- Roberts Family Professor in Vaccine Research, Department of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania
Dr. Drew Weissman is the Roberts Family Professor in Vaccine Research and Director of the Penn Institute for RNA Innovation at the Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, and 2023 co-recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. He received his BA and MA from Brandeis University, his MD and PhD from Boston University, completed residency at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and completed postdoctoral training at the NIH in the laboratory of Anthony Fauci before joining Penn in 1997.
Together with Katalin Karikó, Dr. Weissman discovered that nucleoside-modified mRNA could be translated efficiently in vivo while evading innate immune sensing — the foundational discovery that enabled mRNA-lipid nanoparticle vaccines and unlocked an entirely new therapeutic modality. His ongoing research applies modified mRNA platforms to infectious disease vaccines, gene therapy, and protein-replacement strategies, with growing interest in mRNA-based approaches to tolerance induction and treatment of autoimmune disease.
Dr. Weissman directs the Penn Institute for RNA Innovation, which brings together more than a dozen laboratories advancing RNA-based therapeutics, and partners broadly with industry to translate Penn discoveries into clinical products. He is a member of the Penn Colton Center and the Institute for Immunology and Immune Health, where his RNA platforms intersect with autoimmune tolerance and immunomodulation research.
