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Uğur Şahin

19 September 1965 – present

Uğur Şahin is a Turkish-German physician, immunologist and entrepreneur. A professor at the University of Mainz, he co-founded the biotechnology company BioNTech in 2008 with his wife Özlem Türeci, and led the development of the mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccine produced with Pfizer, the first such vaccine authorised for use.

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Life events

Born in İskenderun, Turkey
19 September 1965
Source: en.wikipedia.org
Birth ✓
Moved to Cologne, West Germany, as a child
c. 1969

He joined his father, who worked at a Ford factory in Cologne, when he was four years old.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
Relocation ✓
Graduated in medicine from the University of Cologne
1990

He went on to earn a doctorate in 1992 for work on immunotherapy in tumour cells.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
Education ✓
Co-founded Ganymed Pharmaceuticals
2001

With Özlem Türeci and Christoph Huber he founded Ganymed to develop antibody-based cancer therapies; it was sold to Astellas in 2016.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
Career ✓
Married Özlem Türeci
2002

Şahin married fellow physician and immunologist Özlem Türeci, with whom he has worked throughout his career.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
Relationship ✓
Appointed professor at the University of Mainz
2006

He took up a professorship in experimental oncology at the Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
Career ✓
Co-founded BioNTech in Mainz
2008

Şahin became chief executive of BioNTech, established to develop individualised cancer immunotherapies including mRNA-based treatments.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
Career ✓
BioNTech listed on the Nasdaq stock exchange
October 2019
Source: en.wikipedia.org
Career ✓
BioNTech-Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine received its first emergency authorisation
2 December 2020

The United Kingdom authorised the mRNA vaccine BNT162b2 for emergency use, the first COVID-19 vaccine to be approved by a regulator following large-scale trials.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
Achievement ✓
Awarded the Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
March 2021

Şahin and Türeci received the honour from German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier for their vaccine work.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
Achievement ✓