At the University of Pennsylvania Medical School, Drew Weissman and Katalin Karikó (known as Kati) met by chance at a copy machine in 1998. And though he was admittedly a quiet guy who stuck to himself, they started talking. “We both used to copy a lot of articles to read,” he said.

He was an immunologist studying cells that adapt to mount immune responses against diseases; she was a biochemist working with messenger RNA (known as mRNA), the molecule that teaches cells how to make proteins. “We learned from each other,” said Karikó.

“I joke it’s like the Reese’s commercial where the chocolate and the peanut butter come together and make a new treat,” Weissman said.

And what makes a good scientific team? “Respect each other, listen to each other,” Karikó said. “We didn’t try to overpower each other.”