Women take lead in Covid-19 vaccine development: Here's what it teaches us

The core work behind the mRNA approach comes from Katalin Karikó, a Hungarian-born emigre who came to the U.S. to work on RNA-related issues

The early history of vaccines is a male-dominated field. The science, which is currently showing spectacular results, is now led by women. Therein lies a lesson about the allocation of talent.

Consider the history of the mRNA vaccine, which is the technological basis of both the Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines, the two leading vaccine contenders for the U.S. To oversimplify, mRNA vaccines teach cells how to make a protein that triggers an immune system response, rather than injecting live or dead virus material.

If done properly, that makes the vaccine quicker to develop, safer to use, and easier to manufacture