I’d like to extend my heartfelt congratulations to Dr. Karikó on this extraordinary and well-deserved achievement. Kati embodies the spirit of innovation. For years, no one believed that her research could succeed, let alone lead to the development of lifesaving vaccines. Yet she persevered, despite the numerous obstacles in her way.
“In recognition of her inspiring determination, the Bayh-Dole Coalition awarded Kati with our inaugural American Innovator Award in September 2023. The world will be forever grateful that she took advantage of the Bayh-Dole system, which allowed her breakthrough research to reach the public amid a global pandemic.
“Kati’s achievement also demonstrates the importance of protecting and maintaining the Bayh-Dole Act as it has been implemented for the past 43 years. Without Bayh-Dole, her work may have remained mere academic theory, rather than a Nobel-Prize-winning innovation that has saved millions of lives and could revolutionize any number of medical treatments in years to come.”
To learn more about Dr. Karikó’s story, read the Bayh-Dole Coalition’s Faces of American Innovation report here.
About the Bayh-Dole Coalition: The Bayh-Dole Coalition is a diverse group of research and scientific organizations, as well as those directly involved in commercializing new products, dedicated to protecting the Bayh-Dole Act and educating policymakers about the positive impacts of the legislation.