Özlem Türeci

Özlem Türeci is a distinguished German physician, scientist, and entrepreneur, born on March 6, 1967, in Siegen, West Germany. She is recognized globally as a co-founder of BioNTech, the biotechnology company that pioneered the development of the first mRNA-based vaccine against COVID-19. Türeci's academic journey led her to study medicine at Saarland University, where she earned her doctorate in 1992 and later completed her habilitation in molecular medicine. Her research has consistently focused on immunology, particularly in identifying tumor-specific molecules and developing personalized immunotherapies against cancer. She co-founded Ganymed Pharmaceuticals in 2001, which focused on monoclonal antibodies for cancer treatment, and later co-founded BioNTech in 2008 with her husband, Uğur Şahin. Since 2018, Türeci has held the position of Chief Medical Officer at BioNTech, overseeing clinical research and development. Her work on Project Lightspeed, the rapid development of the COVID-19 vaccine, in collaboration with Pfizer, marked a significant milestone in vaccine technology. Beyond her work on infectious diseases, Türeci continues to pursue her original goal of developing mRNA-based cancer vaccines and is also exploring mRNA vaccines for diseases like malaria. Her contributions have been recognized with numerous awards and honors, solidifying her position as a leading figure in modern medicine and biotechnology.