Global Brain extends its sincerest congratulations to Dr. Shimon Sakaguchi, a founder and member of Board of Directors of its portfolio company RegCell, Inc. (RegCell), on being awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for 2025. Dr. Sakaguchi is Specially Appointed Professor of the University of Osaka and Professor Emeritus of Kyoto University. RegCell is a portfolio company of Global Brain Flagship Fund IX and 321FORCE Global Innovation Fund L.P. (321FORCE™). Dr. Sakaguchi's award is in recognition of his work that fundamentally overturned the understanding of immune tolerance, the vital mechanism by which the immune system avoids attacking its own body. In 1995, swimming against the tide of established scientific doctrine, he demonstrated the greater complexity of the immune system and discovered a previously unknown class of immune cells, regulatory T cells (Tregs), which protect the body from autoimmune diseases. This achievement pioneered the entirely new research field of peripheral tolerance. We offer our heartfelt congratulations to Dr. Sakaguchi for this long-deserved recognition of his many years of work. His discovery has not only rewritten the history of immunology but is also a monumental achievement that has the potential to pave the way for curative treatments for patients worldwide suffering from a multitude of diseases, including autoimmune disorders, cancer immunotherapy, and immunological tolerance for transplanted organs. RegCell was originally founded in Kyoto, Japan in 2016 to translate Dr. Sakaguchi's research into clinical applications and is now headquartered in the United States to accelerate global development. With its core technology—a proprietary cell therapy platform that converts autologous T cells into highly functional, disease antigen-specific Tregs—RegCell is preparing for clinical trials of cell therapies for autoimmune diseases. “We are deeply honored to count on Dr. Sakaguchi as a scientific founder of RegCell and among our board members,” said Dr. Michael McCullar, Chief Executive Officer of RegCell. “This award is further validation of the promise of his scientific vision and commitment to advancing human health and exemplifies the spirit of innovation that drives our mission to serve patients by developing groundbreaking immunological therapies for autoimmune disease and transplantation.” RegCell’s Co-Founder and Nobel Prize awardee, Professor Shimon Sakaguchi, stated, “I am deeply humbled by this honor and inspired that the discoveries from our work, alongside those of Dr. Brunkow and Dr. Ramsdell, have contributed to advancing medicine in ways that may one day improve the lives of people affected by autoimmune disease and in need of transplantation across the globe.” Global Brain holds the highest regard not only for Dr. Sakaguchi's groundbreaking discoveries but also for the exceptional management team that possesses the execution capabilities to commercialize this science from a global perspective and deliver it to patients as quickly as possible. We are confident that the fusion of top-tier science originating from Japan with a distinguished global management team is what will guide RegCell to worldwide success. We are committed to contributing to the business growth of RegCell as it works to translate this Nobel Prize-winning scientific breakthrough into social implementation.

About RegCell

Location: Delaware, US
Representative: Dr. Michael V. McCullar, President, Chairman and CEO
Founded: January 2016 (US entity August 2024)
URL: https://regcellbio.com/

About 321FORCE™

Name: 321FORCE Global Innovation Fund L.P.
General Partner: Global Brain Corporation
Fund Size: JPY 5 billion
Fund Term: 10 years

About Global Brain

Location: Tokyo, Japan
Representative: Yasuhiko Yurimoto
Founded: January 1998
URL: https://globalbrains.com

Dr. Shimon Sakaguchi, founder and board member of Global Brain's portfolio company RegCell, Inc., wins the 2025 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine