Professor Emeritus Shimon Sakaguchi, Visiting Professor at the Institute for Life and Medical Sciences, has been awarded the 2025 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.
Dr Sakaguchi served for many years as a professor at the Institute for Frontier Medical Sciences, Kyoto University — one of the predecessor institutions of our institute — where he discovered regulatory T cells and elucidated their functions.
We extend our heartfelt congratulations to Dr Sakaguchi on this prestigious achievement.

Comments from Director Hiroshi Kawamoto of the Institute for Life and Medical Sciences
All of us at Kyoto University’s Institute for Life and Medical Sciences, at which Dr Shimon Sakaguchi previously served as director (when it was known as Institute for Frontier Medical Sciences) are extremely pleased and deeply moved that he has been awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.

Dr Sakaguchi tackled the challenge of immune tolerance, one of the most important questions in immunology, and single-handedly elucidated the manner in which its mechanism is mediated by regulatory T-cells. This is a significant achievement not only in immunology but in the field of life sciences as a whole.

Furthermore, his discovery has already seen wide application in the treatment of autoimmune diseases and cancer, making broad and significant contributions to medicine. As someone who has witnessed the development of his research first-hand, I am extremely humbled.

Dr Sakaguchi’s strong commitment to achieving his research goals, in spite of at times facing daunting headwinds, no doubt has led to his great achievement. We hope that his award will encourage a new generation of researchers and lead to many more outstanding discoveries in the future.

Related Link
2025 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine awarded to Professor Emeritus Shimon Sakaguchi (Opens the Kyoto University website.)