Mary E. Brunkow, Fred Ramsdell, and Shimon Sakaguchi won the 2025 Nobel Prize in Medicine.
They were recognized for revealing how the immune system avoids attacking the body’s own tissues.
Sakaguchi discovered regulatory T-cells, or T-reg cells, which act as the body’s immune “brakes.”
Brunkow and Ramsdell identified the FoxP3 gene, vital for creating these protective cells.
Mutations in FoxP3 cause severe autoimmune diseases, proving its crucial role in self-tolerance.
“These discoveries changed immunology,” said Prof Adrian Liston. “They explain how balance keeps us healthy.”
Researchers now test boosting T-reg cells to treat autoimmune disorders and lowering them to fight cancer.
“This prize was long overdue,” said Prof Adrian Hayday.
