2025 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine Awarded for Breakthroughs in Immune Tolerance
Washington: Mary E. Brunkow, Fred Ramsdell, and Shimon Sakaguchi have been awarded the 2025 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their pioneering discoveries in peripheral immune tolerance—essentially revealing how the immune system is kept in check. The Nobel Assembly at the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden, announced the award on Monday.
The trio—two based in the United States and one in Japan—were recognized for their “groundbreaking discoveries concerning peripheral immune tolerance,” a vital biological process that prevents the immune system from attacking the body’s own tissues. Their work enables the immune system to distinguish harmful invaders from healthy cells, helping prevent autoimmune diseases. These discoveries have opened new avenues for treating conditions such as multiple sclerosis, type 1 diabetes, and other immune-related disorders.
Mary E. Brunkow, born in 1961, holds a Ph.D. from Princeton University and serves as Senior Program Manager at the Institute for Systems Biology in Seattle. Fred Ramsdell, born in 1960, earned his Ph.D. from the University of California, Los Angeles, and is a Scientific Advisor at Sonoma Biotherapeutics in San Francisco. Shimon Sakaguchi, born in 1951, holds an MD and Ph.D. from Kyoto University in Japan and is a Distinguished Professor at the Immunology Frontier Research Center, Osaka University.
The prize carries a monetary award of 11 million Swedish kronor, to be shared equally among the three laureates. Officially known as the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, it has been awarded 115 times to 229 laureates since 1901. Last year, American scientists Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun received the prize for their discovery of microRNA, small genetic molecules that act as on-and-off switches inside cells.
The Nobel Peace Prize will be announced on Friday, followed by the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences next Monday. The award ceremony will take place on December 10, the anniversary of the death of Alfred Nobel, the Swedish industrialist and inventor of dynamite who established the prizes. Nobel passed away in 1896.
