Mary E. Brunkow, Fred Ramsdell, and Shimon Sakaguchi won the 2025 Nobel Prize in Medicine.
They were awarded for uncovering how the immune system avoids attacking the body — a process called peripheral immune tolerance.
Sakaguchi discovered regulatory T-cells, or T-reg cells, which act as “the brakes of the immune system.”
Brunkow and Ramsdell identified the FoxP3 gene, vital for T-reg development. Mutations cause severe autoimmune diseases.
Their findings transformed immunology and inspired new treatments for autoimmune disorders, transplants, and cancer.
“This prize was long overdue,” said Prof Adrian Hayday.
