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The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded for transformative findings that clarify how the body's defense network attacks harmful pathogens while sparing the body's own cells.

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

The research uncovered unique "security guards" within the immune system that eliminate malfunctioning immune cells that could attacking the body.

The discoveries are now enabling innovative therapies for immune disorders and cancer.

The winners will divide a prize fund valued at 11m Swedish kronor.

Decisive Discoveries

"Their research has been decisive for comprehending how the body's defenses operates and why we do not all develop severe self-attack conditions," commented the head of the award panel.

The trio's studies address a fundamental mystery: In what way does the immune system protect us from countless infections while keeping our own tissues unharmed?

The body's protection system uses immune cells that scan for signs of infection, including viruses and bacteria it has never encountered.

Such defenders employ detectors—known as recognition units—that are produced randomly in countless combinations.

That provides the defense network the ability to combat a broad range of threats, but the randomness of the mechanism inevitably creates immune cells that may attack the body.

Protectors of the Immune System

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

This year's award recognizes the identification of T-reg cells—known as the body's "peacekeepers"—which patrol the system to neutralize other defenders that attack the body's own tissues.

We know that this mechanism malfunctions in autoimmune diseases such as type-1 diabetes, MS, and rheumatoid arthritis.

A prize committee stated, "These findings have laid the foundation for a novel area of research and spurred the creation of new treatments, for example for cancer and autoimmune diseases."

Regarding cancer, T-regs prevent the system from attacking the tumor, so studies are aimed at lowering their numbers.

In autoimmune diseases, experiments are testing boosting T-reg cells so the body is no longer under attack. A comparable method could also be effective in reducing the chances of organ transplant rejection.

Innovative Experiments

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

He demonstrated that introducing immune cells from healthy animals could prevent the illness—implying there was a system for blocking defenders from attacking the body.

Mary Brunkow, from the Institute for Systems Biology in Seattle, and Dr. Ramsdell, currently at a biotech firm in a California city, were studying an inherited immune disorder in mice and humans that led to the discovery of a genetic factor vital for the way regulatory T-cells function.

"The groundbreaking research has revealed how the body's defenses is kept in check by T-reg cells, stopping it from accidentally attacking the body's own tissues," said a prominent physiology specialist.

"The research is a remarkable example of how fundamental biological research can have broad consequences for public health."