🔗 Share this article

The prestigious award in Physiology or Medicine was granted for revolutionary findings that illuminate how the body's defense network attacks harmful infections while sparing the body's own cells.

Three esteemed scientists—from Japan Prof. Sakaguchi and American scientists Dr. Brunkow and Dr. Ramsdell—received this accolade.

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

These discoveries are now paving the way for innovative therapies for autoimmune diseases and malignancies.

These laureates will divide a prize fund valued at 11 million SEK.

Crucial Findings

"Their research has been essential for comprehending how the body's defenses operates and the reason we don't all develop serious self-attack conditions," commented the chair of the Nobel Committee.

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

The body's protection system uses white blood cells that search for signs of disease, including viruses and bacteria it has never encountered.

Such cells utilize sensors—known as receptors—that are produced randomly in countless combinations.

This gives the immune system the ability to fight a wide array of invaders, but the randomness of the process inevitably creates immune cells that can target the body.

Protectors of the Immune System

Researchers earlier understood that some of these harmful white blood cells were destroyed in the immune organ—the site where white blood cells develop.

The latest award honors the discovery of regulatory T-cells—described as the body's "security guards"—which travel through the system to disarm other immune cells that assault the healthy cells.

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

The Nobel panel added, "These findings have laid the foundation for a novel area of research and accelerated the creation of innovative therapies, for example for cancer and autoimmune diseases."

In cancer, T-regs prevent the body from fighting the growth, so research are focused on lowering their quantity.

For self-attack disorders, trials are exploring boosting T-reg cells so the body is not under attack. A similar approach could also be useful in minimizing the chances of transplanted organ rejection.

Innovative Studies

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

He showed that introducing immune cells from healthy animals could stop the disease—implying there was a mechanism for blocking immune cells from harming the host.

Mary Brunkow, affiliated with the a research center in a US city, and Fred Ramsdell, now at Sonoma Biotherapeutics in San Francisco, were investigating an genetic immune disorder in mice and humans that led to the discovery of a gene critical for the way regulatory T-cells function.

"The groundbreaking research has uncovered how the body's defenses is controlled by regulatory T cells, stopping it from mistakenly targeting the healthy cells," commented a prominent physiology specialist.

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