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The prestigious award in medical science was awarded for revolutionary discoveries that illuminate how the immune system targets harmful pathogens while protecting the healthy tissues.

A trio of renowned scientists—from Japan Shimon Sakaguchi and US scientists Dr. Brunkow and Dr. Ramsdell—received this accolade.

Their research identified unique "sentinels" within the immune system that eliminate malfunctioning defense cells capable of attacking the organism.

These findings are now paving the way for new therapies for immune disorders and cancer.

These laureates will share a prize fund valued at 11m SEK.

Decisive Discoveries

"Their research has been essential for understanding how the body's defenses functions and why we don't all suffer from severe autoimmune diseases," commented the head of the award panel.

The trio's studies address a core mystery: How does the immune system protect us from numerous invaders while leaving our healthy cells intact?

Our immune system employs white blood cells that scan for indicators of infection, including viruses and germs it has not met before.

These cells employ detectors—called receptors—that are generated randomly in countless combinations.

That provides the immune system the ability to combat a wide array of invaders, but the randomness of the process unavoidably produces white blood cells that may target the body.

Protectors of the Immune System

Researchers previously understood that a portion of these problematic defense cells were destroyed in the thymus—where white blood cells mature.

The latest Nobel Prize recognizes the discovery of regulatory T-cells—known as the immune system's "security guards"—which patrol the system to neutralize other defenders that attack the body's own tissues.

We know that this mechanism fails in autoimmune diseases such as type-1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis, and RA.

The prize committee stated, "The findings have laid the foundation for a novel area of research and spurred the creation of innovative treatments, for example for cancer and immune disorders."

In cancer, T-regs prevent the system from fighting the tumor, so studies are focused on reducing their numbers.

In autoimmune diseases, experiments are testing boosting regulatory T-cells so the organism is not under attack. A comparable method could also be useful in reducing the risks of transplanted organ rejection.

Pioneering Experiments

Professor Shimon Sakaguchi, of Osaka University, conducted experiments on mice that had their immune gland extracted, leading to autoimmune disease.

The researcher showed that injecting defense cells from other mice could prevent the disease—suggesting 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 Sonoma Biotherapeutics in San Francisco, were investigating an genetic immune disorder in rodents and humans that led to the discovery of a gene vital for how regulatory T-cells operate.

"The groundbreaking research has uncovered how the body's defenses is kept in check by regulatory T cells, preventing it from mistakenly targeting the healthy cells," said a prominent biological science expert.

"The research is a remarkable example of how fundamental physiological study can have far-reaching consequences for public health."