Husband-and-wife team behind mRNA vaccine to get prize in Thessaloniki
A Turkish-German husband-and-wife scientific team behind the revolutionary mRNA vaccine against the novel coronavirus, Drs Ugur Sahin and Ozlem Tureci, will be presented with the Empress Theophano Prize in Thessaloniki, northern Greece, on Wednesday.
Drs Sahin and Tureci co-founded research firm BioNTech in Mainz, Germany in 2008, with Dr Sahin serving as its CEO. The Covid vaccine is one of several vaccine projects.
The prize focuses on the contribution of science to society.
The two scientists are cited for “setting an example and motivating young people everywhere [and] dedication to the common good” with their “high quality of research and expertise… leading to a discovery that has given hope not only to Europe, but to humankind.”
Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou will attend the ceremony at the city’s iconic Rotunda monument.
