Mary E. Brunkow and Fred Ramsdell of the United States and Japan’s Shimon Sakaguchi won the 2025 Nobel Prize in Medicine on Monday. They were recognized for research into how the immune system is kept in check.
The three were honoured “for their discoveries concerning peripheral immune tolerance”, the Nobel jury said.
“Their discoveries have laid the foundation for a new field of research,” it added. This has spurred the development of new treatments, for example for cancer and autoimmune diseases.
Their discoveries have been decisive for understanding how the immune system functions. Furthermore, it explains why we do not all develop serious autoimmune diseases.
Their findings may also lead to more successful transplantations. Sakaguchi, 74, made the first key discovery in 1995. He identified a previously unknown class of immune cells which protect the body from autoimmune diseases.