The 2025 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine has been awarded to Mary E. Brunkow, Fred Ramsdell, and Shimon Sakaguchi for their groundbreaking “discoveries concerning peripheral immune tolerance.“The Nobel Assembly at Sweden’s Karolinska Institute announced the award on Monday, recognising the trio for their pioneering work that laid the foundation for understanding autoimmune diseases and opened new avenues for cancer and immunotherapy research.Their discovery understood how the immune system is kept in check. They noted that, “the body’s powerful immune system must be regulated, or it may attack our own organs.”The Nobel Prize laureates have reshaped modern immunology and identified “the immune system’s security guards, regulatory T cells, thus laying the foundation for a new field of research. The discoveries have also led to the development of potential medical treatments that are now being evaluated in clinical trials,” a release stated.Their research showed that when these cells fail to function properly, the body becomes vulnerable to autoimmune diseases, where the immune system turns against itself.“The hope is to be able to treat or cure autoimmune diseases, provide more effective cancer treatments and prevent serious complications after stem cell transplants,” it noted.The work of Brunkow and Ramsdell gained prominence in 2001 when they uncovered the genetic cause behind a specific strain of mice known as “scurfy” that were highly susceptible to autoimmune diseases.Earlier in 2024 Nobel prize in Physiology/Medicine was awarded to Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun for the discovery of microRNA and its role in post-transcriptional gene regulation.Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun’s groundbreaking discovery revealed a completely new principle of gene regulation that turned out to be essential for multicellular organisms, including humans.All about the Nobel prize in physiology/medicine
- Alfred Nobel had an active interest in medical research and the Physiology/Medicine award was the third prize area the inventor mentioned in his will.
- A total of 114 Nobel Prizes in Physiology or Medicine have been awarded since 1901; over 227 individuals have received the award between 1901-2023.
- Of the 227 individuals awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, 13 are women.
- The youngest recipient of the prize was 31-year old Frederick G. Banting in 1923. He was recognised for the discovery of insulin.
- The oldest recipient was 87-year-old Peyton Rous in 1966 for his discovery of tumour-inducing viruses.
- The Nobel Prize medal in physiology and medicine was designed by Swedish sculptor and engraver Erik Lindberg and represents the Genius of Medicine holding an open book in her lap, collecting the water pouring out from a rock in order to quench a sick girl’s thirst.
The announcement marks the beginning of Nobel Prize week, with awards in physics, chemistry, literature, peace, and economic sciences to follow.Nobel Prize week schedule
- Physics: Tuesday, October 7, 11:45 CEST (earliest)
- Chemistry: Wednesday, October 8, 11:45 CEST (earliest)
- Literature: Thursday, October 9, 13:00 CEST (earliest)
- Peace: Friday, October 10, 11:00 CEST
- Economic Sciences: Monday, October 13, 11:45 CEST (earliest)
