Overview

• Shimon Sakaguchi, Mary E. Brunkow and Fred Ramsdell were named laureates for work that defined regulatory T cells and their role in restraining harmful immune responses.
• The Nobel Committee described regulatory T cells as a second line of defense that prevents the immune system from attacking the body’s own tissues.
• The announcement was made in Stockholm by Nobel Committee secretary Thomas Perlmann at the Karolinska Institute.
• Sakaguchi’s 1995 research challenged the prevailing view that tolerance relied only on thymic deletion, establishing an active peripheral mechanism.
• The Nobel Assembly said the discoveries opened a field that underpins therapies for autoimmune disease and cancer, and strategies to reduce complications in stem‑cell transplants; the ceremony is set for December 10 with a prize of 11 million Swedish kronor.