A life in context
The person behind the prize
Brunkow is a molecular geneticist whose work connected inherited changes in DNA with failures of immune regulation. Research in biotechnology laboratories, including her collaboration with Fred Ramsdell, helped identify the cause of a severe immune disorder in mice.
The contribution
In 2001, Brunkow and Ramsdell identified mutations in the Foxp3 gene in scurfy mice. Related mutations in humans cause IPEX, connecting a genetic clue with dangerous failures of immune self-control.
The idea in plain language
An immune system must fight threats without destroying the body. Removing some dangerous cells early in their development is not enough: immune responses also need active restraint in the rest of the body.
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