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This year's prestigious award in medical science was granted for transformative discoveries that clarify how the immune system attacks harmful infections while protecting the body's own cells.

Three renowned researchers—from Japan Prof. Sakaguchi and American scientists Dr. Brunkow and Fred Ramsdell—share this honor.

The work uncovered specialized "sentinels" within the immune system that eliminate malfunctioning defense cells capable of harming the organism.

These discoveries are now enabling new therapies for autoimmune diseases and malignancies.

The winners will divide a monetary award worth 11 million Swedish kronor.

Crucial Findings

"Their work has been decisive for understanding how the immune system operates and the reason we don't all develop severe self-attack conditions," commented the chair of the Nobel Committee.

The trio's research explain a core question: In what way does the immune system defend us from countless infections while keeping our own tissues intact?

The immune system uses immune cells that search for signs of infection, even viruses and germs it has never encountered.

These cells employ sensors—called recognition units—that are generated randomly in countless combinations.

This gives the defense network the capacity to combat a wide array of threats, but the randomness of the process inevitably produces immune cells that may attack the body.

Security Guards of the Body

Researchers previously understood that a portion of these problematic defense cells were destroyed in the immune organ—where immune cells develop.

This year's Nobel Prize recognizes the discovery of T-reg cells—known as the body's "peacekeepers"—which travel through 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, multiple sclerosis, and rheumatoid arthritis.

The prize committee added, "The discoveries have established a new field of research and spurred the development of innovative therapies, for example for cancer and autoimmune diseases."

Regarding cancer, regulatory T-cells prevent the body from fighting the growth, so research are focused on reducing their quantity.

For autoimmune diseases, experiments are exploring boosting regulatory T-cells so the body is not under attack. A comparable method could also be effective in minimizing the risks of transplanted organ rejection.

Innovative Experiments

Prof Shimon Sakaguchi, of a Japanese institution, conducted tests on mice that had their thymus extracted, leading to autoimmune disease.

The researcher demonstrated that introducing immune cells from healthy animals could stop the illness—suggesting there was a mechanism for blocking immune cells from harming the host.

Mary Brunkow, affiliated with the a research center in a US city, and Fred Ramsdell, now at a biotech firm in a California city, were investigating an genetic immune disorder in rodents and humans that led to the discovery of a genetic factor critical for how T-regs function.

"Their groundbreaking research has revealed how the immune system is kept in check by regulatory T cells, preventing it from accidentally attacking the body's own tissues," said a leading biological science expert.

"The research is a striking example of how fundamental physiological research can have broad implications for public health."