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The prestigious award in Physiology or Medicine was awarded for transformative findings that clarify how the immune system attacks dangerous infections while sparing the healthy tissues.

Three esteemed researchers—from Japan Prof. Sakaguchi and US experts Dr. Brunkow and Fred Ramsdell—share this accolade.

The work uncovered unique "security guards" within the defense system that remove malfunctioning immune cells that could attacking the body.

The findings are now enabling new treatments for immune disorders and cancer.

These laureates will divide a monetary award worth 11m SEK.

Decisive Discoveries

"Their research has been essential for understanding how the immune system operates and the reason we do not all suffer from serious autoimmune diseases," commented the chair of the Nobel Committee.

This team's research address a core question: How does the defense system protect us from numerous invaders while keeping our healthy cells intact?

The body's protection system uses white blood cells that scan for signs of disease, even viruses and bacteria it has not met before.

Such cells utilize sensors—called receptors—that are generated by chance in countless combinations.

This provides the defense network the ability to combat a broad range of threats, but the randomness of the process inevitably creates immune cells that can target the body.

Security Guards of the Body

Researchers previously understood that some of these harmful defense cells were eliminated in the thymus—where immune cells mature.

This year's award honors the discovery of T-reg cells—known as the immune system's "peacekeepers"—which patrol the system to disarm any defenders that attack the body's own tissues.

We know that this process fails in self-attack conditions such as juvenile diabetes, MS, and RA.

The prize committee added, "These findings have established a novel area of investigation and accelerated the creation of innovative therapies, for example for tumors and autoimmune diseases."

Regarding malignancies, T-regs block the body from attacking the tumor, so research are aimed at lowering their numbers.

For autoimmune diseases, trials are testing boosting regulatory T-cells so the organism is not being harmed. A comparable approach could also be useful in reducing the risks of organ transplant rejection.

Innovative Experiments

Prof Sakaguchi, of Osaka University, performed experiments on mice that had their immune gland removed, leading to self-attack conditions.

The researcher demonstrated that introducing defense cells from other animals could prevent the illness—implying there was a mechanism for preventing defenders from harming the body.

Dr. Brunkow, affiliated with the Institute for Systems Biology in Seattle, and Fred Ramsdell, currently at a biotech firm in San Francisco, were studying an genetic immune disorder in rodents and people that resulted in the discovery of a genetic factor vital for the way regulatory T-cells operate.

"Their groundbreaking work has uncovered how the immune system is kept in check by T-reg cells, preventing it from accidentally attacking the body's own tissues," said a prominent biological science expert.

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