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This year's prestigious award in Physiology or Medicine has been awarded for transformative discoveries that clarify how the body's defense network targets harmful infections while sparing the healthy tissues.

Three esteemed scientists—Japan's Prof. Sakaguchi and American experts Mary Brunkow and Fred Ramsdell—share this accolade.

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

These findings are now paving the way for innovative therapies for immune disorders and cancer.

The laureates will share a prize fund worth 11m SEK.

Crucial Discoveries

"Their research has been decisive for understanding how the body's defenses operates and the reason we do not all suffer from serious autoimmune diseases," commented the head of the award panel.

This trio's studies address a core question: How does the immune system protect us from numerous infections while keeping our healthy cells intact?

Our immune system employs white blood cells that search for signs of infection, including viruses and bacteria it has never encountered.

Such defenders utilize sensors—called recognition units—that are generated randomly in countless combinations.

That gives the immune system the ability to fight a wide array of threats, but the randomness of the process unavoidably creates white blood cells that may attack the host.

Security Guards of the Body

Scientists earlier knew that some of these harmful white blood cells were eliminated in the immune organ—the site where immune cells mature.

The latest award recognizes the discovery of T-reg cells—known as the immune system's "peacekeepers"—which patrol the system to neutralize any immune cells that assault the body's own tissues.

We know that this process malfunctions in self-attack conditions such as juvenile diabetes, MS, and RA.

A prize committee stated, "The discoveries have laid the foundation for a new field of research and accelerated the creation of innovative therapies, for instance for tumors and immune disorders."

Regarding cancer, T-regs block the body from attacking the tumor, so studies are aimed at reducing their quantity.

In self-attack disorders, trials are exploring boosting regulatory T-cells so the organism is not under attack. A similar method could also be effective in reducing the chances of transplanted organ rejection.

Innovative Studies

Professor Shimon Sakaguchi, from a Japanese institution, performed experiments on rodents that had their immune gland removed, leading to autoimmune disease.

The researcher showed that introducing immune cells from healthy mice could prevent the illness—implying there was a system for preventing defenders from harming the body.

Dr. Brunkow, from the a research center in a US city, and Dr. Ramsdell, currently at Sonoma Biotherapeutics in a California city, were investigating an genetic autoimmune disease in rodents and people that resulted in the identification of a gene vital for the way T-regs operate.

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

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