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The Nobel Prize in medical science has been awarded for revolutionary discoveries that illuminate how the body's defense network targets dangerous pathogens while protecting the body's own cells.

Three renowned scientists—from Japan Prof. Sakaguchi and US scientists Dr. Brunkow and Fred Ramsdell—received this honor.

Their research uncovered unique "security guards" within the immune system that eliminate malfunctioning defense cells that could harming the body.

The findings are now enabling innovative therapies for autoimmune diseases and cancer.

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

Crucial Discoveries

"Their work has been essential for understanding how the body's defenses functions and why we do not all develop severe autoimmune diseases," stated the head of the Nobel Committee.

This team's research address a core question: How does the defense system defend us from countless infections while leaving our own tissues unharmed?

The immune system employs immune cells that search for signs of infection, including pathogens and bacteria it has never encountered.

Such cells utilize sensors—called receptors—that are produced by chance in countless combinations.

This gives the defense network the capacity to combat a wide array of invaders, but the randomness of the mechanism inevitably creates immune cells that may attack the host.

Protectors of the Body

Scientists earlier knew that a portion of these problematic white blood cells were destroyed in the thymus—where immune cells mature.

This year's award honors the discovery of T-reg cells—described as the body's "peacekeepers"—which travel through the body to disarm other immune cells that assault the body's own tissues.

We know that this mechanism malfunctions in autoimmune diseases such as juvenile diabetes, MS, and rheumatoid arthritis.

The prize committee added, "These findings have laid the foundation for a new field of investigation and spurred the creation of innovative treatments, for instance for tumors and immune disorders."

Regarding cancer, regulatory T-cells prevent the system from attacking the tumor, so studies are focused on reducing their quantity.

For self-attack disorders, trials are exploring increasing regulatory T-cells so the body is not being harmed. A similar method could also be effective in minimizing the chances of transplanted organ failure.

Innovative Experiments

Prof Shimon Sakaguchi, from Osaka University, conducted tests on mice that had their thymus removed, causing autoimmune disease.

He showed that injecting defense cells from healthy animals could stop the illness—suggesting there was a system for blocking immune cells from attacking the body.

Dr. Brunkow, affiliated with the Institute for Systems Biology in Seattle, and Dr. Ramsdell, now at a biotech firm in a California city, were investigating an inherited immune disorder in rodents and humans that resulted in the discovery of a gene vital for how T-regs function.

"Their pioneering work has revealed how the body's defenses is kept in check by regulatory T cells, stopping it from accidentally attacking the healthy cells," commented a prominent biological science specialist.

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