Trailblazing Discoveries in Immune System Tolerance Earn Trio the Nobel Prize

Mary E. Brunkow, Fred Ramsdell, and Dr. Shimon Sakaguchi have been awarded the prestigious Nobel Prize in medicine, acknowledging their pioneering discoveries related to peripheral immune tolerance. Their research has revolutionized the understanding of how the immune system operates and introduced crucial interventions in treating diseases.

The trio's work delved into regulatory T cells, with Sakaguchi initially discovering this T cell subtype in 1995. Following this, Brunkow and Ramsdell identified a mutation in the Foxp3 gene in 2001, pivotal to regulatory T cell development. These findings highlighted how the immune system maintains its balance and fights autoimmune disorders.

The Nobel Committee credited the researchers' contributions to significant advancements in immunology. The award, comprising 11 million Swedish kronor, marks the beginning of the 2025 Nobel announcements, with further categories set to follow in the upcoming days.

(With inputs from agencies.)