STORY: Nobel laureate Katalin Kariko: determination key to success
DATELINE: Oct. 14, 2023
LENGTH: 00:02:47
LOCATION: Budapest
CATEGORY: SCIENCE

SHOTLIST:
1. SOUNDBITE 1 (Hungarian): KATALIN KARIKO, 2023 Nobel laureate in Physiology or Medicine
2. SOUNDBITE 2 (English): KATALIN KARIKO, 2023 Nobel laureate in Physiology or Medicine
3. various of the press briefing

STORYLINE:

Nobel laureate biochemist Katalin Kariko, renowned for her pioneering work in mRNA-based vaccines that played a decisive role in combating the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighted the importance of determination in achieving scientific success during a press briefing at the Hungarian Academy of Sciences on Wednesday.

SOUNDBITE 1 (Hungarian): KATALIN KARIKO, 2023 Nobel laureate in Physiology or Medicine
"I'm not a genius: even in elementary school, my grades were only average fours. I even got four in conversation while half of the class got fives because they just remembered and repeated what they heard. I read Janos Selye (Hungarian-born Canadian endocrinologist)'s book at the age of 16. It was his mantra: 'Focus on what you can change.' If everyone would focus on this, they could proceed better in their field. I read this book early in my life, and I don't get angry. In every negative, so many positives can be found. In my speeches, I usually say I would not be here if I hadn't been fired four times. What you can change is what you will do next. What you do is your choice. You should concentrate all your energy on that."

During the discussion, Kariko commended the scientific revolution in China, noting a significant increase in high-quality publications originating from the country.

She noted the vibrant scientific culture in China, with thriving RNA centers and conferences attracting scientists from around the world, including the United States.

SOUNDBITE 2 (English): KATALIN KARIKO, 2023 Nobel laureate in Physiology or Medicine
"You know there was a big revolution in China and you can see that many of the high-quality publications are coming out now from China. Great science is going there and definitely half of the papers in nature science are coming from China. And of course, it is very good for the whole scientific community.
Definitely, in China, they have a big emphasis on science. There are RNA centres already and they did make some achievements presented in the RNA meetings. There are RNA companies in China."

Kariko and her American colleague, Drew Weissmann, were jointly awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their groundbreaking work, which laid the foundation for the development of mRNA-based vaccines used against COVID-19.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Budapest.
(XHTV)