Akiko Iwasaki Awarded Keio Medical Science Prize for Landmark Research

Akiko Iwasaki, PhD, Sterling Professor of Immunobiology and professor of dermatology and of molecular, cellular, and developmental biology, is co-winner of the 2025 Keio Medical Science Prize. Established in 1995 by Keio University in Tokyo, Japan, the prize recognizes outstanding and original achievements by researchers who have contributed to the welfare of humanity in the fields of medicine and life sciences.

Iwasaki, who has made landmark discoveries into how the immune system defends against viruses, is also professor of epidemiology at Yale School of Public Health and an investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. She was recognized for her “pioneering discoveries in innate and adaptive antiviral immunity and her leadership in elucidating the immunological mechanisms of COVID-19 and post-acute infection syndromes."

The prize committee wrote in its official citation: “Dr. Iwasaki’s research represents a paradigm shift in how we approach infection and immune memory. Her findings continue to illuminate new frontiers in the prevention and treatment of viral diseases."

The Keio Medical Science Prize is the only honor of its kind awarded by a Japanese university. Twelve laureates of the prize have gone on to win the Nobel Prize.

"This recognition from Keio University is deeply personal,” says Iwsaki. “It affirms that science is truly a global endeavor—one that transcends geography and culture. I share this honor with my colleagues and trainees at Yale who make our discoveries possible.”

Clifford Paul Brangwynne, PhD, a professor at Princeton University, was the other co-winner of the prize. Iwasaki and Brangwynne accepted their prizes at a ceremony that took place Nov. 4 at Keio University.

Photo courtesy of Keio University