"Wow, I Thought It Was a Bear"... Immunologist Learns of Nobel Prize Through Wife's Scream

Immunologist Ramsdell Jointly Awarded Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
Learns of Win a Day Later While Traveling in a Remote Area

It has been reported that American immunologist Fred Ramsdell, 63, who jointly received this year's Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, only learned about his award a day after the announcement.

On October 8 (KST), Yonhap News, citing foreign media, reported that the Nobel Committee was able to speak directly with Ramsdell only about 12 hours after the announcement.

Previously, when the Nobel Committee announced the winners on October 7, a spokesperson for Sonoma Biotherapeutics, a biotechnology company in San Francisco where Ramsdell works, stated, "Dr. Ramsdell is enjoying life to the fullest in a place without electricity or cell phone signal," and added, "We have not yet been able to inform him of the award."

Jeffrey Bluestone, an immunologist and co-founder of Sonoma, also said, "Ramsdell is the main contributor to this achievement, but we cannot reach him at the moment," and speculated, "He is probably hiking in the mountains with a backpack."

American immunologist Fred Ramsdell (center), co-recipient of this year's Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. Photo by Yonhap News

At the time, Ramsdell was hiking in a remote area of Idaho, United States, where there was no communication signal. It is reported that he learned of the award belatedly through his wife.

According to reports, while Ramsdell was returning to his hotel during his trip, he stopped briefly for car maintenance. As soon as his wife turned on her cell phone, she was flooded with congratulatory messages, which surprised her so much that she screamed. Ramsdell recalled, "I thought maybe a bear had appeared."

Ramsdell jointly received this year's Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Professor Shimon Sakaguchi of Kyoto University in Japan and Dr. Mary E. Brunkow of the United States, for their work in identifying the existence and function of regulatory T cells, which maintain balance in the human immune system.

His research is recognized as a foundational achievement in the field of immune regulation, laying the groundwork for treatments of autoimmune diseases, cancer, and organ transplant rejection.

Meanwhile, it is not uncommon for Nobel laureates to be unreachable immediately after the announcement. For example, Martin Chalfie, who won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2008, recalled, "The phone rang while I was sleeping, but I thought it was the neighbor's phone."