Alexander Rudensky

Discovery of regulatory T cells and their related functions have become a milestone in immunology. In a series of landmark studies, he demonstrated that regulatory T cells prevent fatal autoimmunity and hypersensitivity. His discovery that the transcription factor Foxp3 is essential for differentiation and function of regulatory T cells and for enforcing immunological self-tolerance have been a major breakthrough in immunology. These discoveries changed a major paradigm in immunology regarding the mechanisms responsible for immune tolerance and prevention of immunopathological disorders. His discoveries of the molecular mechanisms of Foxp3 function provided key insights into the genetic program that regulates almost every aspect of the immune system function. His most recent studies uncovered distinct function for thymic and extrathymic generation of regulatory T cells with the latter playing a key non-redundant role in control of allergic inflammation and asthma. Ongoing efforts to harness regulatory T cell therapy of autoimmunity and transplantation are manifest to major practical significance of his work.