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The Nobel Prize in medical science has been granted for revolutionary discoveries that clarify how the body's defense network targets dangerous infections while protecting the healthy tissues.

Three renowned researchers—Japan's Prof. Sakaguchi and US experts Mary Brunkow and Dr. Ramsdell—received this honor.

The research uncovered unique "sentinels" within the immune system that eliminate rogue immune cells capable of attacking the body.

These findings are now enabling innovative therapies for autoimmune diseases and malignancies.

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

Crucial Discoveries

"Their work has been essential for understanding how the body's defenses operates and the reason we do not all develop severe autoimmune diseases," stated the chair of the award panel.

This trio's research address a core question: How does the defense system defend us from numerous invaders while leaving our own tissues intact?

The immune system uses immune cells that scan for signs of infection, even viruses and bacteria it has never encountered.

These cells employ sensors—called recognition units—that are produced by chance in a vast number of variations.

That gives the immune system the capacity to combat a wide array of invaders, but the unpredictability of the mechanism inevitably creates immune cells that can target the body.

Protectors of the Immune System

Scientists previously understood that some of these harmful defense cells were eliminated in the thymus—where white blood cells develop.

This year's Nobel Prize honors the identification of regulatory T-cells—described as the body's "security guards"—which travel through the body to disarm other immune cells that attack the healthy cells.

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

The prize committee stated, "These findings have laid the foundation for a novel area of investigation and spurred the creation of innovative treatments, for example for cancer and immune disorders."

Regarding cancer, regulatory T-cells prevent the system from fighting the tumor, so research are aimed at reducing their numbers.

For autoimmune diseases, experiments are testing boosting regulatory T-cells so the body is not under attack. A similar approach could also be effective in minimizing the risks of organ transplant failure.

Pioneering Studies

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

The researcher showed that introducing immune cells from healthy mice could stop the illness—suggesting there was a system for preventing immune cells from attacking the body.

Mary Brunkow, from the Institute for Systems Biology in Seattle, and Fred Ramsdell, currently at a biotech firm in a California city, were investigating an inherited autoimmune disease in rodents and humans that resulted in the identification of a genetic factor critical for how T-regs operate.

"The pioneering research has uncovered how the body's defenses is kept in check by T-reg cells, preventing it from accidentally targeting the healthy cells," said a leading biological science expert.

"This research is a remarkable illustration of how fundamental biological study can have far-reaching implications for public health."