mRNA COVID-19 Vaccines — BioNTech/Pfizer and Moderna (2020)

The mRNA COVID-19 vaccines developed by BioNTech/Pfizer and Moderna shattered speed records by reaching emergency use in under 11 months, achieving 95% efficacy in clinical trials and protecting billions amid a pandemic that claimed 7 million lives. Rooted in decades of research by Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman, this platform proved 90% faster to deploy than #1 Smallpox Vaccine's decades-long adoption curve, offering a revolutionary tool that can be swiftly tailored to emerging viral threats.