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The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine has been granted for revolutionary discoveries that clarify how the immune system attacks dangerous infections while protecting the body's own cells.

Three esteemed researchers—Japan's Prof. Sakaguchi and US experts Dr. Brunkow and Fred Ramsdell—share this accolade.

The research uncovered specialized "security guards" within the defense system that eliminate rogue immune cells capable of attacking the body.

These findings are now enabling new treatments for autoimmune diseases and malignancies.

The winners will divide a prize fund worth 11m SEK.

Crucial Discoveries

"The research has been decisive for comprehending how the immune system operates and why we don't all develop severe self-attack conditions," stated the chair of the award panel.

This team's research explain a fundamental question: How does the immune system defend us from countless invaders while leaving our own tissues intact?

Our immune system employs white blood cells that search for indicators of infection, even pathogens and bacteria it has never encountered.

Such defenders utilize sensors—known as recognition units—that are produced randomly in countless variations.

That provides the defense network the ability to fight a broad range of threats, but the unpredictability of the process unavoidably creates white blood cells that may attack the body.

Protectors of the Body

Researchers earlier understood that a portion of these problematic defense cells were eliminated in the thymus—the site where immune cells mature.

This year's award honors the identification of T-reg cells—described as the immune system's "security guards"—which travel through the body to neutralize any defenders that assault the healthy cells.

It is known that this mechanism malfunctions in self-attack conditions such as juvenile diabetes, multiple sclerosis, and RA.

A Nobel panel stated, "These discoveries have established a novel area of investigation and spurred the development of innovative therapies, for example for tumors and autoimmune diseases."

Regarding cancer, regulatory T-cells block the system from attacking the tumor, so research are focused on lowering their quantity.

For autoimmune diseases, trials are testing increasing T-reg cells so the body is no longer under attack. A similar approach could also be useful in minimizing the risks of transplanted organ failure.

Pioneering Studies

Professor Sakaguchi, of Osaka University, conducted experiments on mice that had their immune gland extracted, leading to autoimmune disease.

He demonstrated that introducing immune cells from other mice could prevent the disease—implying there was a system for blocking defenders from harming the body.

Dr. Brunkow, from the Institute for Systems Biology in a US city, and Dr. Ramsdell, now at a biotech firm in San Francisco, were studying an inherited autoimmune disease in rodents and people that resulted in the identification of a genetic factor vital for the way regulatory T-cells operate.

"The pioneering work has uncovered how the body's defenses is kept in check by T-reg cells, stopping it from mistakenly attacking the body's own tissues," said a leading physiology expert.

"The research is a remarkable example of how basic physiological research can have far-reaching implications for human health."