Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine

The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine is awarded yearly by the Nobel Assembly at the Karolinska Institute for outstanding discoveries in physiology or medicine. It is one of the five Nobel Prizes prizes that, in accordance with Alfred Nobel's 1895 will, are awarded "to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind". Nobel Prizes are awarded in the fields of Physics, Medicine or Physiology, Chemistry, Literature, and Peace. A sixth prize, for Economic Sciences, was established in 1968 by Sveriges Riksbank (Sweden's central bank) in memory of Alfred Nobel.

The Nobel Prize is presented annually on the anniversary of Alfred Nobel's death, 10 December. As of 2024, 116 Nobel Prizes in Physiology or Medicine have been awarded to 232 laureates, 218 men and 14 women. The first one was awarded in 1901 to the German physiologist, Emil von Behring, for his work on serum therapy and the development of a vaccine against diphtheria. The first woman to receive the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, Gerty Cori, received it in 1947 for her role in elucidating the metabolism of glucose, important in many aspects of medicine, including treatment of diabetes. The most recent Nobel prize was announced by the Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institutet on 6 October 2025, and has been awarded to Americans Mary E. Brunkow and Fred Ramsdell, and Japanese scientist Shimon Sakaguchi, for their discoveries concerning peripheral immune tolerance and regulatory T cells.