The German university couple behind the Pfizer vaccine have been as famous as Adam and Eve for 72 hours. He, Ugur Sahin, 55, is the CEO of Biontech, a specialist in molecular medicine and immunology. She, Özlem Türeci, 53, is the chief physician of the laboratory, the daughter of a Turkish physicist.
Together, they conducted research on the vaccine developed with the American Pfizer and which is now in phase 3 of its trials. Since January, they have devoted their days and nights to discovering a vaccine against Covid-19. About forty scientists are mobilized day and night.
In 2001, the couple founded a biotechnology company, Ganymed Pharmaceutical, which was sold to a multinational. Seven years later, Ugur Sahin and Özlem Türeci created the pharmaceutical company BioNTech and received support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which invested $ 55 million in it. A winning bet for the founder of Microsoft since the company is now worth 2.4 billion euros. Married for 18 years, this Turkish immigrant couple, « guest immigration » to use German terminology, is the symbol of successful integration, proof that humanity is enriched by its diversity. It remains for the couple born of a beautiful love story to have their vaccine against the virus of the century approved.
