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The Nobel Prize in medical science was awarded for revolutionary discoveries that clarify how the body's defense network attacks harmful pathogens while protecting the body's own cells.

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

Their research identified unique "security guards" within the defense system that eliminate rogue defense cells that could harming the organism.

The findings are now paving the way for innovative therapies for immune disorders and malignancies.

The laureates will share a monetary award valued at 11 million SEK.

Crucial Discoveries

"Their work has been essential for understanding how the body's defenses operates and why we do not all suffer from serious self-attack conditions," commented the chair of the Nobel Committee.

This team's research address a fundamental mystery: How does the defense system defend us from countless infections while keeping our own tissues intact?

The immune system uses white blood cells that search for signs of disease, even pathogens and bacteria it has not met before.

These defenders employ detectors—known as recognition units—that are generated randomly in a vast number of combinations.

This gives the defense network the capacity to combat a broad range of invaders, but the unpredictability of the process inevitably produces immune cells that may attack the host.

Protectors of the Body

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

This year's Nobel Prize recognizes the identification of T-reg cells—known as the immune system's "peacekeepers"—which patrol the system to disarm any defenders that assault the healthy cells.

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

A Nobel panel stated, "The findings have established a new field of investigation and spurred the development of innovative therapies, for instance for tumors and immune disorders."

In malignancies, regulatory T-cells prevent the system from attacking the tumor, so research are focused on reducing their numbers.

In autoimmune diseases, experiments are testing increasing regulatory T-cells so the organism is no longer under attack. A similar method could also be useful in minimizing the chances of transplanted organ rejection.

Innovative Experiments

Prof Sakaguchi, from Osaka University, conducted tests on rodents that had their immune gland extracted, leading to self-attack conditions.

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

Dr. Brunkow, affiliated with the Institute for Systems Biology in Seattle, and Fred Ramsdell, currently at Sonoma Biotherapeutics in San Francisco, were studying an genetic immune disorder in rodents and people that resulted in the identification of a gene critical for the way regulatory T-cells function.

"The groundbreaking research has revealed how the body's defenses is controlled by T-reg cells, preventing it from accidentally attacking the healthy cells," said a leading biological science specialist.

"The research is a remarkable example of how fundamental biological research can have far-reaching implications for public health."