Overview
- The Nobel Assembly cited Shimon Sakaguchi’s 1995 identification of regulatory T cells that suppress harmful immune responses outside the thymus.
- In 2001, Mary E. Brunkow and Fred Ramsdell pinpointed the FOXP3 gene as the master regulator of regulatory T cells, with mutations causing scurfy in mice and the human IPEX syndrome.
- Sakaguchi showed in 2003 that FOXP3 directs regulatory T cell development, unifying the cellular and genetic basis of immune self-tolerance.
- The 11 million Swedish kronor award will be shared equally, and the committee highlighted therapies for autoimmune disease, cancer and transplantation now in clinical trials.
- Committee chair Olle Kämpe said the work is fundamental to understanding why most people avoid autoimmune disease, as Nobel week opens in Stockholm.