Co-inventor of mRNA shots sets sights on pan-coronavirus vaccine

Drew Weissman’s decades of research helped pave the way for mRNA Covid-19 vaccines, but the scientist isn’t resting on his laurels. The University of Pennsylvania immunologist, who on Thursday shared the $3 million 2022 Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences with his longtime collaborator Katalin Kariko, is now spearheading efforts to design a new vaccine against all coronaviruses. The Silicon Valley-backed award honors major discoveries with the highest cash amounts in science. “There have been three (coronavirus) pandemics or epidemics in the past 20 years,” Weissman told AFP in an interview, referring to the original SARS virus, MERS and Covid-19. “You have to assume there’s going to be more, and our idea was that we could wait for the next coronavirus epidemic or pandemic, and then spend a year and a half making a vaccine. Or we could make one now and have it either ready to go, or use it now.” The 62-year-old and his...