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

See Full Page