Nobel Prize recipient Prof. Rolf Zinkernagel on science, responsibility and the future of immunology

In 1996, Swiss Prof. Rolf M. Zinkernagel, together with Australian Peter C. Doherty, received the Nobel Prize for the discovery of so-called MHC restriction — a key mechanism by which T cells recognize virus-infected cells. 30 years after this achievement Zinkernagel talks about scientific curiosity, responsibility in polarized times and the future of immunology.

Der Schweizer Prof. Rolf M. Zinkernagel (r.) gemeinsam mit dem Australier Peter C. Doherty (l.) nach der Verleihung des Nobelpreis für die Entdeckung der sogenannten MHC-Restriktion in Schweden. Credit: AP

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Illustration of human lymphocytes, which include T-cells, B-cells, and natural killer (NK) cells, and are essential components of the adaptive immune system Credit: RUSLANAS BARANAUSKAS/Getty Images/Science Photo Library

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