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The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was granted for revolutionary findings that clarify how the body's defense network attacks harmful pathogens while sparing the body's own cells.

Three renowned scientists—from Japan Prof. Sakaguchi and American scientists Mary Brunkow and Fred Ramsdell—share this honor.

The work uncovered unique "sentinels" within the defense system that eliminate malfunctioning immune cells capable of harming the organism.

These findings are now enabling new treatments for immune disorders and cancer.

These laureates will share a prize fund worth 11 million SEK.

Decisive Findings

"The work has been essential for understanding how the body's defenses functions and the reason we do not all develop severe autoimmune diseases," commented the chair of the Nobel Committee.

The trio's studies address a fundamental mystery: In what way does the immune system protect us from numerous infections while keeping our healthy cells unharmed?

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

Such cells employ detectors—called recognition units—that are generated by chance in countless variations.

That provides the immune system the capacity to fight a wide array of invaders, but the unpredictability of the process unavoidably creates white blood cells that can target the host.

Security Guards of the Immune System

Researchers previously knew that a portion of these harmful defense cells were eliminated in the immune organ—the site where white blood cells mature.

The latest award honors the discovery of regulatory T-cells—described as the immune system's "peacekeepers"—which travel through the system to disarm other defenders that attack the healthy cells.

It is known that this process malfunctions in autoimmune diseases such as type-1 diabetes, MS, and RA.

A Nobel panel stated, "The discoveries have laid the foundation for a novel area of research and spurred the development of new treatments, for instance for tumors and autoimmune diseases."

In cancer, T-regs block the system from fighting the growth, so research are aimed at reducing their numbers.

In autoimmune diseases, trials are exploring increasing regulatory T-cells so the body is not being harmed. A similar approach could also be useful in reducing the chances of transplanted organ rejection.

Innovative Studies

Prof Sakaguchi, of a Japanese institution, performed experiments on mice that had their thymus removed, leading to self-attack conditions.

The researcher showed that injecting immune cells from healthy mice could prevent the disease—implying there was a mechanism for blocking defenders from attacking the body.

Dr. Brunkow, affiliated with the Institute for Systems Biology in a US city, and Fred Ramsdell, currently at a biotech firm in a California city, were studying an inherited autoimmune disease in rodents and people that led to the identification of a gene vital for how T-regs operate.

"Their groundbreaking research has revealed how the body's defenses is kept in check by regulatory T cells, stopping it from accidentally targeting the body's own tissues," commented a prominent biological science specialist.

"This research is a remarkable example of how basic physiological research can have far-reaching consequences for human health."