The 220 square-meter long mural of Karikó, who is the senior vice president at German company BioNTech with which Pfizer developed one of the most effective coronavirus vaccines, is displayed with the slogan: "The future is written by Hungarians".
"Katalin Karikó is a true Hungarian role model, who is an example not just by helping to develop the vaccine but also by proving to the young generation of Hungarians that as a Hungarian it is possible to achieve a very positive effect in the world," said Gergely Böszörmenyi-Nagy, founder of the company Brain Bar, who came up with the idea of a mural.
Karikó reacted to her portrait in a tweet saying "It was a surprise, a big surprise."
The scientist has been been awarded several scientific prizes in the past two years for her work in the development of the mRNA vaccine. Just recently, on 24 September she and her research partner Dr Drew Weissman, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine, won the Lasker Award which is among the most prestigious prizes in medicine, and many Lasker winners often go on to receive the Nobel Prize.
A few weeks ago Karikó has also been portrayed by a mural in Spain at The Technical University of Valencia by the artist Diana Bama.
To read our previous article on Karikó and her scientific achievement, click HERE.
Links and sources:
- reuters.com - Budapest mural pays tribute to Katalin Kariko, Hungarian-born pioneer behind COVID-19 vaccine
- hungarytoday.com – Spain Now Also Has a Karikó Mural
- nytimes.com - Two Covid vaccine pioneers win 2021 Lasker Awards in medicine.
Photo credit:
- Image 1. REUTERS/Kriszta Fenyo
- Image 2. Universitat Politècnica de València’s Facebook page – from the article hungarytoday.com – Spain Now Also Has a Karikó Mural