🔗 Share this article

The prestigious award in Physiology or Medicine was awarded for revolutionary discoveries that clarify how the body's defense network targets dangerous infections while protecting the healthy tissues.

Three renowned researchers—from Japan Shimon Sakaguchi and American experts Mary Brunkow and Fred Ramsdell—share this accolade.

The research identified specialized "security guards" within the defense system that eliminate malfunctioning defense cells that could harming the organism.

These discoveries are now enabling innovative therapies for immune disorders and malignancies.

These laureates will divide a monetary award valued at 11m SEK.

Crucial Discoveries

"The work has been essential for comprehending how the body's defenses operates and the reason we do not all suffer from severe autoimmune diseases," commented the head of the Nobel Committee.

This trio's studies explain a fundamental mystery: In what way does the defense system defend us from numerous infections while keeping our own tissues intact?

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

These defenders employ detectors—known as recognition units—that are generated randomly in countless variations.

That gives the defense network the ability to fight a wide array of invaders, but the unpredictability of the mechanism unavoidably creates immune cells that can attack the host.

Security Guards of the Body

Researchers earlier knew that some of these problematic defense cells were destroyed in the thymus—where white blood cells develop.

This year's award recognizes the identification of T-reg cells—described as the body's "security guards"—which patrol the system to disarm other defenders that assault the body's own tissues.

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

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

In cancer, regulatory T-cells block the body from fighting the growth, so research are focused on lowering their quantity.

In autoimmune diseases, trials are testing increasing regulatory T-cells so the organism is not under attack. A similar method could also be effective in minimizing the risks of transplanted organ rejection.

Innovative Experiments

Prof Sakaguchi, of Osaka University, conducted experiments on rodents that had their immune gland extracted, leading to self-attack conditions.

He demonstrated that introducing immune cells from healthy mice could stop the illness—implying there was a mechanism for blocking immune cells from attacking the host.

Mary Brunkow, from the a research center in Seattle, and Fred Ramsdell, currently at Sonoma Biotherapeutics in a California city, 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 function.

"Their groundbreaking research has uncovered how the immune system is controlled by regulatory T cells, preventing it from mistakenly attacking the healthy cells," commented a leading biological science expert.

"The research is a striking illustration of how fundamental physiological study can have far-reaching consequences for human health."