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Japan's Sakaguchi and Kitagawa Receive Nobel Prizes in Stockholm

The laureates were cited for pioneering regulatory T cells in immunity as well as metal-organic frameworks that store gases.

Overview

  • Sweden's King Carl XVI Gustaf presented gold medals and diplomas to the two 74-year-old professors at the Stockholm Concert Hall before an audience of more than 1,500.
  • Shimon Sakaguchi was recognized for discovering regulatory T cells that prevent harmful self-attack in the immune system and have enabled new approaches to autoimmune and cancer therapies.
  • Susumu Kitagawa was honored for creating metal-organic frameworks, porous materials that can store and release gases, with the committee highlighting their flexible, tunable structures.
  • The laureates attended a 1,300-guest banquet at Stockholm City Hall that included members of the Swedish royal family, with Kitagawa seated next to Crown Princess Victoria.
  • Each Nobel carries an award of 11 million kronor and was shared with two co-recipients, marking the first time in a decade that Japanese winners earned Nobels in two different fields in the same year.