Intriguing Computational Biologists & Genomic Scientists: Part 1
Today, I wanted to take the time to explore some extraordinary, contemporary scientists that I find inspiring! This blog post explores the work of Dr. Jennifer Doudna, Dr. Emmanuelle Charpentier, and Dr. Katalin Kariko.
Dr. Jennifer Doudna, an American biochemist and scientist at UC Berkeley, and Dr. Emmanuelle Charpentier, Director at the Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology, were recently recognized with the 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Dr. Doudna and Dr. Charpentier are amazing scientists working at the intersection of genetics, biochemistry, and microbiology. They won the award for their work on CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing technology. Along with other scientists, they worked to isolate parts in CRISPR-Cas9 and show how CRISPR-Cas9 could cut specific sites in isolated DNA. Their inspiration came from the bacterial immune system which explored how this bacterial immune system could be adapted for gene editing. Having learned about these scientists briefly in class, I took to exploring their stories further. I am currently in the process of reading “The Code Breaker” By Walter Isaacson, a nonfiction book about the life and work of Dr. Jennifer Doudna.
Dr. Katalin Kariko, a Hungarian biochemistry scientist researching mRNA, eventually helped develop the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines for COVID. She has believed that mRNA could make its own medicines and vaccines, but her career was not very stable initially to pursue extensive research in this direction. Eventually, she received a job where her boss wanted her to make a vaccine against HIV. After research into tRNA molecules vs. mRNA molecules, they started researching with monkeys in which the mRNA could stimulate the production of RBCs. After further research, Dr. Kariko and her colleagues concluded that they could inject mRNA that could direct cells to make a part of the virus, which could serve as a vaccine. This was a relatively novel finding and aided in the development of vaccines for COVID. Recently, she was recognized in the NY Times as well, from which I learned about her story!
