Honoring the 2025 Nobel Laureates

Editor's note: This article will be continually updated with information about the newly announced Nobel Prize winners and access to their research.

In the coming days, the 2025 Nobel Laureates will be recognized for their significant contributions to science. That recognition reflects years of dedicated research that helps advance human progress for all.

The achievements of this year’s Laureates highlight the importance of rigorous, reproducible, and transparent research. Their work expands the boundaries of knowledge and sets a standard for scientific integrity, ensuring that the generations of researchers who follow them can build their own discoveries on the most reliable foundations.

Most importantly, all these researchers are part of a global community that collaborates across disciplines and borders to address complex challenges. By upholding high standards of transparency and accountability, they help maintain trust in the scientific process and inspire the next generation of scientists.

We congratulate the 2025 Nobel Laureates and celebrate their commitment to advancing science for the benefit of all.

The 2025 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine has been awarded to Mary E. Brunkow (Institute for Systems Biology, Seattle), Fred Ramsdell (Sonoma Biotherapeutics, San Francisco), and Shimon Sakaguchi (Osaka University, Japan) for their discoveries concerning peripheral immune tolerance.

This year’s Nobel Laureates have fundamentally advanced our understanding of how the immune system distinguishes between harmful invaders and the body’s own tissues. Their research revealed the critical role of regulatory T cells—immune cells that act as “security guards,” preventing the immune system from attacking healthy organs. It's a discovery that has reshaped the field of immunology and opened new avenues for treating autoimmune diseases, cancer, and improving transplantation outcomes.

Shimon Sakaguchi’s pioneering work in 1995 challenged prevailing theories by identifying a previously unknown class of immune cells responsible for protecting the body from autoimmune diseases. Until then, it was widely believed that immune tolerance was solely established in the thymus through the elimination of harmful cells. Sakaguchi’s findings demonstrated that the immune system’s regulation is more complex, involving peripheral mechanisms. Shimon Sakaguchi is currently an advisory board member of the Cell Press journal Immunity.

Building on this, Mary Brunkow and Fred Ramsdell discovered in 2001 that mutations in the Foxp3 gene lead to severe autoimmune disorders in both mice and humans. Their work provided a genetic explanation for immune tolerance and linked Foxp3 to the development of regulatory T cells.

Sakaguchi later connected these discoveries, showing that Foxp3 is essential for the formation of regulatory T cells. Together, these breakthroughs have launched the field of peripheral tolerance and inspired new therapies, some of which are now in clinical trials.