Mary E. Brunkow (Institute for Systems Biology, Seattle, USA, Fred Ramsdell (Sonoma Biotherapeutics, San Francisco, USA) and Shimon Sakaguchi( (Osaka University, Osaka, Japan) has been awarded with Nobel Prize in Physiology.
Three of them have been awarded concerning peripheral immune tolerance.
Understanding how the immune system is kept in check
Our immune system is a daily defender, distinguishing harmful microbes from the body’s own tissues. But what stops it from attacking us?
Previously, scientists believed that immune self-tolerance was solely managed by central immune tolerance—where harmful cells are eliminated in the thymus. However, Sakaguchi, Brunkow, and Ramsdell uncovered a deeper layer of immune regulation.
In 1995, Shimon Sakaguchi discovered a new class of immune cells—regulatory T cells—that act as the immune system’s peacekeepers, preventing attacks on our own body.
In 2001, Mary Brunkow and Fred Ramsdell discovered the critical Foxp3 gene, mutations of which cause severe autoimmune disease. They demonstrated that this gene is essential for the development of regulatory T cells.
Their combined research revealed how peripheral immune tolerance works—a crucial mechanism that prevents autoimmune disease and opens new doors for therapies in autoimmune conditions, cancer, and organ transplantation.
“Their discoveries have been decisive for our understanding of how the immune system functions and why we do not all develop serious autoimmune diseases.”
— Olle Kämpe, Chair of the Nobel Committee
About the Laureates
- Mary E. Brunkow (b. 1961) – Ph.D., Princeton University; Senior Program Manager, Institute for Systems Biology
- Fred Ramsdell (b. 1960) – Ph.D., University of California, Los Angeles; Scientific Advisor, Sonoma Biotherapeutics
- Shimon Sakaguchi (b. 1951) – M.D./Ph.D., Kyoto University; Distinguished Professor, Osaka University
Prize amount: 11 million Swedish kronor, shared equally
Earlier, Tu Youyou became the first scientist from mainland China to be awarded a Nobel Prize in a scientific field, for her discovery of artemisinin – a groundbreaking malaria treatment that has saved millions of lives.