The Vaccine: Inside the Race to Conquer the Covid-19 Pandemic

　　BioNTech科學家夫妻、2022年德國最重要醫學獎項Paul Ehrlich Prize得主，研發出第一個COVID-19疫苗的內幕故事
 
　　2020年1月中新冠病毒肆虐全球前，生物技術公司BioNTech創始人Ugur Sahin告訴妻子、亦是他數十年的研究夥伴Özlem Türeci，在疫情結束前能開發出COVID-19疫苗，安全注射到數百萬人體內。
 
　　Ugur Sahin這股信心來自於近30年研究癌症腫瘤治療方式，發現的信使核糖核酸（messenger RNA，縮寫：mRNA）。他們認為這種不穩定且被忽略的分子，能重新引導免疫系統以對抗疾病。
 
　　起初科學界質疑這對夫妻的想法，但當中國武漢出現新型冠狀病毒時，BioNTech已透過尖端技術，研發出全球第一個獲批准的冠狀病毒疫苗。
 
　　這本《The Vaccine》揭開當代重大醫學突破內幕，娓娓道來夫妻檔數週內開發出20種候選疫苗、遊說全球製藥業支持，並同時抵擋美國川普政府和歐盟的政治干預，製作超過30億劑輝瑞/BioNTech疫苗始末。
 
　　本書由《金融時報》駐德國法蘭克福、專責BioNTech報導的記者Joe Miller主筆，Ugur Sahin及Özlem Türeci亦參與貢獻本書的寫作，同時收錄60多位科學家、政治家、公共衛生官員和BioNTech員工專訪，這本書還涵蓋疫情爆發後的關鍵事件，以及每項醫療創新的科學、經濟和個人背景各層面意義。
 
　　本書深入淺出的筆觸，剖析此一劃時代的科學，不僅能讓一般讀者通達理解，細節的描述也能吸引資深的微生物學家。而在人們殷殷企盼結束此流行病的關鍵時刻，正需要如此資訊，提高公眾對疫苗的信心。(文/博客來編譯)
 
各界盛讚：
 
　　"我已經閱讀了Joe Miller這本巨作。Ugur Sahin早在1月24日已經意識到大流行的規模。我還沒那麼快。"---前任德國總理梅克爾（Angela Merkel）
 
　　"Ugur Sahin及Özlem Türeci已成為發現放射性元素鐳的瑪麗和皮耶居里之後，科學界最著名的夫妻檔"---英國《泰晤士報》（The Times）
 
　　"他們象徵非凡的科學和商業成功故事。"---英國《金融時報》（《Financial Times》年度人物）
 
　　"他們以一種新的科學方法對抗新冠病毒以及癌症等其他疾病，成為這個時代的英雄。" ---彭博（Bloomberg）
 
　　"以引人入勝的方式爬梳Ugur Sahin及Özlem Türeci非凡成就，這對夫妻在信使核糖核酸的研發工作，得以快速開發Covid-19疫苗。" ---美國出版人周刊Publishers Weekly
 
　　"醫學壯舉的精彩描述"---美國書評雜誌Kirkus

　　Winners of the Paul Ehrlich Prize

　　The dramatic story of the married scientists who founded BioNTech and developed the first vaccine against COVID-19.

　　Nobody thought it was possible. In mid-January 2020, Ugur Sahin told Özlem Türeci, his wife and decades-long research partner, that a vaccine against what would soon be known as COVID-19 could be developed and safely injected into the arms of millions before the end of the year. His confidence was built upon almost thirty years of research. While working to revolutionize the way that cancerous tumors are treated, the couple had explored a volatile and overlooked molecule called messenger RNA; they believed it could be harnessed to redirect the immune system's forces against any number of diseases. As the founders of BioNTech, they faced widespread skepticism from the scientific community at first; but by the time Sars-Cov-2 was discovered in Wuhan, China, BioNTech was prepared to deploy cutting edge technology and create the world’s first clinically approved inoculation for the coronavirus.

　　The Vaccine draws back the curtain on one of the most important medical breakthroughs of our age; it will reveal how Doctors Sahin and Türeci were able to develop twenty vaccine candidates within weeks, convince Big Pharma to support their ambitious project, navigate political interference from the Trump administration and the European Union, and provide more than three billion doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine to countries around the world in record time.

　　Written by Joe Miller―the Financial Times’ Frankfurt correspondent who covered BioNTech’s COVID-19 project in real time―with contributions from Sahin and Türeci, as well as interviews with more than sixty scientists, politicians, public health officials, and BioNTech staff, the book covers key events throughout the extraordinary year, as well as exploring the scientific, economic, and personal background of each medical innovation. Crafted to be both completely accessible to the average reader and filled with details that will fascinate seasoned microbiologists, The Vaccine explains the science behind the breakthrough, at a time when public confidence in vaccine safety and efficacy is crucial to bringing an end to this pandemic.

Joe Miller is the Frankfurt correspondent for Financial Times. He previously reported for BBC News in London, New York, Delhi, and Berlin. Dr. Ugur Sahin and Dr. Özlem Türeci are the husband-and-wife team that cofounded BioNTech, developers of the world’s first COVID-19 vaccine. The children of Turkish migrant workers in Germany, they trained as medical doctors and earned doctorates in molecular biology and immunotherapy. They have done extensive work in the field of translational oncology and written hundreds of scientific papers and patents.