The two mouse ornaments Shimon Sakaguchi donated to the Nobel Prize Museum have a special significance:
“In recognition of the ethical principles that guide scientific research, I am honored to donate this handmade ornament to the Nobel Prize Museum. It was created by my mother many decades ago as a heartfelt reminder to uphold the spirit of animal welfare in my immunology work. A woman of great artistic talent with a passion for pottery and painting, she crafted this mouse ornament with great care and skill. Throughout my academic career, I have cherished this ornament and displayed it in my office at every institution where I have served. It now finds its rightful place among objects that celebrate the values and responsibilities of science.
In addition, I am honored to donate a second mouse ornament, which belonged to my wife, Noriko. Just as we have walked this path of science together, supporting one another as partners in both life and research, it is our sincere wish that these two mice remain together in the museum as a symbol of that enduring partnership.”
Shimon Sakaguchi donated the mouse ornaments to the Nobel Prize Museum in 2025.
This picture is a version of an illustration that Akane Shimizu shared on the media platform X (formerly Twitter) after it was announced that Shimon Sakaguchi would be awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 2025. She later gave this signed copy to Sakaguchi, who donated it to the Nobel Prize Museum.
The protagonist in the drawing is a “regulatory T cell” stopping a “killer T cell” from attacking other body cells.
The books are Japanese and English copies of Shimizu’s はたらく細胞（Hataraku-Saibo) “Cells at Work!”, a manga series where the body cells are anthropomorphised. The series was later animated and was a critical and popular success. The series has made one of the key concepts in Sakaguchi’s research, “the regulatory T cell”, a household name among Japanese kids and helped spark interest in science and immunology. For Sakaguchi, the series symbolises the link between scientific discovery and social commitment.
Shimon Sakaguchi donated the illustration and the books to the Nobel Prize Museum in 2025.
