ISB News

This feature traces the remarkable arc of Mary Brunkow — from undergraduate at the University of Washington to 2025 Nobel Laureate — spotlighting her foundational discovery of the gene FOXP3, and how that breakthrough unlocked a new understanding of immune-system self-tolerance. The story also reflects on the years of basic research, the long-standing impact on immunology, and how Brunkow’s journey connects back to her roots in Seattle’s scientific community.

Dr. Lee Hood joined podcast host Jeremy Koenig to discuss the evolution of medicine from reactive care to P4 health. He explored eight paradigm shifts that have transformed biology and highlighted how systems thinking, big data, and AI are reshaping wellness and personalized care.

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.