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Breaking Through

Breaking Through

My Life In Science

Summary

Brought to you by Penguin.

From butcher's daughter in communist Hungary to winner of the Nobel Prize in Medicine, this is the story of one woman's extraordinary determination and her breakthrough discovery that saved millions of lives.


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 of 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 and 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' BONNIE GARMUS
'This remarkable memoir ... is a joy to read' FINANCIAL TIMES
'Karikó's story is an inspiration' BILL GATES

*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*

©2023 Katalin Karikó (P)2023 Penguin Audio

Reviews

  • Few have overcome adversity like Karikó ... This remarkable memoir ... is a joy to read
    Financial Times

About the author

Katalin Karikó

Katalin Karikó is a biochemist and winner of the 2023 Nobel Prize in 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 treatments for cancer, HIV, malaria and other life-threatening diseases. Now an honorary professor at many universities, she has been awarded over a hundred prizes, had two children’s books have been written about her and a minor planet named after her. She and her husband Béla are the parents of two-time Olympic rowing champion Susan Francia.
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