One of the 2025 Nobel Prize in Medicine winners is not only a leading medical researcher but also an exemplar of work-life balance — so much so that he may not yet know he has won.
Fred Ramsdell: The Hiking Laureate
Fred Ramsdell, honoured on Monday alongside Mary Brunkow of Seattle and Shimon Sakaguchi of Osaka University, is currently “living his best life” on an off-the-grid hiking expedition, according to a spokesperson from his San Francisco-based lab, Sonoma Biotherapeutics.
- His digital detox has left the Nobel committee unable to contact him directly.
- Jeffrey Bluestone, Ramsdell’s friend and lab co-founder, admitted he had also struggled to reach him: “I have been trying to get a hold of him myself. I think he may be backpacking in the backcountry in Idaho.”
The committee faced additional challenges contacting Brunkow, as both US West Coast researchers are nine hours behind Stockholm. However, they eventually succeeded in reaching her.
“I asked them to, if they have a chance, call me back,” said Thomas Perlmann, Secretary-General of the Nobel Committee, during the press conference announcing the winners.
Groundbreaking Discoveries
The three laureates were recognised for their pioneering work on the immune system’s “security guards”, known as regulatory T-cells.
| Laureate | Birth Year | Affiliation | Key Contribution |
| Shimon Sakaguchi | 1949 | Osaka University, Japan | Discovered a previously unknown class of immune cells in 1995 that protect the body from autoimmune diseases |
| Mary Brunkow | 1961 | Institute for Systems Biology, Seattle | Contributed to discovery of regulatory T-cell function in 2001 |
| Fred Ramsdell | 1959 | Sonoma Biotherapeutics, San Francisco | Co-discovered regulatory T-cell role in preventing autoimmune responses in 2001 |
Their research focuses on peripheral immune tolerance, a mechanism that prevents the immune system from attacking the body. These findings have opened new fields of study and facilitated the development of potential treatments currently under clinical evaluation.
- Sakaguchi, 74, made the first key discovery in 1995.
- Brunkow, now a senior project manager, and Ramsdell, 64, made subsequent breakthroughs in 2001.
This year’s prize highlights the importance of regulatory T-cells in maintaining immune system balance, while also reminding the world that some Nobel winners are too busy exploring the wilderness to answer their phones.
