Fred Ramsdell facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Fred Ramsdell
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Ramsdell in 2015
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Frederick Jay Ramsdell
December 4, 1960 Elmhurst, Illinois, U.S.
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| Education | University of California, San Diego (BS) University of California, Los Angeles (PhD) |
| Awards | Crafoord Prize (2017) Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (2025) |
| Scientific career | |
| Institutions | Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy |
| Thesis | (1988) |
| Academic advisors | Sidney Golub |
Frederick Jay Ramsdell (born December 4, 1960) is an American immunologist. An immunologist is a scientist who studies the body's immune system. This system protects us from sickness. Dr. Ramsdell works at Sonoma Biotherapeutics in San Francisco, California.
In 2025, he was jointly awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. He received this important award for his work on something called "peripheral tolerance." This is how our bodies learn to not attack themselves.
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Who is Frederick Ramsdell?
Frederick Jay Ramsdell is a scientist who has made big discoveries. His work helps us understand how our bodies fight diseases. He has helped many people by improving our knowledge of the immune system.
Early Life and Education
Frederick Ramsdell was born in 1960 in Elmhurst, Illinois, in the U.S. He loved science from a young age.
He studied at the University of California, San Diego. In 1983, he earned a Bachelor of Science degree. He focused on biochemistry and cell biology. Later, he went to the University of California, Los Angeles. There, he earned his Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in microbiology and immunology in 1987.
His Important Work
Dr. Ramsdell has worked at several important places. He worked at ZymoGenetics, a company that studies genes. He also served as the chief scientific officer at Sonoma Biotherapeutics. This company works on new medicines.
Understanding Immune Tolerance
Dr. Ramsdell's most famous work is about "peripheral tolerance." Imagine your immune system as a police force. It protects your body from invaders like germs. But sometimes, it can get confused. It might start attacking your own healthy cells. This is like the police attacking innocent citizens.
Peripheral tolerance is how your body teaches its immune cells not to attack healthy parts of yourself. It's a crucial way to keep your body safe from its own defenses.
Discovering Regulatory T Cells
Dr. Ramsdell's research helped discover "regulatory T cells." These are special immune cells. They act like peacekeepers in your body. They tell other immune cells to calm down. This stops them from attacking healthy tissues. This discovery is very important for understanding diseases. These diseases happen when the immune system attacks the body.
Awards and Recognition
Dr. Ramsdell's discoveries have earned him major awards. These awards show how important his work is to science.
The Crafoord Prize
In 2017, Dr. Ramsdell received the Crafoord Prize. He shared this award with two other scientists, Shimon Sakaguchi and Alexander Rudensky. They were honored for their research on polyarthritis. This is a type of arthritis that affects many joints.
The prize recognized their "discovery of regulatory T cells." These cells help stop harmful immune responses. This is important for arthritis and other autoimmune diseases. Autoimmune diseases are when the body's immune system attacks itself.
The Nobel Prize in Medicine
Dr. Ramsdell was jointly awarded the 2025 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. He shared this honor with Shimon Sakaguchi and Mary E. Brunkow. This prize is one of the highest honors a scientist can receive.
When the Nobel Prize was announced, Dr. Ramsdell was hiking in Idaho. He was "off-the-grid," meaning he had no phone signal. So, he couldn't be reached right away! He later told the BBC about his reaction. When his wife told him the news, he said, "I did not!" She then showed him 200 text messages proving it was true.
See also
In Spanish: Fred Ramsdell para niños
