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The prestigious award in medical science has been awarded for transformative findings that illuminate how the body's defense network attacks dangerous pathogens while protecting the body's own cells.

A trio of renowned scientists—from Japan Prof. Sakaguchi and American scientists Dr. Brunkow and Fred Ramsdell—received this honor.

Their work uncovered specialized "security guards" within the defense system that eliminate rogue immune cells capable of harming the body.

The findings are now enabling innovative treatments for immune disorders and malignancies.

These laureates will share a monetary award valued at 11 million Swedish kronor.

Decisive Discoveries

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

The team's research address a fundamental mystery: In what way does the immune system defend us from countless invaders while keeping our own tissues unharmed?

The body's protection system employs immune cells that scan for indicators of disease, including viruses and bacteria it has not met before.

These cells utilize sensors—called recognition units—that are generated randomly in a vast number of combinations.

This provides the defense network the capacity to combat a wide array of threats, but the randomness of the process unavoidably creates white blood cells that may target the host.

Security Guards of the Immune System

Researchers previously knew that some of these harmful defense cells were destroyed in the thymus—the site where immune cells mature.

The latest award recognizes the discovery of T-reg cells—described as the immune system's "security guards"—which travel through the system to disarm other defenders that attack the body's own tissues.

We know that this mechanism fails in autoimmune diseases such as type-1 diabetes, MS, and RA.

The prize committee stated, "The findings have established a new field of investigation and spurred the development of innovative treatments, for instance for tumors and autoimmune diseases."

Regarding cancer, T-regs prevent the body from attacking the growth, so research are aimed at lowering their numbers.

In self-attack disorders, trials are testing boosting T-reg cells so the organism is no longer under attack. A comparable approach could also be useful in minimizing the risks of transplanted organ failure.

Pioneering Experiments

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

He demonstrated that introducing defense cells from other mice could prevent the disease—implying there was a mechanism for preventing immune cells from attacking the host.

Mary Brunkow, affiliated with the Institute for Systems Biology in a US city, and Fred Ramsdell, currently at Sonoma Biotherapeutics in San Francisco, were studying an genetic autoimmune disease in rodents and humans that resulted in the discovery of a genetic factor critical for how T-regs operate.

"Their pioneering research has revealed how the immune system is controlled by regulatory T cells, stopping it from mistakenly attacking the healthy cells," said a prominent physiology expert.

"The research is a remarkable illustration of how basic biological research can have broad implications for public health."