Three scientists, Mary Brunkow, Fred Ramsdell, and Shimon Sakaguchi, have been awarded the 2025 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their groundbreaking research on peripheral immune tolerance, as announced by the awarding committee on Monday. This year’s prestigious award recognizes their contributions to understanding how the immune system is regulated to combat various pathogens while preventing autoimmune diseases, according to Marie Wahren-Herlenius, a rheumatology professor at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm.
Mary Brunkow works as a senior program manager at the Institute for Systems Biology in Seattle, while Fred Ramsdell serves as a scientific advisor for Sonoma Biotherapeutics in San Francisco. Shimon Sakaguchi is a distinguished professor at the Immunology Frontier Research Center at Osaka University in Japan. Their collective discoveries have not only opened up a new area of scientific inquiry but have also catalyzed the development of novel therapies for conditions like cancer and autoimmune disorders, the Nobel committee highlighted.
The laureates’ research centered on identifying regulatory T cells, which function as the immune system’s sentinels, preventing immune cells from mistakenly attacking the body, the committee added. Following the announcement, Thomas Perlmann of the institute revealed that he had informed one of the laureates, Sakaguchi, over the phone in his lab, where Sakaguchi expressed deep gratitude and excitement upon receiving the news.
The Nobel Prize, established by Alfred Nobel, a renowned Swedish chemist and entrepreneur, is awarded in various fields, including physics, chemistry, literature, and peace, alongside the category of Physiology or Medicine. Each laureate receives a prize amount of 11 million Swedish crowns (equivalent to $1.6 million Cdn). The prizes for chemistry and physics will be awarded in the coming days, followed by literature and peace, with the economics prize announcement scheduled for October 13. The awards ceremony honoring the laureates will take place on December 10, commemorating the anniversary of Alfred Nobel’s passing.