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Breaking Through

Breaking Through

My Life In Science

Summary

From butcher's daughter in Communist Hungary to winner of the Nobel Prize in Medicine 2023, this is the story of one woman's extraordinary determination through decades of obscurity and rejection - and her breakthrough discovery that saved millions of lives.

'Few have overcome adversity like Katalin Karikó ... This remarkable memoir ... is a joy to read' FINANCIAL TIMES
'Engrossing, touching … a vividly written, absorbing memoir of a life filled with triumphs … over near-constant adversityGUARDIAN
'It is almost impossible not to feel moved by this story' TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT

Katalin Karikó began life as a butcher’s daughter in communist Hungary. Raised in a one-room home of clay and straw with no running water, she saw potential everywhere: in the promise a seed, in the alchemy of soap, in the scarlet of a carcass. Breaking Through is the extraordinary story of her courageous determination – first to become a scientist, and then to unlock an elusive molecule she believed could revolutionise medicine. Others disagreed, and for decades she endured demotions, discrimination, even threats of deportation. Yet Karikó persevered, ultimately making a world-shifting discovery: the mRNA vaccine technology that saved millions of lives and will transform healthcare forever.

'Riveting. A true story of a brilliant biochemist who never gave up or gave in. You will be inspired' BONNIE GARMUS
'Karikó's story is an inspiration' BILL GATES
'Will make you laugh, think and maybe even readjust the way you see the world' KATJA HOYER

*An Amazon Best Book of the Year* *One of Nature's five best science books for 2024* *A Financial Times Best Summer Book of 2024*

Reviews

  • Riveting . . . few have overcome adversity like Katalin Karikó . . . This remarkable memoir . . . is a joy to read, written in a direct style that revels in personal details while explaining clearly the science behind Karikó’s research
    Clive Cookson, Financial Times

About the author

Katalin Karikó

Katalin Karikó is a biochemist and winner of the 2023 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. Her pioneering research was the foundation of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna mRNA vaccines against COVID-19 and paves the way for a host of breakthrough treatments for cancer, HIV, malaria and other life-threatening diseases. Born in Hungary, she has lived and worked for most of her adult life in the USA. Since 2020, she has been awarded over a hundred prizes in recognition of her work; two children’s books have been written about her and a minor planet named after her. Now an honorary professor at numerous universities around the world, she continues in her work to advance new medical treatments where the need is most urgent. She and her husband Béla are the parents of two-time Olympic rowing champion Susan Francia.
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