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Scientists Katalin Kariko and Drew Weissman from Hungary and the United States respectively won the 2023 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for discoveries enabling the development of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines, the award-giving body said on Monday. The prize, among the most prestigious in the scientific world, is selected by the Nobel Assembly of Sweden's Karolinska Institute medical university and also comes with 11 million Swedish crowns (about £823,500). "The 2023 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine has been awarded to Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman for their discoveries concerning nucleoside base modifications that enabled the development of effective mRNA vaccines against COVID-19," the body said. Kariko was senior vice president and head of RNA protein replacement at BioNTech until 2022 and has since acted as an adviser to the company. She is also a professor at the University of Szeged in Hungary and adjunct professor at the University of Pennsylvania's Perelman School of Medicine. Weissman is professor in vaccine research at the Perelman School.

In the history of Noble Prize, Marie Curie was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize. She won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1903 with her husband, Pierre Curie, and Henri Becquerel. Curie is also the only woman to have won multiple Nobel Prizes; in 1911, she won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

Face masks can be quite discomforting to wear and there are a lot of reasons not to like them. You have to fiddle with the loops to wear them and after extended wear, they hurt. They also irritate your skin and fog up your glasses and make communication a little difficult. To foster mask adoption, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in collaboration with the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, has launched a $500,000 "Mask Innovation Challenge" inviting Americans to submit ideas to make masks more comfortable to wear. The content is open until April 21 and participants have until then to submit innovative ideas that eliminate concerns with wearing masks while ensuring they are protecting themselves against coronavirus. In a press statement announcing the contest, Nikki Bratcher-Bowman, the acting assistant secretary for preparedness and response, said "with this mask challenge, we want to get people across the country involved in developing new masks that are both effective and comfortable. This will help us control COVID-19 and be better prepared for future public health emergencies." Contest Requirements and Prizes Anyone with a unique idea that follows CDC safety guidelines can submit their idea on or before 5 p.m ET on April 21. There are other requirements to enter and win this contest: 1. To receive a price, you must be a US citizen or a legal resident 2. For the first phase of the challenge, up to 10 winners will be chosen who will split a $100,000 prize, with each person taking $10,000 home. 3. Several parameters such as filtration efficiency, inhalation airflow resistance, fit, and other test methods will be used to judge the best design. According to HHS, sprays or drugs that can be inhaled or absorbed through the nose, mouth, or skin are not permitted to be used in mask design. NIOSH-approved respirators or FDA-approved surgical masks m

Walk Bet is the reward based fitness challenge app that motivates and rewards the user for walking. It offers free walking challenges and other workout challenges. To win the reward you have to join the challenge and complete your daily target. You will get daily reward coins and winning prize. Coins can be used to unlock cash rewards. Walk and earn money with Walk Bet.

A new residential building named after Dr Yusuf Hamied has opened at Christ's College, Cambridge, where the head of the Indian pharma giant, Cipla, was an undergraduate and then PhD chemistry student between 1954 and 1960. In more than 800 years that Cambridge University has been in existence, this is the first time an entire building has been named after an Indian. The "grand opening of Yusuf Hamied Court" at Christ's was presided over by Lord Simon McDonald, the Master of the College, and attracted about 25 leading scientists, mostly chemistry professors. Professor Sir Venkatraman Ramakrishnan, a chemistry Nobel Prize winner and a former president of the Royal Society, was also present at the event earlier this month, as well as Dr Anthony Freeling, the acting vice-chancellor of Cambridge University, and the chemist Dame Mary Archer, wife of the best-selling novelist Jeffrey Archer. Hamied and McDonald posed for photographs in front of the "entirely green" four-storey building, where the 64 rooms for postgraduates and fellows from around the world will rely on heat exchangers, instead of gas.

The UK must act swiftly to fend off competition if it wants to build the world's leading life sciences sciences hub, a new report suggests. A year on from the launch of the government's life science vision, the report commissioned by the the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry said although achieving the ambition remained feasible, the UK would need an attractive business environment because its competitor countries were becoming more adept at attracting investment. To achieve the ambition of the vision, the PwC-produced report suggested raising pharmaceutical R&D investment in the UK to build a 'stronger manufacturing and research infrastructure', alongside better investment in, access to and uptake of innovative medicines. It said the UK would also need to adopt a renewed approach to the priority healthcare challenges identified in the government's 'Life Science Vision', which would mean cutting the overall burden on health of dementia, cancer, cardiovascular and respiratory disease and mental health. The report quantified the size of the prize if the vision was implemented in full and the UK could emulate the successes of leading EU countries, which included: £68 billion in additional GDP over 30 years, owing to increased R&D investment £16.3 billion additional annual GDP from increased pharmaceutical exports Supporting 85,000 additional jobs Up to 40 per cent decrease in disease burden across the whole UK - for areas like cardiovascular disease, mental health conditions and Cancer. Reduced variation in speed of access to new medicines within three months of licensing for all NHS patients.

The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has authorised an innovative and first-of-its-kind gene-editing treatment for sickle-cell disease and transfusion-dependent β-thalassemia. Known as Casgevy (exagamglogene autotemcel), the treatment is based on the innovative gene-editing tool CRISPR, for which its inventors were awarded the Nobel Prize in 2020. Casgevy is the first medicine to be licensed that uses CRISPR, and it is to be used for treating patients aged 12 and over. To date, a bone marrow transplant has been the only permanent treatment option for these life-long conditions, which in some cases can be fatal. The MHRA's authorisation came after a rigorous assessment of its safety, quality and effectiveness.