Stockholm, Sweden · 6–8 October 2025 — The 2025 Nobel Prizes in Physiology or Medicine, Physics, and Chemistry recognised nine laureates whose discoveries span from the quantum behaviour of electrical circuits to the molecular architecture of porous crystals to the immune system's internal security guards.
Across three days of announcements from Stockholm, the awards highlighted fundamental research with far-reaching applications: quantum computing, carbon capture and water harvesting, and treatments for autoimmune diseases and cancer.
Medicine: How the Immune System Is Kept in Check
On 6 October 2025, the Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institutet awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine jointly to Mary E. Brunkow of the Institute for Systems Biology in Seattle, Fred Ramsdell of Sonoma Biotherapeutics in San Francisco, and Shimon Sakaguchi of Osaka University, Japan, "for their discoveries concerning peripheral immune tolerance."
The laureates identified the immune system's security guards — regulatory T cells — which prevent immune cells from attacking the body's own tissues. Their work revealed a mechanism known as peripheral immune tolerance, a second layer of protection beyond the central tolerance that eliminates harmful immune cells in the thymus.
Sakaguchi made the first key discovery in 1995, swimming against the tide of scientific consensus. At the time, most researchers believed immune tolerance developed solely through central tolerance — the elimination of potentially harmful immune cells in the thymus. Sakaguchi showed that the immune system was more complex, discovering a previously unknown class of immune cells that protect the body from autoimmune diseases.
Brunkow and Ramsdell made the second key discovery in 2001, when they identified why a specific mouse strain was particularly vulnerable to autoimmune diseases. They discovered that the mice had a mutation in a gene they named Foxp3, and showed that mutations in the human equivalent cause IPEX, a serious autoimmune disease.
Two years later, Sakaguchi linked these discoveries, proving that the Foxp3 gene governs the development of the cells he had identified in 1995. These cells, now known as regulatory T cells, monitor other immune cells and ensure that the immune system tolerates the body's own tissues.
"Their discoveries have been decisive for our understanding of how the immune system functions and why we do not all develop serious autoimmune diseases." — Olle Kämpe, Chair of the Nobel Committee for Physiology or Medicine
Physics: Quantum Mechanics on a Human Scale
On 7 October 2025, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics jointly to John Clarke of the University of California, Berkeley, Michel H. Devoret of Yale University, and John M. Martinis of the University of California, Santa Barbara, "for the discovery of macroscopic quantum mechanical tunnelling and energy quantisation in an electric circuit."
The laureates conducted experiments in 1984 and 1985 with an electronic circuit built of superconductors — components that conduct current with no electrical resistance. The superconducting components were separated by a thin layer of non-conductive material, a setup known as a Josephson junction. By refining and measuring the circuit's properties, they demonstrated quantum mechanical effects in a system large enough to be held in the hand.
Quantum mechanics allows a particle to move through a barrier via a process called tunnelling. When large numbers of particles are involved, quantum effects usually become insignificant. The laureates' experiments showed that quantum mechanical properties can be made concrete on a macroscopic scale — the charged particles moving through the superconductor behaved as a single particle-like system filling the entire circuit.
The system initially carried current without voltage, trapped behind a quantum barrier. It then escaped the zero-voltage state through tunnelling, with the changed state detected through the appearance of a voltage. The laureates also demonstrated that the system's energy was quantised — it only absorbed or emitted specific amounts of energy, as predicted by quantum mechanics.
"It is wonderful to be able to celebrate the way that century-old quantum mechanics continually offers new surprises. It is also enormously useful, as quantum mechanics is the foundation of all digital technology." — Olle Eriksson, Chair of the Nobel Committee for Physics
The work has provided opportunities for developing the next generation of quantum technology, including quantum cryptography, quantum computers, and quantum sensors.
Chemistry: Molecular Architecture With Rooms for Chemistry
On 8 October 2025, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry jointly to Susumu Kitagawa of Kyoto University, Richard Robson of the University of Melbourne, and Omar M. Yaghi of the University of California, Berkeley, "for the development of metal–organic frameworks."
The laureates created a new form of molecular architecture: metal–organic frameworks (MOFs), porous crystalline materials in which metal ions function as cornerstones linked by organic molecules, forming crystals with large internal cavities. These cavities can capture and store specific substances, drive chemical reactions, or conduct electricity.
The story began in 1989, when Richard Robson combined positively charged copper ions with a four-armed molecule, creating a well-ordered, spacious crystal — like a diamond filled with innumerable cavities. Robson recognised the potential immediately, but the structure was unstable and collapsed easily.
Between 1992 and 2003, Kitagawa and Yaghi, working separately, provided the building method with a firm foundation. Kitagawa showed that gases could flow in and out of the constructions and predicted that MOFs could be made flexible. Yaghi created a very stable MOF and demonstrated that it could be modified using rational design, giving it new and desirable properties.
"Metal–organic frameworks have enormous potential, bringing previously unforeseen opportunities for custom-made materials with new functions." — Heiner Linke, Chair of the Nobel Committee for Chemistry
Summary of the 2025 Science Nobel Prizes
| Prize | Laureates | Citation | Prize Amount (SEK) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physiology or Medicine | Mary E. Brunkow, Fred Ramsdell, Shimon Sakaguchi | Peripheral immune tolerance | 11 million |
| Physics | John Clarke, Michel H. Devoret, John M. Martinis | Macroscopic quantum tunnelling and energy quantisation | 11 million |
| Chemistry | Susumu Kitagawa, Richard Robson, Omar M. Yaghi | Development of metal–organic frameworks | 11 million |
Each prize carried an award of 11 million Swedish kronor, to be shared equally among the laureates in each category.
Sources
- Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institutet, Press release: The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2025, 6 October 2025,
- The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, Press release: The Nobel Prize in Physics 2025, 7 October 2025,
- The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, Press release: The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2025, 8 October 2025,
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