Three renowned scientists, two from the United States and one from Japan, have been awarded the 2025 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. The Nobel Assembly at the Karolinska Institute announced this honor on October 6, 2025. The awardees are Mary E. Brunkow, Fred Ramsdell, and Shimon Sakaguchi.
A Breakthrough in Immune Tolerance
The prize recognizes their groundbreaking work on peripheral immune tolerance, a process that prevents the immune system from harming the body. This discovery is significant in understanding how the immune system operates, influencing treatments for autoimmune diseases.
History of the Nobel Prize
- The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine has been awarded 115 times since its inception in 1901.
- A total of 229 laureates have received this prestigious award up to 2024.
- In 2024, the prize was awarded to two U.S. researchers, Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun, for their discovery of microRNA.
The Nobel Prize announcement continues with categories for Physics, Chemistry, and Literature over the following days. The Peace Prize ceremony will occur on Friday, followed by the Economic Sciences award on the following Monday. The prestigious award ceremony is scheduled for December 10, coinciding with the death anniversary of Alfred Nobel, the founder of these awards.
Significance of Their Work
The contributions of Brunkow, Ramsdell, and Sakaguchi play a crucial role in advancing medical science. Their findings have the potential to lead to novel therapies that modulate immune responses specifically in conditions where the body’s defenses attack its own cells.
