The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine is an international scientific award recognizing important discoveries in physiology or medicine. It is one of the five original Nobel Prizes established by the will of Alfred Nobel and was first awarded in 1901. The laureates are selected by the Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden. The award encompasses both fundamental biological research and discoveries with clinical applications, rather than being restricted to practicing physicians or medical treatments. (nobelprize.org)
Origins and institutional organization
Nobel signed his final will on November 27, 1895. It directed that most of his estate should support prizes honoring contributions benefiting humanity, with one share allocated to the most important discovery in physiology or medicine. The Nobel Foundation, whose statutes were approved in 1900, provides the financial and administrative framework for the prizes; scientific selection belongs to the designated prize-awarding institutions. (nobelprize.org)
The medicine prize is awarded by the Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institutet, consisting of 50 professors at Karolinska Institutet. Its Nobel Committee for Physiology or Medicine evaluates candidates and prepares recommendations for the Assembly. This arrangement differs from the physics prize and chemistry prize, which are awarded by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. (nobelprize.org)
Scope and selection principles
The phrase “physiology or medicine” is interpreted broadly. When Nobel wrote his will, physiology encompassed areas now recognized as distinct branches of biology. Awards have consequently recognized work in genetics, neuroscience, infectious diseases, and the immune system, alongside diagnostic technologies and therapeutic discoveries. The central object of recognition is a discovery, not simply a long scientific career. (nobelprize.org)
The breadth of the prize is illustrated by the 1973 award for discoveries about animal behavior, the 1979 award for developing computer-assisted tomography, and the 1983 award for mobile genetic elements in plants. These examples show that an award need not concern a treatment or even originate in research on humans. Basic findings about living systems can qualify within the prize’s biomedical remit. (nobelprize.org)
Although Nobel’s will referred to achievements during the preceding year, the Foundation’s statutes allow older discoveries to be recognized when their significance has become apparent more recently. This provision accommodates the time required to establish the importance of scientific findings. (nobelprize.org)
Nomination and decision-making
Nomination is conducted through qualified nominators rather than open public applications. Invitations are generally issued in September before the award year, and nominations are due by the end of January. Eligible nominators include previous medicine laureates and specified professors and members of scientific institutions. Self-nominations are not accepted. (nobelprize.org)
Submitted candidates undergo scientific evaluation before the Committee recommends candidates to the Assembly, which makes the final selection. Prize decisions cannot be appealed. Nomination records and evaluations remain confidential for at least 50 years; a publicly asserted nomination therefore does not constitute an official endorsement or a published shortlist. (unvis.it)
A prize may be shared by no more than three individuals. The rules also allow a prize to be withheld when no considered work meets the required standard. Through the 2025 awards, the medicine prize had been awarded 116 times to 232 individuals. It was not awarded in 1915–1918, 1921, 1925, or 1940–1942. (nobelprize.org)
Selected discoveries
The first laureate, Emil von Behring, received the 1901 prize for serum therapy, especially its application against diphtheria. Frederick Banting and John Macleod received the 1923 prize for discovering insulin. In 1945, Alexander Fleming, Ernst Chain, and Howard Florey were jointly recognized for penicillin and its therapeutic effects against infectious diseases. (nobelprize.org)
The 1962 prize recognized Francis Crick, James Watson, and Maurice Wilkins for discoveries concerning the molecular structure of nucleic acids and its significance for information transfer, including DNA. Barbara McClintock received the 1983 prize for mobile genetic elements. These awards exemplify recognition of mechanisms underlying heredity rather than a particular clinical intervention. (nobelprize.org)
In 2023, Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman were honored for discoveries concerning nucleoside base modifications that enabled effective messenger RNA vaccines against COVID-19. The 2024 prize recognized Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun for microRNA and its role in post-transcriptional gene regulation. (nobelprize.org)
On October 6, 2025, Mary E. Brunkow, Fred Ramsdell, and Shimon Sakaguchi received the award for discoveries concerning peripheral immune tolerance. Their work established the importance of regulatory T cells and FOXP3 in mechanisms that restrain immune responses against the body’s own tissues. (nobelprize.org)
Presentation and award components
Laureates receive a Nobel Prize medal, an individually designed diploma, and a monetary award, divided when the prize is shared. The prize amount is determined within the Foundation’s financial framework rather than fixed permanently. (nobelprize.org)
The medicine prize is normally presented in Stockholm on December 10, the anniversary of Nobel’s death. The King of Sweden presents the medals and diplomas at the award ceremony. Nobel Week also includes laureates’ lectures, and the Stockholm celebrations include the Nobel Banquet. (nobelprize.org)