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The prestigious award in Physiology or Medicine was awarded for transformative findings that illuminate how the body's defense network targets dangerous infections while protecting the healthy tissues.

A trio of esteemed scientists—from Japan Prof. Sakaguchi and US experts Mary Brunkow and Fred Ramsdell—share this honor.

Their research uncovered unique "sentinels" within the immune system that remove malfunctioning immune cells capable of harming the body.

These discoveries are now enabling new therapies for immune disorders and malignancies.

The winners will divide a monetary award valued at 11m Swedish kronor.

Decisive Findings

"The research has been essential for understanding how the immune system functions and the reason we do not all suffer from serious self-attack conditions," commented the chair of the award panel.

The team's studies explain a fundamental question: In what way does the immune system defend us from numerous invaders while leaving our own tissues intact?

Our body's protection system uses white blood cells that scan for indicators of infection, even pathogens and bacteria it has not met before.

These defenders employ sensors—known as recognition units—that are produced by chance in a vast number of variations.

That gives the defense network the ability to combat a broad range of threats, but the unpredictability of the mechanism inevitably creates immune cells that can attack the body.

Protectors of the Immune System

Scientists earlier understood that some of these harmful defense cells were destroyed in the immune organ—where white blood cells mature.

The latest award recognizes the identification of regulatory T-cells—described as the body's "peacekeepers"—which travel through the body to neutralize any immune cells that attack the body's own tissues.

We know that this mechanism malfunctions in autoimmune diseases such as type-1 diabetes, MS, and rheumatoid arthritis.

The Nobel panel stated, "The discoveries have established a novel area of investigation and accelerated the development of innovative treatments, for instance for cancer and immune disorders."

Regarding cancer, regulatory T-cells block the body from attacking the growth, so studies are aimed at reducing their numbers.

For self-attack disorders, experiments are testing increasing regulatory T-cells so the body is not under attack. A comparable method could also be useful in minimizing the chances of organ transplant failure.

Innovative Experiments

Prof Sakaguchi, from Osaka University, performed tests on mice that had their immune gland removed, leading to autoimmune disease.

The researcher demonstrated that injecting immune cells from other mice could prevent the illness—suggesting there was a mechanism for preventing immune cells from harming the body.

Mary Brunkow, from the a research center in a US city, and Fred Ramsdell, now at a biotech firm in San Francisco, were studying an inherited autoimmune disease in rodents and people that led to the identification of a genetic factor vital for how T-regs function.

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

"This work is a remarkable illustration of how basic physiological research can have broad implications for public health."