🔗 Share this article

The prestigious award in medical science was awarded for transformative findings that clarify how the body's defense network targets harmful infections while sparing the body's own cells.

A trio of renowned scientists—from Japan Shimon Sakaguchi and US scientists Dr. Brunkow and Dr. Ramsdell—share this accolade.

Their research identified specialized "security guards" within the immune system that remove rogue immune cells capable of attacking the body.

These discoveries are now paving the way for innovative treatments for autoimmune diseases and cancer.

The winners will divide a monetary award valued at 11m Swedish kronor.

Decisive Findings

"Their research has been essential for comprehending how the immune system operates and the reason we don't all suffer from severe autoimmune diseases," stated the chair of the award panel.

This team's studies address a core mystery: In what way does the defense system protect us from numerous infections while keeping our healthy cells intact?

The immune system uses white blood cells that scan for indicators of disease, even pathogens and bacteria it has never encountered.

Such cells utilize sensors—called receptors—that are produced randomly in a vast number of combinations.

That gives the defense network the capacity to combat a wide array of invaders, but the unpredictability of the mechanism unavoidably produces immune cells that may target the host.

Security Guards of the Body

Researchers previously understood that some of these harmful defense cells were eliminated in the immune organ—where immune cells mature.

The latest Nobel Prize recognizes the discovery of regulatory T-cells—known as the body'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 juvenile diabetes, MS, and RA.

The prize committee stated, "These discoveries have established a new field of research and accelerated the development of new therapies, for example for tumors and autoimmune diseases."

In cancer, regulatory T-cells block the body from fighting the tumor, so studies are aimed at lowering their numbers.

For autoimmune diseases, experiments are exploring increasing T-reg cells so the organism is not under attack. A similar approach could also be useful in reducing the risks of transplanted organ rejection.

Innovative Experiments

Prof Shimon Sakaguchi, from a Japanese institution, conducted tests on rodents that had their immune gland removed, causing autoimmune disease.

He demonstrated that injecting defense cells from other mice could stop the disease—implying there was a system for preventing defenders from attacking the host.

Mary Brunkow, from the a research center in Seattle, and Fred Ramsdell, now at a biotech firm in San Francisco, were studying an inherited immune disorder in rodents and people that led to the discovery of a genetic factor critical for how T-regs operate.

"The pioneering research has uncovered how the body's defenses is controlled by regulatory T cells, preventing it from accidentally targeting the body's own tissues," commented a prominent biological science specialist.

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