Nobel Prize Committee Can’t Reach Winner Enjoying Off-Grid Hiking Adventure

The Nobel Prize for Medicine this year has some amusing twists. The winners, Fred Ramsdell, Mary Brunkow, and Shimon Sakaguchi, made remarkable discoveries about our immune system. But here’s the catch: Ramsdell is currently off hiking and living “off the grid.” This means the Nobel committee hasn’t been able to reach him to share the good news.

Jeffrey Bluestone, a close friend and co-founder of Ramsdell’s lab, is also struggling to get in touch. “I think he might be enjoying nature in Idaho,” he mentioned, adding to the challenge of informing him about the award.

While the committee managed to finally contact Brunkow, reaching Ramsdell was a different story. Thomas Perlmann, secretary-general of the Nobel committee, humorously noted the situation at a press conference: “I asked them to call back if they had a chance.”

Ramsdell, Brunkow, and Sakaguchi earned the prize for their groundbreaking work on regulatory T-cells, which serve as “security guards” in our immune system. These cells play a crucial role in “peripheral immune tolerance,” helping to prevent the immune system from attacking our own bodies. Their findings have sparked a new field of research, paving the way for potential medical treatments now undergoing clinical trials.

Sakaguchi made a pivotal discovery in 1995 about these immune cells, while Ramsdell and Brunkow contributed to the research in 2001. Their discoveries could lead to significant advancements in treating autoimmune diseases.

Interestingly, this isn’t the first time the Nobel committee faced communication hiccups. In 2020, when the economics prize was announced, Bob Wilson unplugged his phone during the night, forcing the committee to call his wife instead. And when they couldn’t reach Paul Milgrom, Wilson had to wake him up, resulting in a charming reaction caught on security cameras.

These incidents highlight both the excitement of receiving such prestigious recognition and the unpredictability of life. The commitment of these researchers not only to science but also to their personal lives underlines the balance many strive to maintain.

For more on the remarkable discoveries in immunology, you can check out resources like the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

The intriguing blend of scientific achievement and real-life adventures certainly makes this year’s Nobel Prize story memorable.



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