STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN: The 2025 Nobel Prize in Medicine has been awarded to Mary E. Brunkow, Fred Ramsdell, and Shimon Sakaguchi for their pioneering research on the body’s immune regulation — a discovery that has reshaped medical science and treatment approaches for autoimmune and inflammatory diseases.
The trio’s work revealed how the body’s defense system distinguishes between friend and foe, introducing the world to regulatory T cells — specialized immune cells that prevent the immune system from attacking the body’s own tissues. This discovery has opened new frontiers in medicine, offering possibilities for more effective therapies against autoimmune disorders, transplant rejection, and even cancer.
Their findings also pinpointed the FOXP3 gene, which plays a vital role in the development of these regulatory cells. Mutations in FOXP3 can lead to severe immune dysfunction, demonstrating how delicate the balance of the human immune system truly is.
The recognition of these scientists marks a milestone in understanding how immunity is controlled and how loss of that control leads to disease. Experts say their discoveries could pave the way for precision immunotherapy, allowing doctors to fine-tune the immune system to fight illness without harming the body itself.
The winners will share a prize of 11 million Swedish kronor, along with gold Nobel medals and certificates during a ceremony scheduled in December.
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