This year's prestigious award in Physiology or Medicine was granted for revolutionary findings that clarify how the immune system attacks harmful infections while protecting the body's own cells.
A trio of renowned researchers—Japan's Prof. Sakaguchi and US scientists Dr. Brunkow and Dr. Ramsdell—received this accolade.
The research uncovered specialized "security guards" within the immune system that eliminate malfunctioning immune cells capable of attacking the organism.
These discoveries are now enabling innovative treatments for immune disorders and malignancies.
The winners will share a prize fund valued at 11 million Swedish kronor.
"Their research has been decisive for comprehending how the body's defenses functions and the reason we don't all develop serious self-attack conditions," stated the chair of the Nobel Committee.
This team's studies explain a core mystery: In what way does the defense system defend us from numerous invaders while keeping our own tissues unharmed?
The body's protection system uses white blood cells that search for signs of infection, even viruses and bacteria it has not met before.
Such cells employ sensors—called receptors—that are generated by chance in countless variations.
That provides the defense network the capacity to combat a broad range of invaders, but the unpredictability of the mechanism unavoidably produces immune cells that may target the body.
Scientists earlier understood that some of these problematic defense cells were eliminated in the immune organ—the site where immune cells mature.
The latest award honors the identification of T-reg cells—described as the immune system's "peacekeepers"—which patrol the body to disarm other immune cells that assault the body's own tissues.
We know that this process fails in autoimmune diseases such as juvenile diabetes, MS, and rheumatoid arthritis.
The prize committee added, "The discoveries have established a new field of research and accelerated the development of new therapies, for instance for tumors and autoimmune diseases."
In cancer, regulatory T-cells block the body from fighting the tumor, so studies are aimed at lowering their numbers.
In self-attack disorders, experiments are testing boosting T-reg cells so the body is no longer being harmed. A similar approach could also be useful in minimizing the risks of transplanted organ failure.
Professor Shimon Sakaguchi, of a Japanese institution, conducted experiments on mice that had their immune gland removed, causing self-attack conditions.
He demonstrated that introducing defense cells from healthy animals could prevent the disease—suggesting there was a system for blocking immune cells from attacking the body.
Mary Brunkow, affiliated with the a research center in a US city, and Fred Ramsdell, currently at Sonoma Biotherapeutics in a California city, were studying an genetic immune disorder in mice and people that resulted in the discovery of a genetic factor vital for the way T-regs operate.
"The pioneering research has revealed how the immune system is controlled by regulatory T cells, preventing it from accidentally targeting the healthy cells," said a prominent biological science expert.
"The research is a striking example of how fundamental physiological research can have far-reaching implications for human health."
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