MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Medicine Nobel Prize awarded to trio delving into the mechanism of autoimmune diseases

“Their discoveries have been fundamental to our understanding of how the immune system works,” Jury Chairman Olle Kämpe said

The 2025 Nobel Prize in Medicine or Physiology was awarded to Mary E. Brunkow and Fred Ramsdell from the United States and Shimon Sakaguchi from Japan for their “discoveries concerning peripheral immune tolerance.”

The winners identified the mechanisms, involving specific T cells (like the previously discovered CD25 cells), responsible for the self-regulation of the immune system. This mechanism, known as peripheral immune tolerance, prevents the immune system from attacking the body's own cells, which is the root cause of autoimmune diseases such as type 1 diabetes and multiple sclerosis.

Their research provided a fundamental understanding of how the immune system works, why not all people develop autoimmune diseases, and has opened the door for innovative treatments for cancer and transplants.

“Their discoveries have been fundamental to our understanding of how the immune system works and why not all humans develop autoimmune diseases,” said Jury Chairman Olle Kämpe.

Notable recipients of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine include distinguished figures like Alexander Fleming, honored in 1945 for his role in the discovery of penicillin. More recently, the award has celebrated groundbreaking contributions, such as the scientific breakthroughs that enabled the creation of Covid-19 vaccines. The Medicine prize traditionally kicks off the annual Nobel announcements, with awards for Physics, Chemistry, Literature, Peace, and Economics following in the subsequent days.

The prize money this year is eleven million Swedish kronor (about € 1 million) per category. The official award ceremony will take place on Dec. 10.