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Katalin Karikó the biochemist and the first female Hungarian Nobel Prize winner, was born on January 17, 1955, in Szolnok, Hungary. She obtained a PhD in biochemistry from the University of Szeged in 1982 and did post-doctoral research at the Institute of Biochemistry, Biological Research Centre Szeged until 1985, later continuing this work at Temple University in Philadelphia and the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda. From 1989 to 2013, she was an adjunct professor and researcher at the University of Pennsylvania. After this, she worked as Vice President of the company BioNTech RNA Pharmaceuticals and later as Senior Vice President. In 2023, together with Drew Weissman, Karikó was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine “for their discoveries concerning nucleoside base modifications that enabled the development of effective mRNA vaccines against COVID-19”. Her other main areas of research include RNA injection into tumors, autoimmune diseases and vaccination against cancer. Karikó received an honorary doctorate from the University of Szeged, is a member of ten academies of sciences and was also awarded the Széchenyi Prize and the Hungarian Order of Saint Stephen. In addition to the Nobel Prize, she has received more than 130 Hungarian and international prizes and awards in recognition of her globally significant, ground-breaking work in the field of biochemistry. Her daughter, Susan Francia, won two gold medals at the 2008 and 2012 Olympics for the United States in rowing.
This coin has a portrait of Katalin Karikó. The legend “NOBEL-DÍJ” (Nobel Prize) and the date 2023 are found in three lines to the right of the portrait. Her name, “KARIKÓ KATALIN,” is located along the curved edge on the left side of the back. The reverse features a stylized depiction of a modified messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) molecule as the central motif.
denomination: 7,500 Forint
quality: Proof
material: .925 silver
issue limit: 6000
diameter: 30x25 mm (oval)
weight: 12.5 g
designers: Szilos András & Fritz Mihály
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