Trio Wins Nobel Prize in Medicine for Discoveries on Immune System

Immunologists Mary E. Brunkow, Fred Ramsdell and Shimon Sakaguchi were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for discoveries that spurred the development of new treatments for cancer and autoimmune diseases and laid the foundation for a new field of research.

The trio identified a core feature of how the immune system functions and keeps itself in-check: regulatory T-cells. They prevent other immune cells from attacking our own bodies and developing autoimmune conditions including Type 1 diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis. Based on this fundamental knowledge, clinical trials are ongoing to test therapies for autoimmune diseases, cancer and following organ transplantation.