Two immunologists whose groundbreaking research has revealed new insights into the human immune system and paved the way for novel disease treatments have been announced as the 2025 recipients of Emory University’s Max Cooper Prize in Immunology.
Reviewing a pool of prestigious nominations from across the globe, the prize jury selected the awardees based on their outstanding research contributions to the field of immunology at the fundamental and translational levels.
Jeffrey V. Ravetch, MD, PhD, the Theresa and Eugene M. Lang Chair at The Rockefeller University, won for investigating the interactions between antibodies and immune cells’ Fc receptors to better understand and treat disease. A number of modified antibodies based on the work of Ravetch and his team have been approved or are awaiting approval for clinical use against cancer and infectious and inflammatory diseases.
“Max is a giant in the field whose seminal work has been the foundation for advances in immunology for the past 60 years,” Ravetch says. “Not only did he identify the distinct roles of B cells and T cells in the immune response, but he directly influenced my own studies on the mechanisms by which antibodies diversify their effector functions. Our work on the selective engagement of Fc receptors was predicated on Max's discovery of heavy chain class switching and his prescient realization of its implications for antibody function. I've had the privilege of Max's advice and friendship for over 30 years and am honored to be linked to him through this award.”
Christopher C. Goodnow, BSc(Vet), BVSc, PhD, FAA, FRS, the Bill and Patricia Ritchie Foundation Chair of the Garvan Institute of Medical Research and professor in the Cellular Genomics Futures Institute of the University of New South Wales in Sydney, won the award for seminal findings on regulation of B cell tolerance and understanding the cause of chronic autoimmune diseases, fundamental discoveries now being translated into therapies.
“For our work on B cell tolerance and autoimmunity to be recognized by the Max Cooper Prize is humbling and intensely special for two reasons,” Goodnow says. “First, Max’s groundbreaking discoveries about B cells and their development and evolution have been an inspiration and a roadmap throughout my career. Second, I’ve often looked to Max as a role model for generosity of spirit in research and how to take the path less well trodden.”
“This year’s award winners are true leaders in the field of immunology, and their contributions represent groundbreaking work with potential to directly change how we treat patients,” says Sandra Wong, MD, MS, dean of Emory University School of Medicine.
The $100,000 award, which will be shared equally between the two researchers, was named for Max D. Cooper, MD, a renowned immunologist at Emory, whose discoveries over more than six decades of research fundamentally changed science’s understanding of the adaptive immune system with implications for treatment of human disease. His contributions to the field earned him worldwide recognition, including the prestigious Lasker Award in 2019 for launching the course of modern immunology.
The awardees will be honored at The Cooper Prize Symposium scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 25, 2025, on the Emory campus.
About Max Cooper
Max D. Cooper, who joined Emory in 2008, is a Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar and professor in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at Emory University School of Medicine and the Emory Vaccine Center, as well as a member of the Cancer Immunology Research Program at Emory’s Winship Cancer Institute. He is widely known for his discovery of B cells and for his pioneering studies on the evolution of the immune system.