Breaking Through

Few have overcome adversity like Karikó … This remarkable memoir … is a joy to read * Financial Times *[The] engrossing, touching tale … of a scientist now recognised as one of the world’s greatest … a vividly written, absorbing memoir * GUARDIAN *It is almost impossible not to feel moved by this story of an extraordinarily resilient woman * TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT *Riveting. A true story of a brilliant biochemist who never gave up or gave in. – BONNIE GARMUSKarikó’s story is an inspiration – BILL GATESWill make you laugh, think and maybe even readjust the way you see the world – KATJA HOYERA classic in the genre of underdogs succeeding against the odds * New Scientist *Little did the public know that this feat [a Covid vaccine] was largely down to one woman’s relentless perseverance. Breaking Through … charts the painstaking journey she undertook as a woman and an immigrant to convince the scientific community to take her work seriously … rich with colourful metaphors that bring the immune system to life … Karikó also lays bare a startling truth: even life-saving scientific discovery is not immune to ego, favouritism and sexism * NEW STATESMAN *A riveting testament to resilience and the power of unwavering belief – JENNIFER DOUDNA, Nobel Prize laureate in chemistryThe rousing story of a remarkable woman and her lifesaving contributions to medicine * PUBLISHERS WEEKLY *

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 written about her and a minor planet named after her. She and her husband Bela are the parents of two-time Olympic rowing champion Susan Francia.