Three Scientists Win 2025 Nobel Prize in Medicine for Immune Tolerance Breakthroughs
The 2025 Nobel Prize in Medicine has been awarded to a trio of scientists for their groundbreaking work on peripheral immune tolerance. Mary E. Brunkow, Fred Ramsdell, and Shimon Sakaguchi will share the prestigious prize and its 11 million Swedish kronor (nearly $1.2 million) award money. The ceremony will take place on December 10, marking the anniversary of Alfred Nobel's death.
The laureates hail from different corners of the globe. Mary E. Brunkow, a senior program manager at the Institute for Systems Biology in Seattle, made significant contributions to understanding the role of regulatory T cells in immune tolerance. Fred Ramsdell, born in Elmhurst, Illinois, and currently serving as a scientific advisor for Sonoma Biotherapeutics in San Francisco, was on a backpacking trip in Yellowstone National Park when he received the life-changing news. Shimon Sakaguchi, a distinguished professor at the Immunology Frontier Research Center at Osaka University in Japan, has been instrumental in advancing the field of immunology.
Ramsdell's work, in particular, has been pivotal. Before winning the Nobel Prize, he was renowned for his research on the genetic causes of autoimmune diseases and the discovery of the central role of the transcription factor Foxp3 in regulatory T cells. His current role at Sonoma Biotherapeutics involves developing new immunotherapies.
The Nobel Prize in Medicine 2025 recognizes the trio's discoveries concerning peripheral immune tolerance, which help the body prevent its immune system from attacking its own tissues. Their work has profound implications for understanding and treating autoimmune diseases. The prize was announced by a panel at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, following last year's award to Americans Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun for their discovery of microRNA.
