Vaxxers

This book is a profound success. I have read few that have given me such an immediate, eye-level view of working science - of brilliant, committed, heroic science. * Sunday Times *What an enthralling tale of toil, tenacity and triumph this is. The authors’ intelligence, idealism and sheer, bloody-minded grit shine through. The world needs all the Sarah Gilberts and Catherine Greens it can get. Just brilliant. – Rachel ClarkeMoving and awe-inspiring… The story of the decade * Mail on Sunday *Excellent and readable … Vaccine production has never been explained more clearly… Green writes movingly about the difficult intersection between work and home life… Vaxxers is so good that the book will be read for long after the pandemic is over, as a vivid account of research in action and the way individuals respond in the face of a scientific emergency. * Financial Times *Vaxxers can be read as much as a manifesto for the importance of good science communication and an antidote to anti-vax conspiracy theories as a biomedical thriller. * Observer *Urgent and fascinating … A tale of hard work and victory against steep odds, a unique insight into vaccines generally … A gripping yarn … I especially loved the book’s personal moments … I dare anyone to read this and not come away impressed. * Guardian *

A most accessible read… A personal story of one of the most epic moments in human history, perfectly capturing how scientific discovery on this scale is rarely a Eureka moment for a lone genius. As a grateful recipient of the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine, I take my hat off in thanks to these remarkable women.

* Irish Times *This is one of the most epic and pioneering moments in human history, comparable to the race to put a man on the moon, the discovery of DNA, or the first ascent of Everest. The Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine is a triumph and its creators are life savers. Science is the exit strategy, as long as we make that science equitably available to the world - as all the incredible people behind the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine always intended - truly the “People’s Vaccine”. – Jeremy Farrar, Director of the Wellcome TrustAn extraordinary story with a remarkable beginning and an astonishing denouement * Observer *One of the most extraordinary stories in the history of medicine – Matt D’Ancona[Sarah Gilbert] has been the adult in the room and the accidental leadership figure the moment demands, embodying the competence, command of the detail, vision and, crucially, hope, that people have needed to see. * New Statesman *

Sarah Gilbert (Author)

Sarah Gilbert is Professor of Vaccinology at the Jenner Institute within the University of Oxford. Having devoted her career to developing vaccines against nasty diseases, since January 2020 she has been the Oxford Project Leader for the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine. Professor Gilbert is the mother of 21-year-old triplets, an experience which she says has helped to prepare her for the demands and pressures of her current role.

Catherine Green (Author)

Dr Cath Green is Associate Professor in Chromosome Dynamics at the Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics, a Senior Research Fellow at Exeter College, and Head of Oxford University’s Clinical BioManufacturing Facility. As a specialist in manufacturing vaccines for clinical trials, she is an integral part of the Oxford Vaccine project.