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Nobel Laureate Shimon Sakaguchi Visits Turku

BioCity Turku will host a guest seminar by Nobel Laureate Professor Shimon Sakaguchi from Osaka University, Japan, on 12 May 2026.

Entitled “Treg control of immune responses, especially autoimmunity and tumour immunity”, the lecture will focus on how regulatory T cells influence immune function and what this means for our understanding of autoimmune diseases and cancer. Professor Sakaguchi’s research has played a key role in shaping modern immunology and continues to inform the development of new immune‑based therapeutic approaches.

Professor Sakaguchi is internationally recognised for his groundbreaking discovery and characterisation of regulatory T cells, known as Tregs, and for demonstrating their crucial role in maintaining immune balance. In 2025, he was jointly awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine together with Mary E. Brunkow and Fred Ramsdell for discoveries concerning peripheral immune tolerance. He currently serves as Distinguished Honorary Professor at the Immunology Frontier Research Center (IFReC) at Osaka University.

BioCity Turku is a joint research community in the biomedical sciences, bringing together universities and research organisations in Turku, including Åbo Akademi University.

The lecture begins at 12:30 in the Presidentti Auditorium at BioCity and can be followed online via Zoom at https://utu.zoom.us/j/69149423371. The seminar is open to everyone and no registration is required.