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The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine has been awarded for transformative discoveries that illuminate how the immune system targets dangerous pathogens while sparing the body's own cells.

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

The research identified specialized "security guards" within the defense system that remove malfunctioning immune cells capable of attacking the organism.

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

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

Decisive Findings

"The work has been decisive for understanding how the body's defenses operates and the reason we do not all suffer from severe autoimmune diseases," commented the head of the award panel.

This team's studies explain a core mystery: How does the defense system protect us from countless infections while keeping our healthy cells unharmed?

Our immune system uses white blood cells that search for signs of infection, even viruses and bacteria it has not met before.

These cells utilize detectors—known as recognition units—that are produced by chance in countless combinations.

That gives the defense network the ability to combat a wide array of threats, but the randomness of the process inevitably produces immune cells that can attack the body.

Security Guards of the Body

Scientists previously knew that a portion of these harmful defense cells were eliminated in the thymus—the site where immune cells mature.

This year's Nobel Prize recognizes the discovery of T-reg cells—known as the immune system's "peacekeepers"—which patrol the body to disarm other defenders that assault the body's own tissues.

We know that this mechanism malfunctions in autoimmune diseases such as juvenile diabetes, multiple sclerosis, and rheumatoid arthritis.

The prize committee added, "The discoveries have laid the foundation for a new field of research and spurred the creation of innovative treatments, for instance for tumors and immune disorders."

In cancer, T-regs prevent the body from fighting the growth, so studies are focused on lowering their quantity.

In self-attack disorders, trials are exploring boosting T-reg cells so the body is no longer being harmed. A similar approach could also be effective in reducing the risks of transplanted organ failure.

Pioneering Studies

Professor Sakaguchi, of Osaka University, conducted experiments on rodents that had their thymus extracted, causing autoimmune disease.

He demonstrated that introducing immune cells from other mice could prevent the illness—implying there was a mechanism for preventing defenders from harming the host.

Mary Brunkow, from the Institute for Systems Biology in a US city, and Dr. Ramsdell, now at a biotech firm in a California city, were investigating an genetic immune disorder in mice and humans that led to the identification of a gene critical for the way T-regs operate.

"Their pioneering work has uncovered 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 physiology specialist.

"This work is a striking illustration of how basic biological study can have far-reaching implications for human health."