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The prestigious award in medical science was granted for revolutionary findings that clarify how the body's defense network attacks harmful infections while protecting the body's own cells.

A trio of esteemed researchers—from Japan Shimon Sakaguchi and American scientists Dr. Brunkow and Fred Ramsdell—share this honor.

The research uncovered unique "security guards" within the defense system that eliminate rogue defense cells capable of harming the organism.

These findings are now paving the way for new treatments for immune disorders and malignancies.

These laureates will share a prize fund worth 11 million SEK.

Crucial Discoveries

"The research has been decisive for understanding how the body's defenses functions and why we do not all develop severe autoimmune diseases," commented the head of the Nobel Committee.

The trio's studies explain a core mystery: How does the defense system protect us from numerous infections while keeping our own tissues intact?

Our immune system uses white blood cells that search for signs of disease, even viruses and bacteria it has never encountered.

These defenders employ detectors—called recognition units—that are produced by chance in a vast number of combinations.

That gives the defense network the ability to combat a wide array of threats, but the unpredictability of the mechanism inevitably creates immune cells that can target the host.

Protectors of the Body

Scientists earlier knew that a portion of these problematic defense cells were destroyed in the thymus—the site where white blood cells mature.

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

We know that this process fails in autoimmune diseases such as type-1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis, and rheumatoid arthritis.

A prize committee stated, "The discoveries have established a novel area of research and spurred the creation of innovative therapies, for instance for cancer and immune disorders."

Regarding cancer, regulatory T-cells block the system from fighting the tumor, so research are aimed at lowering their quantity.

In autoimmune diseases, trials are exploring increasing T-reg cells so the body is not being harmed. A similar method could also be useful in reducing the chances of transplanted organ rejection.

Pioneering Experiments

Prof Sakaguchi, of a Japanese institution, performed tests on mice that had their immune gland removed, leading to self-attack conditions.

He showed that injecting defense cells from healthy animals could prevent the illness—suggesting there was a mechanism for blocking defenders from harming the host.

Dr. Brunkow, affiliated with the a research center in Seattle, and Dr. Ramsdell, now at Sonoma Biotherapeutics in San Francisco, were investigating an genetic autoimmune disease in rodents and people that resulted in the identification of a gene critical for how T-regs operate.

"The pioneering work has revealed how the immune system is controlled by regulatory T cells, stopping it from mistakenly targeting the healthy cells," said a prominent physiology specialist.

"The research is a striking illustration of how basic physiological research can have broad consequences for human health."