ISB News

University of Washington alum Mary Brunkow has been awarded the 2025 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for pioneering research into how the immune system is prevented from attacking the body’s own tissues – work that has profound implications for autoimmune disease, cancer therapies, and transplant medicine.

Kathie Walters, lead author on the study, and collaborators found that individuals infected with influenza A display distinct viral-shedding patterns tied to immune history. Their work, published in Science Translational Medicine and covered by Medical Xpress, offers new insights on vaccine design and immunity.

Explained PH includes ISB’s Dr. Mary Brunkow among the 2025 Nobel laureates whose discoveries revolutionized our understanding of the immune system. (Note – minor editorial inconsistencies included in original text.)

The Nobel Prize organization has published an educational resource to help teachers introduce students to the 2025 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, highlighting the discoveries of Mary Brunkow, Fred Ramsdell, and Shimon Sakaguchi in immune tolerance.

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.