While we may associate Messenger RNA (mRNA for short) with the COVID-19 pandemic vaccination programme, its study in fact began over 60 years ago.Born in 1955 in rural Hungary, Katalin Karikó battled critics and scepticism for her research into mRNA for over 30 years before its role in the COVID-19 vaccination programme gained her recognition and, in 2023, a Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. In this interview, Karikó tells us about this journey and why she loves biochemistry, what it’s like to win a Nobel Prize, and how she would advise young scientists today. Read Katalin's book: Breaking Through: My Life in Science Read more in Research OutreachImage credit for Thumbnail : OrionNimrod on Wikimedia commons