Nobel Prize in Medicine Awarded for Immune System Breakthroughs, Sparks Mixed Reactions
The 2025 Nobel Prize in Medicine was awarded to Mary E. Brunkow, Fred Ramsdell, and Dr. Shimon Sakaguchi for their pivotal discoveries concerning peripheral immune tolerance. Sakaguchi discovered a previously unknown T cell subtype, known as regulatory T cells, in 1995. In 2001, Brunkow and Ramsdell identified a critical gene mutation, Foxp3. Later, Sakaguchi linked these findings, demonstrating that the Foxp3 gene governs the development of regulatory T cells, which help to prevent autoimmune diseases. This groundbreaking research has opened a new field of immunology and offers potential for novel treatments for autoimmune diseases and cancer.
John Q. Hosedrinker