3 scientists win Nobel Prize in Medicine

The 2025 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine has been awarded to Mary E. Brunkow, Fred Ramsdell, and Shimon Sakaguchi for their groundbreaking discoveries related to peripheral immune tolerance — a key mechanism that prevents the immune system from attacking the body’s own cells.

The announcement was made by the Nobel Assembly at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm on Monday, marking the first of six Nobel prizes to be revealed this year.

Peripheral immune tolerance is a fundamental process that protects against autoimmune diseases and maintains immune balance. The laureates’ work has paved the way for new treatments in autoimmune disorders, organ transplantation, and cancer immunotherapy.

The Nobel Prize in Medicine has now been awarded 115 times to 229 laureates between 1901 and 2024. Last year’s prize was shared by Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun for their discovery of microRNA.

Each Nobel award includes a monetary prize of approximately $1.2 million, alongside global recognition. The prizes will be formally presented on December 10, the anniversary of Alfred Nobel’s death.

The Nobel announcements will continue with the physics prize on Tuesday, chemistry on Wednesday and literature on Thursday. The Nobel Peace Prize will be announced on Friday, while the Nobel Memorial Prize in economics on October 13.

Over the decades, Nobel laureates have included towering figures like Albert Einstein, Marie Curie, Ernest Hemingway, Martin Luther King Jr., Nelson Mandela, and Mother Teresa.