Three Scientists Awarded Nobel Prize in Medicine for Immune Tolerance Discoveries
Three Scientists Awarded Nobel Prize in Medicine for Immune Tolerance Discoveries
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A trio of researchers — Americans Mary E. Brunkow and Fred Ramsdell, along with Japan’s Shimon Sakaguchi — have won the 2025 Nobel Prize in Medicine for their groundbreaking discoveries on peripheral immune tolerance, a mechanism that prevents the body from attacking its own tissues, NBC News reported.
Their work, described by the Nobel Assembly as transformative, paved the way for new treatments for autoimmune diseases, cancer, and transplant success. The three laureates will share the prize money of 11 million Swedish kronor (about $1.2 million).
Sakaguchi, a professor at Osaka University, first identified a new class of immune cells in 1995 that protect against autoimmune diseases. In 2001, Brunkow and Ramsdell discovered the Foxp3 gene responsible for a severe autoimmune disorder, later proving crucial to the development of these cells — now known as regulatory T cells.
In 2003, Sakaguchi confirmed that Foxp3 governs their formation, a finding vital to understanding how the immune system maintains balance. Nobel Committee chair Olle Kämpe said the discoveries fundamentally advanced immunology. The award ceremony will take place on December 10 in Stockholm, marking the anniversary of Alfred Nobel’s death.
