The story so far: In October, biochemist Katalin Karikó became only the 23rd woman in Nobel’s 122-year-long history to have won the prestigious award in science and medicine. Her three-decade-long investigation into mrRNA vaccines ‘almost didn’t happen’: she struggled with funding, her institute demoted her and rejection letters from publications piled on. Dr. Kariko’s historic recognition reminded the world that scientific research is driven by “prestige, power and privilege”, she writes in her memoir.
Miles away from the spotlight, a familiar story fought for attention, concerning a different woman and a different disease. Last month, three corrections in leading publications (Nature, The New York Times and Cell) admitted to omitting a key name in the discovery of revolutionary drugs to treat diabetes and obesity: Svetlana Mojsov. Dr. Mojsov in the 1970s helped discover GLP-1, a hormone that has transformed the treatment of these non-communicable diseases today. However, recognition, patents and awards lagged in crediting her for her work. Two news stories traced how Dr. Mojsov’s pioneering contributions were systemically erased from scientific literature, denying her a place in history.
