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The prestigious award in Physiology or Medicine has been awarded for transformative discoveries that clarify how the body's defense network attacks dangerous pathogens while protecting the body's own cells.

Three esteemed scientists—Japan's Shimon Sakaguchi and US experts Dr. Brunkow and Dr. Ramsdell—share this honor.

Their research identified unique "security guards" within the immune system that remove malfunctioning immune cells capable of harming the body.

The discoveries are now paving the way for new treatments for autoimmune diseases and cancer.

These laureates will share a monetary award valued at 11m Swedish kronor.

Decisive Discoveries

"Their research has been essential for comprehending how the immune system operates and the reason we do not all suffer from severe autoimmune diseases," stated the chair of the Nobel Committee.

The team's research address a core mystery: In what way does the immune system protect us from countless infections while leaving our own tissues intact?

The immune system uses immune cells that search for signs of infection, including viruses and bacteria it has not met before.

Such cells utilize detectors—called receptors—that are generated randomly in countless combinations.

This gives the immune system the ability to combat a wide array of threats, but the unpredictability of the mechanism inevitably creates immune cells that may target the host.

Protectors of the Body

Researchers previously knew that a portion of these harmful white blood cells were eliminated in the immune organ—the site where immune cells develop.

This year's award honors the discovery of T-reg cells—known as the body's "peacekeepers"—which travel through the body to disarm any defenders that assault the healthy cells.

We know that this process fails in autoimmune diseases such as type-1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis, and RA.

The prize committee stated, "The discoveries have established a new field of research and accelerated the development of new treatments, for example for cancer and immune disorders."

Regarding malignancies, T-regs block the body from fighting the tumor, so research are focused on reducing their numbers.

For autoimmune diseases, trials are testing boosting T-reg cells so the body is not under attack. A comparable method could also be effective in reducing the chances of organ transplant failure.

Pioneering Studies

Prof Shimon Sakaguchi, of a Japanese institution, performed tests on rodents that had their immune gland removed, leading to self-attack conditions.

The researcher showed that injecting immune cells from other animals could stop the disease—suggesting there was a system for preventing immune cells from attacking the host.

Mary Brunkow, from the Institute for Systems Biology in Seattle, and Fred Ramsdell, currently at Sonoma Biotherapeutics in a California city, were investigating an genetic autoimmune disease in mice and humans that resulted in the identification of a genetic factor vital for the way T-regs operate.

"Their groundbreaking work has uncovered how the immune system is kept in check by regulatory T cells, stopping it from accidentally attacking the body's own tissues," said a prominent physiology expert.

"The research is a striking example of how basic physiological research can have broad consequences for human health."