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.