ISB News

October was a banner month for biochemistry and molecular biology, with researchers across the field earning major honors – including a Nobel Prize awarded to Mary Brunkow and discoveries poised to transform medicine.

Local achievement with global impact: This editorial highlights how the Nobel Prize awarded to Mary Brunkow and her colleagues extends far beyond Seattle, recognizing groundbreaking work in immune-system regulation that stands to benefit humanity at large.

The Lancet profiles 2025 Nobel laureates Mary Brunkow, Fred Ramsdell, and Shimon Sakaguchi, tracing their decades-long collaboration that uncovered the FOXP3 gene and regulatory T cells – discoveries that transformed understanding of immune tolerance and opened new paths for treating autoimmune and inflammatory diseases.

The Associated Press spotlights its behind-the-scenes work covering the 2025 Nobel Prize, using global collaboration and exclusive access – from a pre-dawn knock at Dr. Mary Brunkow’s door to multimedia teamwork worldwide – to deliver prompt, emotionally charged storytelling.

In her CBC conversation, Mary Brunkow reflects on the surprise of receiving the 2025 Nobel Prize and the collaborative journey behind her groundbreaking work on immune-system regulation. She recounts how the discovery of the FOXP3 gene – stemming from studies of the “scurfy” mouse model – helped unlock the mystery of how regulatory T cells prevent the body from attacking itself.

In an in-person interview on KOMO News’ ARC Seattle, Nobel laureate Mary Brunkow recounts the early-morning call from Stockholm and discusses the FOXP3 discovery’s impact.