Mary E. Brunkow, Fred Ramsdell, and Shimon Sakaguchi won the 2025 Nobel Prize in Medicine.
They were honored for discoveries on how the immune system prevents attacking the body, known as peripheral immune tolerance.
Sakaguchi identified regulatory T-cells — “the brakes of the immune system,” said Prof Adrian Liston.
Brunkow and Ramsdell found the FoxP3 gene, essential for these cells’ development. Mutations cause severe autoimmune diseases.
Their work explains how the body maintains balance between defense and self-tolerance.
Researchers are now testing therapies to boost or suppress T-cells in autoimmune diseases and cancer.
“This prize was long overdue,” said Prof Adrian Hayday.
