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The prestigious award in Physiology or Medicine was awarded for transformative findings that clarify how the immune system targets harmful pathogens while sparing the body's own cells.

Three esteemed scientists—from Japan Shimon Sakaguchi and American scientists Dr. Brunkow and Fred Ramsdell—received this honor.

The work uncovered specialized "sentinels" within the defense system that eliminate rogue defense cells that could attacking the organism.

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

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

Decisive Discoveries

"Their work has been decisive for understanding how the immune system functions and the reason we don't all develop serious self-attack conditions," stated the chair of the award panel.

The trio's research explain a fundamental mystery: How does the immune system defend us from numerous infections while keeping our healthy cells unharmed?

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

Such cells utilize sensors—known as recognition units—that are generated by chance in countless combinations.

That gives the defense network the ability to fight a wide array of invaders, but the unpredictability of the mechanism inevitably creates white blood cells that can target the body.

Protectors of the Immune System

Researchers previously knew that a portion of these harmful defense cells were destroyed in the immune organ—the site where immune cells develop.

The latest Nobel Prize honors the discovery of T-reg cells—described as the body's "peacekeepers"—which travel through the system to neutralize other defenders that attack the healthy cells.

It is known that this process malfunctions in autoimmune diseases such as juvenile diabetes, multiple sclerosis, and rheumatoid arthritis.

A prize committee added, "The discoveries have established a novel area of investigation and accelerated the creation of new treatments, for example for tumors and immune disorders."

Regarding cancer, T-regs prevent the system from fighting the growth, so studies are aimed at reducing their numbers.

For autoimmune diseases, experiments are testing increasing T-reg cells so the body is not being harmed. A comparable approach could also be useful in reducing the chances of transplanted organ rejection.

Innovative Studies

Professor Sakaguchi, from a Japanese institution, performed tests on mice that had their thymus extracted, leading to autoimmune disease.

The researcher showed that introducing immune cells from healthy animals could prevent the disease—implying there was a system for preventing defenders from harming the body.

Dr. Brunkow, from the Institute for Systems Biology in a US city, and Dr. Ramsdell, currently at a biotech firm in San Francisco, were investigating an inherited immune disorder in rodents and humans that resulted in the identification of a genetic factor critical for how T-regs function.

"Their groundbreaking research has uncovered how the body's defenses is controlled by regulatory T cells, stopping it from mistakenly attacking the body's own tissues," commented a prominent biological science expert.

"This research is a striking illustration of how basic biological study can have far-reaching consequences for human health."