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The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was granted for transformative discoveries that clarify how the immune system targets harmful pathogens while sparing the healthy tissues.

A trio of esteemed researchers—from Japan Shimon Sakaguchi and US scientists Mary Brunkow and Dr. Ramsdell—share this accolade.

The work uncovered specialized "sentinels" within the immune system that eliminate rogue defense cells capable of harming the body.

The findings are now paving the way for new therapies for autoimmune diseases and cancer.

These winners will divide a prize fund worth 11 million Swedish kronor.

Decisive Discoveries

"Their work has been decisive for comprehending how the body's defenses operates and the reason we don't all develop serious autoimmune diseases," commented the chair of the award panel.

The trio's research address a fundamental mystery: How does the immune system defend us from numerous infections while keeping our healthy cells intact?

Our immune system uses white blood cells that search for signs of infection, even pathogens and germs it has not met before.

These defenders utilize sensors—called recognition units—that are produced randomly in a vast number of combinations.

This gives the defense network the ability to fight a broad range of threats, but the randomness of the process unavoidably creates white blood cells that can target the host.

Security Guards of the Body

Researchers previously understood that a portion of these problematic defense cells were eliminated in the thymus—where white blood cells develop.

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

It is known that this mechanism malfunctions in autoimmune diseases such as type-1 diabetes, MS, and RA.

The Nobel panel added, "The discoveries have established a new field of research and accelerated the creation of new treatments, for instance for tumors and autoimmune diseases."

In cancer, T-regs block the body from attacking the growth, so studies are focused on lowering their numbers.

In autoimmune diseases, trials are testing increasing T-reg cells so the body is no longer under attack. A similar approach could also be effective in reducing the chances of transplanted organ rejection.

Pioneering Experiments

Prof Sakaguchi, of a Japanese institution, conducted experiments on mice that had their thymus extracted, causing autoimmune disease.

The researcher showed that introducing immune cells from healthy animals could prevent the illness—implying there was a mechanism for preventing immune cells from harming the host.

Mary Brunkow, from the Institute for Systems Biology in Seattle, and Fred Ramsdell, now at Sonoma Biotherapeutics in a California city, were studying an inherited autoimmune disease in mice and people that resulted in the discovery of a genetic factor vital for the way regulatory T-cells operate.

"Their pioneering research has uncovered how the immune system is controlled by regulatory T cells, preventing it from accidentally attacking the body's own tissues," said a leading physiology specialist.

"The work is a remarkable illustration of how basic physiological study can have far-reaching consequences for human health."