Brunkow, Biotherapeutics, Sakaguchi Win Joint Nobel Prize In Medicine 2025

Updated: Brunkow, Biotherapeutics, Sakaguchi Win Joint Nobel Prize in Medicine 2025

In a landmark announcement from the Nobel Assembly at Sweden’s Karolinska Institute, the 2025 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine has been jointly awarded to Mary E. Brunkow, Fred Ramsdell, and Shimon Sakaguchi for their groundbreaking discoveries in the field of peripheral immune tolerance.

Their pioneering work has revolutionized our understanding of how the immune system distinguishes between the body’s own cells and harmful invaders, a mechanism crucial for preventing autoimmune diseases and enhancing cancer immunotherapy.

Mary Brunkow, currently a Senior Program Manager at the Institute for Systems Biology in Seattle, and Fred Ramsdell, Scientific Advisor at Sonoma Biotherapeutics in San Francisco, were recognized for their discovery of the FOXP3 gene. In 2001, they identified a mutation in this gene in a mouse strain known as “scurfy,” which led to severe autoimmune disorders. Their research demonstrated that FOXP3 is essential for the development and function of regulatory T cells (Tregs), which act as the immune system’s “security guards” by maintaining self-tolerance and preventing immune attacks on the body’s own tissues4.

Shimon Sakaguchi, a Distinguished Professor at Osaka University’s Immunology Frontier Research Center, was honored for his earlier discovery and characterization of regulatory T cells in 1995. His work revealed that these cells play a critical role in peripheral immune tolerance, a concept that extends beyond the previously understood central tolerance mechanisms in the thymus. Sakaguchi’s insights laid the foundation for a new field of immunological research and therapeutic development.

Together, the trio’s discoveries have catalyzed the development of novel treatments for autoimmune diseases such as type 1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis, and rheumatoid arthritis, as well as advanced immunotherapies for cancer. Their work has inspired emerging therapies including CAR-T cell treatments, tolerogenic vaccines, and IL-2-based immunomodulation, many of which are now entering clinical trials.

The Nobel Prize, which includes a monetary award of 11 million Swedish kronor (approximately $1.2 million), will be formally presented on December 10, the anniversary of Alfred Nobel’s death.

This year’s Medicine Prize marks the first in the 2025 Nobel series, followed by awards in Physics, Chemistry, Literature, Peace, and Economics.

Mary Brunkow becomes the 14th woman to receive the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, a testament to the growing recognition of female scientists in global biomedical research.

The laureates’ contributions underscore the importance of immune regulation in both health and disease, and their legacy is expected to shape the future of precision medicine for years to come.