Dr. Katalin Kariko of Biontech, a German biotechnology company that made a great contribution to the development of the new coronavirus vaccine, visited Japan and responded to an independent interview with NHK on the 14th.
Dr. Kariko revealed that as the virus infection continues to spread, vaccines that can deal with various mutant viruses will become important in the future, and we are proceeding with the development of next-generation vaccines.
Dr. Carico is a world-renowned researcher who has paved the way for the medical application of mRNA, an artificially created genetic material, and has made significant contributions to the development of new coronavirus vaccines such as Pfizer.
I was in Japan for the award ceremony of the "Japan Prize", which is given to researchers who have made outstanding achievements, and on the 14th, I responded to an interview with NHK.
In this, Dr. Kariko acknowledged that the pandemic of the new coronavirus has not yet been expected to end, and said, "The emergence of a mutant virus will cause re-infection even if vaccinated. For a lifetime. It has become clear that it is not protected, "he said, pointing out that it will be important from now on how to coexist with the virus.
He also pointed out that it is important to develop a vaccine that can respond to the mutant viruses that appear one after another. "We are trying to develop a vaccine that targets the parts common to various coronaviruses, and now animals. We are proceeding with experiments. I believe that it is feasible as a scientist. "
And finally, he said he wanted to send a yell to young people who want to become scientists in Japan. "Focus on your own science. When you spend all your time on science and enjoy it, make something to help people and contribute. I realize that I should aim for that. I haven't received any awards for 40 years, but I'm still happy. "