They understood how the immune system is kept in check
The body’s powerful immune system must be regulated, or it may attack our own organs. Mary E. Brunkow, Fred Ramsdell and Shimon Sakaguchi made groundbreaking discoveries concerning peripheral immune tolerance that prevents the immune system from harming the body. Their discoveries have laid the foundation for a new field of research and spurred the development of new treatments, for example for cancer and autoimmune diseases.
Mary E. Brunkow
Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2025
Born: 1961
Affiliation at the time of the award: Institute for Systems Biology, Seattle, WA, USA
Prize motivation: “for their discoveries concerning peripheral immune tolerance”
Prize share: 1/3
Frederick J. Ramsdell
Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2025
Born: 4 December 1960, Elmhurst, IL, USA
Affiliation at the time of the award: Sonoma Biotherapeutics, San Fransisco, CA, USA
Prize motivation: “for their discoveries concerning peripheral immune tolerance”
Prize share: 1/3
Shimon Sakaguchi
Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2025
Born: 19 January 1951, Nagahama, Shiga, Japan
Affiliation at the time of the award: Osaka University, Osaka, Japan
Prize motivation: “for their discoveries concerning peripheral immune tolerance”
Prize share: 1/3
