Drew Weissman is a pioneering immunologist whose revolutionary work has fundamentally transformed vaccine development and therapeutic approaches to disease prevention. He currently serves as the Roberts Family Professor in Vaccine Research and Director of the Institute for RNA Innovation at the Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania. Weissman earned his bachelor's and master's degrees in biochemistry from Brandeis University in 1981 before earning both his MD and a PhD from Boston University School of Medicine in 1987, with his PhD specialization in microbiology and immunology. Following a fellowship at the National Institutes of Health where he studied HIV under Dr. Anthony Fauci, he joined the University of Pennsylvania faculty in 1997, establishing himself as a visionary researcher dedicated to advancing immunological science.
Weissman's groundbreaking research with Katalin Karikó uncovered that modifying nucleosides in messenger RNA could prevent harmful inflammatory reactions while significantly enhancing protein production, overcoming the critical barrier that had previously hindered mRNA's therapeutic application. Their seminal 2005 discovery laid the essential foundation for developing safe and effective mRNA vaccines, which enabled the unprecedented rapid deployment of Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines during the global COVID-19 pandemic. This work facilitated the administration of over 13 billion doses of mRNA-based vaccines worldwide, saving countless lives and demonstrating the transformative potential of RNA therapeutics far beyond pandemic response. The scientific community recognizes this contribution as one of the most significant medical breakthroughs of the 21st century, establishing an entirely new platform for combating infectious diseases and other medical conditions.
For their paradigm-shifting contributions to medical science, Weissman and Karikó were awarded the 2023 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, acknowledging how their persistent research overcame decades of scientific skepticism about RNA's therapeutic potential. Weissman's laboratory continues to advance RNA technology by developing next-generation vaccines, including pan-coronavirus and universal influenza vaccines, as well as targets for HIV, hepatitis C, and malaria. His team is pioneering applications of mRNA therapeutics for cancer treatment and gene therapy through precisely targeted delivery systems for specific organs including the lung, heart, and brain. Committed to global health equity, Weissman emphasizes making these life-saving technologies accessible worldwide, ensuring that scientific innovation benefits all populations regardless of economic status.
