Three Win 2025 Nobel in Medicine for Immune Tolerance Breakthroughs
The 2025 Nobel Prize in Medicine has been awarded to Mary Brunkow of the USA, Fred Ramsdell of the USA, and Shimon Sakaguchi of Japan. They were recognised for their groundbreaking work on peripheral immune tolerance, which prevents the immune system from harming the body.
The trio's discoveries, made at their respective institutions - the Institute for Systems Biology in Seattle, Sonoma Biotherapeutics in San Francisco, and the University of Osaka - have laid the foundation for a new field of research. Their work focuses on regulatory T cells that prevent immune cells from attacking the body. This has significantly advanced the development of new treatment methods for cancer and autoimmune diseases.
The Nobel Prize in Medicine is the first to be awarded in the annual series, which culminates with the Nobel Prize for Economics. The prize is endowed with 11 million Swedish crowns, approximately €1 million. Christiane Nüsslein-Volhard was the first and so far only German woman to receive the Nobel Prize for Medicine, in 1995. In 2026, the Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded to German physicist Prof. Dr. Monika Aidelsburger for her work in experimental quantum physics.
Mary Brunkow, Fred Ramsdell, and Shimon Sakaguchi's pioneering work in peripheral immune tolerance has earned them the prestigious 2025 Nobel Prize in Medicine. Their discoveries continue to shape the future of treatments for cancer and autoimmune diseases.
