★ Short-listed for the 2022 Prosveshcheniye Prize in natural science.
★ A blockbuster “crime drama” set inside the human body, with immune cells as the protagonists of a “microscopic cops-and-robbers movie”! A masterpiece that transforms complex immunology into an absorbing “internal drama”!
★ The book compares immunology to criminology and the immune process to a battle between good and evil, perfectly balancing scientific rigour with narrative appeal and shattering the stereotype that “immunology is dull and difficult”.
★ Clearly explains why immunity sometimes “changes sides” and attacks the body, helping readers understand modern health challenges such as autoimmune diseases.
★ Ideal for students, medical workers, and anyone who cares about their health.

Many beginners regard immunology as complex and boring, but the author—molecular biologist Maria Kondratova—strongly disagrees. She is committed to proving to readers that the field of immunological knowledge is as fun and unpredictable as a good crime movie, full of chases, explosions, and arrests. Using dynamic genre-film elements as metaphors and similes, and without sacrificing scientific accuracy, she transforms the story of the body’s defensive forces into a gripping “action film” that you can’t put down. It turns out that immunology is every bit as fascinating as criminology. The book will introduce you to the “good protagonists” and “villains” of immune reactions: on one side, various immune cells; on the other, viruses, bacteria, and parasites. It explains in detail why and how our immunity can (and sometimes cannot) cope with coronavirus infection, cancer, acute respiratory infections, autoimmune diseases, and other common or rare conditions. Through Maria Kondratova’s work, readers will learn how the immune system is structured, why it can be both protector and dangerous enemy of the body, and how cutting-edge medical technologies (including drugs and vaccines) are used in the modern scientific fight against COVID, cancer, AIDS, and other major diseases.
Suitable for: anyone who wishes to gain a systematic understanding of how the human defence system is built and operates. Middle-school pupils, university students, medical workers, and ordinary readers full of curiosity will all benefit.

【Author】Maria Kondratova
Candidate of Biological Sciences, writer, and playwright. Graduated from Kharkov National University with a degree in biochemistry and began her scientific career at the Pushino Protein Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences. In 2006 she defended her PhD thesis in structural biology. Since 2014 she has worked at the Curie Institute in Paris—one of Europe’s largest and most important oncological research centres. Her current scientific interests focus on molecular oncology and immunology.