🔗 Share this article

This year's prestigious award in Physiology or Medicine has been granted for revolutionary findings that clarify how the immune system attacks harmful infections while sparing the body's own cells.

Three renowned scientists—from Japan Shimon Sakaguchi and US scientists Dr. Brunkow and Dr. Ramsdell—received this accolade.

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

The discoveries are now enabling innovative therapies for autoimmune diseases and malignancies.

These winners will divide a monetary award valued at 11m SEK.

Crucial Discoveries

"Their work has been essential for understanding how the immune system functions and why we don't all suffer from severe self-attack conditions," commented the head of the award panel.

This trio's research address a core mystery: In what way does the defense system defend us from numerous invaders while keeping our own tissues intact?

The immune system uses white blood cells that scan for indicators of infection, even pathogens and germs it has not met before.

These defenders employ sensors—called recognition units—that are generated randomly in countless combinations.

This gives the immune system the ability to combat a broad range of invaders, but the unpredictability of the mechanism unavoidably creates immune cells that can target the host.

Protectors of the Body

Scientists previously understood that some of these problematic white blood cells were eliminated in the thymus—the site where immune cells develop.

This year's Nobel Prize recognizes the discovery of regulatory T-cells—described as the body's "peacekeepers"—which travel through the body to neutralize other defenders that attack the healthy cells.

It is known that this mechanism malfunctions in self-attack conditions such as type-1 diabetes, MS, and rheumatoid arthritis.

The Nobel panel stated, "The findings have laid the foundation for a novel area of investigation and spurred the creation of new treatments, for example for tumors and autoimmune diseases."

In malignancies, regulatory T-cells block the system from fighting the growth, so research are focused on reducing their quantity.

In self-attack disorders, trials are exploring increasing T-reg cells so the organism is not being harmed. A similar approach could also be useful in reducing the chances of organ transplant failure.

Innovative Studies

Prof Shimon Sakaguchi, from Osaka University, conducted tests on mice that had their immune gland extracted, leading to autoimmune disease.

He demonstrated that introducing defense cells from healthy mice could stop the disease—implying there was a system for preventing immune cells from harming the host.

Mary Brunkow, from the a research center in Seattle, and Fred Ramsdell, now at Sonoma Biotherapeutics in San Francisco, were studying an inherited autoimmune disease in rodents and people that led to the identification of a gene critical for how regulatory T-cells operate.

"Their groundbreaking research has revealed how the immune system is kept in check by regulatory T cells, preventing it from accidentally targeting the healthy cells," commented a prominent biological science specialist.

"The research is a striking example of how basic biological study can have broad implications for public health."