María Mittelbrun
Head of the Immunometabolism and Inflammation Laboratory at the Center for Molecular Biology and scientific researcher at the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC)
The Nobel Assembly at the Karolinska Institute has decided to award the 2025 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine to Mary E. Brunkow, Fred Ramsdell, and Shimon Sakaguchi for their discoveries concerning regulatory T cells (Tregs) and their importance in immune system tolerance mechanisms.
Our immune system protects us against infections and tumors. However, if it is activated in an uncontrolled manner, it can cause autoimmune diseases and chronic inflammation.
That is why it is very important that, once an immune response has been initiated, it is controlled and stopped in time to prevent the immune system itself from damaging healthy tissue.
Regulatory T cells (Tregs) play an essential role in this process of “turning off” inflammation: they slow down the inflammatory response by turning off other immune cells, preventing tissue damage and avoiding chronic inflammation. This Nobel Prize highlights how important regulatory T cells are in keeping our immune system in check and protecting our health.