Hungarian-American, Katalin “Kati” Karikó, a biochemist who focuses on ribonucleic acid (RNA)-mediated mechanisms, particularly in vitro-transcribed messenger RNA (mRNA) for protein replacement therapy, was born on January 17, 1955.
Karikó overcame significant challenges and criticism within the scientific community to lay the scientific foundation for mRNA vaccines. In 2023, Karikó and American immunologist Drew Weissman shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their contributions to science.
Katalin Karikó children: Meet daughter Susan Francia, Olympic gold medalist
It’s unknown to us the number of children the 68-year-old Hungarian-American biochemist has. However, Katalin Kariko has a daughter named Susan Francia, (November 8, 1982). She’s a two-time Olympic gold medalist rower.
Susan grew up in Abington, Pennsylvania and she attended Abington Senior High School, followed by the University of Pennsylvania, graduating in 2004 with a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in Criminology and Sociology.
Between 2006 and 2013, Karikó co-founded RNARx and served as its CEO. She worked for BioNTech RNA Pharmaceuticals from 2013 until 2022, initially as a vice president before being elevated to senior vice president in 2019.
She quit BioNTech in 2022 so that she could focus more on research. She was a part-time instructor at the University of Pennsylvania as well. Later, she was hired as a lecturer at Hungary’s University of Szeged.
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