Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine: Know power couple behind never-before-approved research

‘dream team’ behind world’s first efficient COVID-19 vaccine that has provided major breakthrough in global research, is a Turkish-German ‘power’ couple of scientists Ugur Sahin (55) and Ozlem Tureci (53). While entire world is struggling to control COVID-19 pandemic and infection rate has continued to surge in several nations, it was pioneering research in field of modified genetic code that has brought public attention to m, as brains behind vaccine that has shown 90% efficacy. 

While news of Pfizer-BioNTech’s mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccine being efficient has caused a stir in world of medical research, it also significantly catapulted ecomies across globe. This too, at a time when more than a million people have died due to highly-infectious disease and every country is battling to flatten graph of new infections. Sahin and Tureci are being credited for world breathing a sigh of relief with vember 9 anuncement of promising results in phase 3 trials of vaccine candidate.

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Who is power couple?

As per reports, Ugur Sahin and Ozlem Tureci set up BioNTech in central German city of Mainz in 2008 which also partnered with American pharmaceutical company Pfizer Inc to develop COVID-19 vaccine candidate by using a never-before-approved techlogy called messenger RNA or mRNA. Sahin is also chief executive of BioNTech where Tureci is chief medical officer and as per Guardian report, he is kwn for cycling around hequarters of company which is currently valued at $21.9 billion.

Following anuncement by Pfizer, Sahin reportedly called positive results of important trial as “victory for invation, science and of a global collaborative effort” that would contribute for world to “regain a sense of rmalcy.” Sahin and Tureci’s company mand to outperform major, well-established competitors in global race for COVID-19 vaccine and it also reportedly me m first Germans with Turkish roots to be a part of nation’s rich list in autumn.

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Children of migrants

Sahin and Tureci are children of Turkish migrants who h moved to Germany in late 1960s. As per media reports, Sahin was born in Iskenderun on Mediterranean coast but came to Germany when he was a four-year-old. His far worked at a Ford factory in Cologne. Meanwhile, BioNTech’s chief medical officer grew up in Lastrup, Lower Saxony, place where her Istanbul-born far was a surgeon at a Catholic hospital. Eventually, y met at Saarland University. Since 2001, couple has been based in Mainz and married in 2002. 

Both of m grew up in cross-pollinating cultures that reportedly gave m a dynamic childhood. Years down lane, w both of m are being widely hailed for research that was much-needed by world.

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