How did mRNA technology go from obscure research to saving millions of lives?

The answer

mRNA technology instructs human cells to produce a specific protein (like the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein), triggering an immune response without using any actual virus. The concept was pioneered by biochemist Katalin Karikó, who spent decades struggling to get funding and was even demoted by her university. Her breakthrough - modifying mRNA nucleosides to avoid triggering inflammatory immune responses - finally enabled the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines, developed in record time (under 11 months). The platform is now being adapted for cancer vaccines, flu, HIV, and malaria.