The Bodley Head

Breaking Through - Katalin Karikó

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.

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