Kathmandu. Uğur Şahin and Özlem Türeci, a Turkish-German couple who have given the world a ray of hope through their ongoing research with the COVID-19 vaccine, which is being developed jointly by the American company Pfizer and the German company BioNTech. The couple believes that the vaccine that they have developed would end the coronavirus pandemic.

BioNTech and Pfizer announced in a press conference last Monday that the vaccine developed jointly has given 90% effective results in the Phase 3 of clinical trials. Uğur, the chief executive of BioNTech expressed to the Guardian that he was optimistic about the vaccine’s success. “My answer to the question of whether or not the vaccine can prevent a pandemic is yes,” Uğur said.

The BioNTech company was founded by the couple in 2008, collaborating with Christoph Huber. The couple met while working at a University Hospital and married in 2002. Both Şahin and Türeci are descendants of Turkish immigrants who immigrated to Germany in the 1960s.

Following the announcement of the success of the vaccine on Monday, the news sent BioNTech shares up by 14%. It made its investors billionaires overnight. Uğur’s net worth skyrocketed from $500 million to $4.4 billion as a result of the stock market surge making him one of the 100 richest people in Germany.