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The prestigious award in Physiology or Medicine has been awarded for revolutionary discoveries that clarify how the body's defense network attacks harmful pathogens while protecting the healthy tissues.

Three esteemed researchers—Japan's Shimon Sakaguchi and US experts Dr. Brunkow and Fred Ramsdell—received this honor.

The work identified specialized "sentinels" within the immune system that eliminate rogue immune cells capable of attacking the body.

These discoveries are now paving the way for new treatments for immune disorders and malignancies.

The laureates will share a prize fund worth 11m SEK.

Crucial Findings

"The work has been essential for comprehending how the immune system operates and why we do not all suffer from serious self-attack conditions," commented the head of the Nobel Committee.

The trio's studies explain a core mystery: How does the immune system defend us from countless infections while leaving our healthy cells unharmed?

The immune system uses white blood cells that scan for signs of infection, including viruses and bacteria it has not met before.

These cells utilize detectors—called receptors—that are produced by chance in countless variations.

This provides the defense network the capacity to fight a broad range of invaders, but the unpredictability of the mechanism inevitably produces immune cells that can attack the body.

Security Guards of the Immune System

Researchers earlier knew that some of these harmful white blood cells were eliminated in the immune organ—where white blood cells mature.

The latest award honors the discovery of regulatory T-cells—described as the immune system's "security guards"—which travel through the body to disarm any immune cells that assault the body's own tissues.

It is known that this process fails in autoimmune diseases such as juvenile diabetes, multiple sclerosis, and RA.

The prize committee added, "These findings have laid the foundation for a new field of research and accelerated the creation of new therapies, for instance for tumors and immune disorders."

Regarding cancer, regulatory T-cells prevent the system from fighting the tumor, so research are focused on lowering their numbers.

For autoimmune diseases, trials are exploring increasing T-reg cells so the body is no longer under attack. A comparable approach could also be effective in reducing the risks of organ transplant rejection.

Pioneering Studies

Prof Sakaguchi, of Osaka University, performed tests on mice that had their thymus removed, leading to autoimmune disease.

He demonstrated that introducing immune cells from other mice could stop the disease—suggesting there was a system for preventing defenders from attacking the body.

Mary Brunkow, affiliated with the a research center in a US city, and Dr. Ramsdell, now at a biotech firm in San Francisco, were studying an inherited autoimmune disease in mice and humans that resulted in the discovery of a genetic factor vital for the way regulatory T-cells function.

"Their pioneering work has uncovered how the body's defenses is controlled by T-reg cells, stopping it from mistakenly attacking the healthy cells," said a leading physiology expert.

"This work is a remarkable illustration of how basic physiological study can have far-reaching consequences for public health."