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The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was granted for transformative discoveries that clarify how the immune system attacks harmful pathogens while protecting the healthy tissues.

Three esteemed researchers—Japan's Shimon Sakaguchi and American experts Mary Brunkow and Dr. Ramsdell—share this accolade.

The research uncovered specialized "sentinels" within the defense system that eliminate rogue defense cells capable of harming the body.

These discoveries are now enabling innovative treatments for immune disorders and cancer.

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

Crucial Findings

"The work has been decisive for comprehending how the body's defenses functions and the reason we do not all suffer from severe self-attack conditions," commented the chair of the award panel.

The trio's studies address a core mystery: How does the immune system protect us from numerous invaders while keeping our own tissues unharmed?

The immune system employs immune cells that search for signs of infection, even viruses and bacteria it has not met before.

Such cells utilize sensors—known as receptors—that are produced by chance in a vast number of combinations.

That gives the immune system the ability to fight a wide array of threats, but the unpredictability of the mechanism inevitably produces white blood cells that may attack the body.

Security Guards of the Immune System

Scientists earlier knew that some of these problematic defense cells were eliminated in the thymus—the site where immune cells mature.

The latest award recognizes the identification of T-reg cells—known as the immune system's "peacekeepers"—which patrol the system to disarm other immune cells that attack the body's own tissues.

It is known that this process fails in self-attack conditions such as type-1 diabetes, MS, and rheumatoid arthritis.

A prize committee stated, "The findings have established a new field of research and accelerated the creation of innovative treatments, for example for tumors and immune disorders."

Regarding cancer, regulatory T-cells prevent the system from attacking the growth, so studies are aimed at lowering their quantity.

For autoimmune diseases, trials are testing boosting T-reg cells so the organism is not being harmed. A similar approach could also be useful in reducing the risks of transplanted organ failure.

Pioneering Experiments

Professor Shimon Sakaguchi, of a Japanese institution, conducted experiments on mice that had their thymus removed, causing autoimmune disease.

He showed that introducing defense cells from other animals could prevent the illness—implying there was a system for blocking defenders from attacking the host.

Mary Brunkow, from the Institute for Systems Biology in Seattle, and Fred Ramsdell, currently at a biotech firm in a California city, were studying an inherited immune disorder in rodents and humans that led to the identification of a genetic factor critical for the way regulatory T-cells function.

"The groundbreaking research has uncovered how the body's defenses is controlled by T-reg cells, stopping it from accidentally attacking the body's own tissues," said a leading physiology expert.

"This research is a striking example of how fundamental biological study can have far-reaching implications for human health."