Unravelling the infection enigma: Jean-Laurent Casanova’s pioneering genetic discoveries earn him the 2025 Novo Nordisk Prize
For decades, scientists believed that infections were determined solely by viruses and bacteria. But Professor Jean-Laurent Casanova’s groundbreaking research has revealed a more complex reality: genes play a fundamental role in determining who gets seriously ill and who stays healthy. Because of his pioneering discoveries, he is being honoured and awarded with the 2025 Novo Nordisk Prize.
Jean-Laurent Casanova’s research, spanning more than three decades, has shown that rare or not-so-rare genetic mutations can make some individuals especially vulnerable to infections that others shrug off. “Why would a child be hospitalised for viral pneumonia, tuberculosis or any other severe infection when most children infected with the very same microbe do well? That is what I call the infection enigma,” he explains.
