.
. >>
. >> IF
. >> IF YOU GOT A COVID-19 VACCINE DEVELOPED BY PFIZER OR
MODERNA YOU CAN THINK IN PART
TWO RESEARCHERS FROM OAK RIDGE
WHO MADE A GROUNDBREAKING
DISCOVERY DECADES AGO AND
KOROVIN WILHOIT RECENTLY SAT
DOWN WITH THE DAUGHTER OF ONE
OF THOSE SCIENTISTS.
SHE HOPES HER FATHER FINALLY
GETS THE RECOGNITION HE
DESERVES.
SIXTY FIVE YEARS AGO >> TO THE
WORLD >> ELLIOTT VOLKIN WAS A
DISTINGUISHED SCIENTIST AT OAK
RIDGE NATIONAL LABORATORY.
TO KAREN BRUNER HE WAS SIMPLY
>> THAT IF THAT >> WAS HIS JOB
AND I THINK A LOT OF US GROWING
UP IN OAK RIDGE BEING A
SCIENTIST WAS A WAS JUST YOUR
DAD'S JOB BUT >> HIS WASN'T
YOUR AVERAGE EVERYDAY JOB.
IN 1956 VOLKIN MADE A DISCOVERY
AT CORNELL THAT WAS DESCRIBED
BY FELLOW SCIENTIST AS ONE OF
THE MOST IMPORTANT EVENTS IN
THE HISTORY OF MOLECULAR
BIOLOGY ELLOIT >> VOLKIN AND
HIS RESEARCH PARTNER LAZARUS
ASTRACHAN FIRST OBSERVED AND
DESCRIBED WHAT LATER CAME TO BE
KNOWN AS MESSENGER RNA OR RNA.
NOW >> DECADES LATER, MORE
HISTORY IN THE MAKING THAT
MESSENGER RNA MRN HAS PROVEN TO
BE THE BUILDING BLOCK OF LIFE
SAVING AND POTENTIALLY PANDEMIC
ENDING VACCINES FOR COVID-19
ELLIOT VOLKIN GREW UP IN A
SMALL >> TOWN NEAR PITTSBURGH,
PENNSYLVANIA, THE YOUNGEST OF
SEVEN CHILDREN BORN TO
LITHUANIAN IMMIGRANTS.
SCIENCE WAS HIS PASSION PENN
STATE HIS DESTINATION.
THE >> INTERESTING THING WAS
BIOCHEMISTRY WAS REALLY NOT
EVEN MUCH OF A THING THEN AS A
AS A >> FIELD.
SO HE WAS IN THE COLLEGE OF
AGRICULTURE VOLKIN >> GRADUATED
IN 1942, WENT ON TO GRADUATE
SCHOOL AT DUKE AND THERE MET
THE LOVE OF HIS LIFE SYLVIA.
THEY MARRIED IN A 1948 MOVED TO
OAK RIDGE WHERE HE LAUNCHED
INTO HIS WORK AT CORNELL NOT
EVEN A DECADE LATER IN 1956
VOLKIN DISCOVERY OF MARIJANA
MADE HEADLINES IN THE WORLD OF
MOLECULAR SCIENCE.
BUT AT HOME IN OAK RIDGE, YOUNG
KAREN AND HER SISTER HAD NO
CLUE OF THEIR FATHER'S SEMINAL
RESEARCH NO IDEA >> WHATSOEVER
>> AND SO IS IT BECAME KNOWN
HOW GROUNDBREAKING THIS WAS.
THE PERSON WHO MADE ME AWARE OF
HOW IMPORTANT THIS WAS AND WHAT
MY DAD WAS DOING THAT WAS SO
IMPORTANT WAS MY MOTHER.
DESPITE >> THEIR SIGNIFICANT
FINDING VOLKIN AND ASTRACHAN
IDENTIFICATION OF MARNAY WOULD
IN TIME BE OVERSHADOWED.
FRENCH >> RESEARCHERS
ULTIMATELY RECEIVED CREDIT IN
THE NINETEEN SIXTY FIVE NOBEL
PRIZE IN MEDICINE AND
PHYSIOLOGY FOR DISCOVERING MRI
AND I WHEN >> ASKED ABOUT IT
YEARS LATER VOLKIN SAID I HAVE
NO HARD FEELINGS.
THAT'S THE WAY THINGS WERE.
YOU KNOW I'LL NEVER KNOW WHAT
WAS IN HIS HEART OF HEARTS.
I THINK YOU UNDERSTOOD THAT
THAT'S HOW SCIENCE WORKS
SOMETIMES OR IT MAY I PROBABLY
WOULD HAVE FELT A LITTLE
CHEATED >> VOLKIN HAD A LONG
AND DISTINGUISHED CAREER AT
ORNL HE DIED IN 2011 AT THE AGE
OF 92 NEVER TO SEE HOW HIS MRN
RESEARCH CONTRIBUTED TO
COVID-19 VACCINES DEVELOPED BY
PFER AND MODERNA.
THOSE PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANIES
EMPLOYED EMBRYONATED TECHNOLOGY
TO CREATE THE VACCINES THAT ARE
MORE THAN 90 PERCENT EFFECTIVE
AT PREVENTING >> THAT VIRUS.
YOU KNOW HE WAS JUST MY DAD BUT
TO MY FRIENDS AND FAMILY HE WAS
THIS GIANT SO AS SOON AS NEWS
ABOUT THE VACCINES CAME OUT, MY
FACEBOOK >> JUST BLEW UP WITH
CLASSMATE SO WE'RE SO EXCITED
ABOUT IT >> AND IT WAS A MOMENT
OF PRIDE FOR BRUNER WHEN SHE
GOT HER FIRST DOSE OF MODERNA
AND >> I SAID SOMETHING TO THE
TO THE HEALTH NURSE.
YOU KNOW, I SAID I'M JUST
EXCITED TO BE GETTING THIS AND
SHE WAS WELL WOW THAT'S PRETTY
COOL >>.
ALVIN WEINBERG, THE LONGTIME
DIRECTOR OF NOW ONCE SAID
VOLKIN AND ASTRACHAN MRN A
DISCOVERY NEVER RECEIVED THE
ACCLAIM IT DESERVED.
BUT KAREN BRUNER SAYS FOR HER
FATHER IT WAS NEVER ABOUT THE
PRAISE.
IT WAS ALWAYS ABOUT THE SCIENCE
AND ITS PURPOSE UNDERSTANDING
>> HOW SCIENCE REALLY IMPACTS
OUR LIVES FOR THE BETTER IS
SOMETHING WE ALL NEED TO PAY
ATTENTION TO.
WE CAN'T ALL BE SCIENTISTS BUT
WE ALL NEED TO APPRECIATE
SCIENTISTS AND HONOR THEM FOR
THE WORK THAT THEY DO >>.
SCIENTISTS AT ORNL AND AROUND
THE WORLD ARE CONTINUING TO
BUILD ON THE MORE IN A RESEARCH
THEY ARE RESEARCHING HOW THE
TECHNOLOGY CAN PREVENT