But it is mRNA, and the COVID-19 vaccine made possible by the technology, that has pushed the famously hardworking couple into the limelight-and helped them become one of the richest pairs in Germany, though they reportedly still bicycle to work and live in a modest apartment near their office.īefore then, inoculations were done by giving patients a small dose of the actual smallpox virus, hoping that they would get a mild case and then be immune. Much of the couple’s work-both at BioNTech and at their previous venture, Ganymed-has focused on treating cancer. Even so, Sahin, BioNTech’s CEO, and Tureci, its chief medical officer, maintain that BioNTech is not an mRNA company but rather an immunotherapy company. Less than a year later, the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine became the first ever mRNA vaccine available for widespread use. Ozlem Tureci, went to work on a vaccine and by March called his contact at Pfizer, a much larger pharmaceutical company with which BioNTech had previously worked on an influenza vaccine using mRNA. Sahin, who in 2008 co-founded the German biotech company BioNTech with his wife Dr. Ugur Sahin was convinced it would spur a pandemic. In January 2020, before many in the Western world were paying attention to a new virus spreading in China, Dr. Ugur Sahin and Ozlem Tureci, Co-founders, BioNTech. Then she and a colleague invented an RNA-guided gene-editing tool, which won them the 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.ĭrs. She was a pioneer in determining the structure of RNA, which helped her and her doctoral adviser figure out how it could be the origin of all life on this planet. I was writing a book on the Berkeley biochemist Jennifer Doudna. I became a vaccine guinea pig because, in addition to wanting to be useful, I had a deep interest in the wondrous new roles now being played by RNA, the genetic material that is at the heart of new types of vaccines, cancer treatments and gene-editing tools. “Probably not,” she answered, “but we want to be careful. I asked the doctor if I would really been able to tell by looking at the syringe. It was a blind study, which meant I was not supposed to know whether I had gotten the placebo or the real vaccine. Researchers say the technique could also serve as a foundation for investigations into numerous other molecular biology topics related to long-term space exposure and exploration.This was in early August in New Orleans, where I had signed up to be a participant in the clinical trial for the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. Previous research suggests microgravity conditions may influence this choice, raising concerns repair might not be adequate, but investigation into this has been limited.įuture research could refine the new method to better mimic the complex DNA damage caused by ionizing radiation. Therefore, what DNA repair strategies the body employs in space may be important. While cells have several different natural strategies of repairing damaged DNA, in humans and other animals damage can lead to cancer.Īstronauts travelling outside the Earth’s atmosphere face increased risk of DNA damage due to the ionizing radiation that penetrates space. “I hope this impactful collaboration continues to show students and senior researchers alike what is possible onboard our laboratory in space.”ĭamage to an organism’s DNA can occur during normal biological processes or as a result of environmental causes, such as UV light. “The expertise of the team resulted in the ability to perform high-quality, complex science beyond the bounds of Earth. “I saw first-hand just how much can be accomplished when the ideas of innovative students are supported by the best from academia, industry and Nasa. “These developments fill this team with hope in humanity’s renewed quest to explore and inhabit the vast expanse of space.”įirst author Sarah Stahl Rommel added: “Being a part of Genes in Space-6 has been a highlight of my career. Senior author Sebastian Kraves, said: “It’s not just that the team successfully deployed novel technologies like CRISPR genome editing, PCR, and nanopore sequencing in an extreme environment, but also that we were able to integrate them into a functionally complete biotechnology workflow applicable to the study of DNA repair and other fundamental cellular processes in microgravity. It is also the first time in space that live cells have undergone successful transformation-incorporation of genetic material originating from outside the organism. The study, published in the PLOS One journal, marks the first time CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing has successfully been conducted in space. It is hoped the technique will now enable extensive research into DNA repair in space. Researchers successfully demonstrated the viability of the method in yeast cells aboard the International Space Station.
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