Three Scientists Win 2025 Nobel Prize Medicine for Immune System Discoveries

The 2025 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to Mary E. Brunkow, Fred Ramsdell, and Dr. Shimon Sakaguchi for their discoveries related to peripheral immune tolerance, a mechanism crucial for preventing the immune system from attacking the body's own tissues. Sakaguchi's groundbreaking identification of regulatory T cells (Tregs) in 1995, which suppress excessive immune responses, laid the foundation for this field, while Brunkow and Ramsdell linked these cells to the Foxp3 gene, mutations of which are implicated in autoimmune diseases. Their work has opened new avenues for medical treatments for cancer, autoimmune diseases, and more successful transplantations, with several therapies currently in clinical trials. The prize recognizes the significance of these discoveries in understanding how the immune system distinguishes harmful invaders from the body's own cells and maintains balance. The laureates come from institutions in the United States and Japan, highlighting the international collaboration in advancing immunology. The award ceremony is scheduled for December 10 in Stockholm, where the laureates will share a monetary prize of about $1.17 million.