The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to Mary E Brunkow, Fred Ramsdell, and Shimon Sakaguchi on Monday for their groundbreaking discoveries in peripheral immune tolerance. The announcement was made by a panel at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, marking the start of the 2025 Nobel Prize announcements.
Peripheral immune tolerance is a critical mechanism that prevents the immune system from malfunctioning and attacking the body’s own tissues, ensuring it targets foreign invaders instead. The trio’s discoveries have significantly advanced the understanding of how the immune system maintains balance, offering potential implications for treating autoimmune diseases and improving immune-related therapies.
The laureates will be formally honoured at the Nobel Prize award ceremony on December 10, coinciding with the anniversary of Alfred Nobel’s death, who established the prestigious awards. The ceremony will celebrate their contributions to medical science and their impact on global health research.
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The 2025 Nobel season began with the medicine prize announcement, following last year’s award to Americans Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun for their discovery of microRNA, small genetic fragments that act as on-and-off switches within cells.
The Nobel announcements will continue throughout the week, with the physics prize on Tuesday, chemistry on Wednesday, and literature on Thursday. The Nobel Peace Prize will be revealed on Friday, and the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences will conclude the announcements on Monday.
The recognition of Brunkow, Ramsdell, and Sakaguchi underscores the importance of their work in advancing medical science, particularly in understanding how the body regulates its immune responses to maintain health and combat disease.
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