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The prestigious award in Physiology or Medicine has been awarded for transformative discoveries that clarify how the body's defense network attacks dangerous infections while sparing the body's own cells.

Three esteemed scientists—from Japan Prof. Sakaguchi and American experts Dr. Brunkow and Fred Ramsdell—received this honor.

The research uncovered unique "security guards" within the defense system that remove malfunctioning immune cells capable of harming the body.

The discoveries are now enabling new treatments for autoimmune diseases and cancer.

These laureates will divide a monetary award valued at 11m SEK.

Decisive Findings

"Their research has been decisive for comprehending how the body's defenses functions and why we don't all develop severe self-attack conditions," commented the chair of the award panel.

The trio's research explain a fundamental mystery: How does the defense system protect us from numerous invaders while keeping our healthy cells intact?

Our immune system uses immune cells that scan for signs of infection, even pathogens and germs it has never encountered.

Such cells employ sensors—called receptors—that are generated by chance in countless variations.

This gives the defense network the ability to fight a broad range of threats, but the unpredictability of the mechanism inevitably produces immune cells that may target the body.

Protectors of the Body

Scientists earlier understood that a portion of these problematic defense cells were destroyed in the immune organ—where immune cells mature.

This year's Nobel Prize recognizes the identification of regulatory T-cells—described as the body's "security guards"—which patrol the body to neutralize other immune cells that attack the body's own tissues.

We know that this process malfunctions in self-attack conditions such as juvenile diabetes, MS, and RA.

The Nobel panel stated, "The findings have laid the foundation for a novel area of research and accelerated the creation of innovative treatments, for example for tumors and autoimmune diseases."

In cancer, T-regs prevent the system from fighting the growth, so studies are focused on reducing their numbers.

In autoimmune diseases, experiments are testing increasing T-reg cells so the organism is no longer under attack. A comparable approach could also be useful in minimizing the risks of organ transplant failure.

Innovative Studies

Professor Shimon Sakaguchi, of Osaka University, performed tests on mice that had their immune gland removed, leading to autoimmune disease.

The researcher demonstrated that injecting defense cells from healthy mice could stop the illness—implying there was a mechanism for blocking defenders from attacking the body.

Dr. Brunkow, from the a research center in a US city, and Dr. Ramsdell, currently at Sonoma Biotherapeutics in a California city, were investigating an inherited immune disorder in mice and people that resulted in the identification of a gene vital for how regulatory T-cells operate.

"The groundbreaking research has revealed how the body's defenses is controlled by T-reg cells, preventing it from mistakenly targeting the body's own tissues," said a prominent physiology specialist.

"This research is a striking illustration of how basic biological research can have broad consequences for public health."