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The Nobel Prize in medical science has been awarded for revolutionary discoveries that illuminate how the body's defense network attacks harmful pathogens while sparing the healthy tissues.

Three renowned researchers—Japan's Shimon Sakaguchi and American scientists Dr. Brunkow and Dr. Ramsdell—share this accolade.

The research identified unique "security guards" within the defense system that remove malfunctioning immune cells that could harming the organism.

The findings are now enabling new therapies for autoimmune diseases and cancer.

These winners will divide a monetary award valued at 11m SEK.

Decisive Findings

"The work has been essential for comprehending how the body's defenses operates and the reason we do not all suffer from severe self-attack conditions," stated the chair of the Nobel Committee.

The trio's research explain a core mystery: How does the immune system defend us from countless invaders while keeping our healthy cells unharmed?

The immune system employs immune cells that scan for signs of infection, including viruses and germs it has not met before.

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

This gives the defense network the capacity to fight a broad range of threats, but the randomness of the process inevitably produces white blood cells that can attack the host.

Protectors of the Immune System

Researchers earlier knew that some of these problematic white blood cells were eliminated in the thymus—the site where immune cells develop.

This year's award recognizes the discovery of regulatory T-cells—described as the immune system's "peacekeepers"—which travel through the body to disarm other immune cells that assault the body's own tissues.

It is known that this mechanism malfunctions in autoimmune diseases such as type-1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis, and rheumatoid arthritis.

A prize committee added, "The discoveries have established a new field of research and accelerated the creation of new treatments, for example for tumors and autoimmune diseases."

Regarding cancer, regulatory T-cells prevent the system from attacking the growth, so research are aimed at lowering their quantity.

In autoimmune diseases, experiments are exploring boosting T-reg cells so the organism is not being harmed. A comparable approach could also be useful in minimizing the chances of transplanted organ failure.

Pioneering Experiments

Prof Shimon Sakaguchi, of Osaka University, conducted experiments on mice that had their immune gland removed, leading to autoimmune disease.

The researcher demonstrated that injecting immune cells from other animals could prevent the disease—suggesting there was a mechanism for preventing immune cells from harming the body.

Dr. Brunkow, from the Institute for Systems Biology in Seattle, and Dr. Ramsdell, now at a biotech firm in San Francisco, were investigating an genetic immune disorder in mice and humans that resulted in the identification of a gene critical for the way regulatory T-cells operate.

"Their groundbreaking work has uncovered how the immune system is controlled by T-reg cells, preventing it from accidentally targeting the body's own tissues," said a prominent physiology specialist.

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