American scientists Mary Brunkow and Fred Ramsdell, together with Japanese researcher Shimon Sakaguchi, have been awarded this year’s Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. The trio was honored for their pioneering discoveries in the field of peripheral immune tolerance — a crucial process that prevents the immune system from attacking the body’s own cells, reports Baltimore Chronicle, citing the Nobel Committee’s official website.
According to the committee, the laureates identified a special type of cells — regulatory T cells — that act as the immune system’s guardians. These cells play a vital role in maintaining the body’s internal balance by preventing immune cells from targeting healthy tissues. Nobel Committee Chair Olle Kampe emphasized that this discovery has been essential for understanding why most people do not suffer from severe autoimmune disorders.
The origins of this breakthrough trace back to 1995, when Shimon Sakaguchi discovered a previously unknown class of immune cells that protect the body from autoimmune diseases. His findings challenged the long-held belief that immune tolerance developed only through the elimination of potentially harmful immune cells in the thymus.
In 2001, Mary Brunkow and Fred Ramsdell identified why a particular strain of mice was highly susceptible to autoimmune diseases. They discovered a mutation in a gene they named Foxp3, which regulates immune responses. The researchers later proved that mutations in the human equivalent of the Foxp3 gene cause a serious autoimmune condition known as IPEX syndrome.
Two years later, Sakaguchi linked these findings together by demonstrating that the Foxp3 gene governs the development of the same T cells he had identified in 1995. These regulatory T cells maintain immune balance and prevent the system from attacking the body’s own tissues.
The laureates’ discoveries have laid the foundation for a new field of biomedical research — peripheral immune tolerance — and inspired innovative approaches to treating autoimmune diseases, cancer, and transplantation rejection. Clinical trials based on these discoveries are already underway.
The Nobel Week, held from October 6 to 13, continues with announcements in other categories. The Physics laureate will be revealed on October 7, followed by Chemistry on October 8, Literature on October 9, the Peace Prize on October 10, and finally, the Prize in Economic Sciences on October 13, awarded by Sweden’s central bank in honor of Alfred Nobel.
Meanwhile, several countries — including Israel, Pakistan, and Cambodia — have nominated U.S. President Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize, citing his mediation efforts in peace agreements and ceasefires since his return to office in January. If he wins, Trump would become the fifth U.S. president to receive the Peace Prize, following Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, Jimmy Carter, and Barack Obama.
During a February meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Oval Office, Trump remarked that he believes he deserves the Nobel Peace Prize but doubts he will ever be awarded it.
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