UCSD alum wins Nobel Prize for research on human immune system

Key discoveries in the human immune system have led UC San Diego alum Fred Ramsdell to receive a Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. 

The award is given annually by the Nobel Assembly at the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden. 

Ramsdell graduated from UCSD in 1983 with a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry and cell biology.  His research, which was conducted with Mary Brunkow and Shimon Sakaguchi, uncovered molecular and cellular mechanisms that explain how the body protects the immune system.

“We are proud that alumnus Fred Ramsdell is among this year’s Nobel laureates in Physiology or Medicine,” said Chancellor Pradeep K. Khosla.

“Congratulations to Fred and his fellow laureates on this historic achievement and on their transformative discoveries that continue to accelerate our understanding of the human immune system.

“Alumni such as Fred are shaping science, advancing society and reinforcing the United States’ global leadership in medical research.”

That research has led to the development of new treatments for autoimmune diseases, including Type 1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis, lupus and rheumatoid arthritis. 

“Their discoveries have been decisive for our understanding of how the immune system functions and why we do not all develop serious autoimmune diseases,” said Olle Kämpe, chair of the Nobel Committee, in a statement.

“Fred Ramsdell’s work identifying the Foxp3 gene as essential for preventing autoimmunity in humans and mice laid the groundwork for game-changing discoveries over the last 25 years,” said UCSD professor Ananda Goldrath.

Ramsdell received his PhD at UCLA and is currently a supervisor at Sonoma Biotherapeutics in San Francisco. He is the third UCSD Biological Sciences alum to receive the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. He was preceded by Bruce Beutler in 2011 and Susumu Tonegawa in 1987.