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

Three renowned researchers—from Japan Shimon Sakaguchi and US experts Dr. Brunkow and Dr. Ramsdell—received this accolade.

The research uncovered specialized "security guards" within the defense system that eliminate malfunctioning defense cells capable of attacking the body.

These findings are now paving the way for new treatments for autoimmune diseases and malignancies.

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

Crucial Discoveries

"Their work has been essential for comprehending how the immune system operates and why we do not all develop serious autoimmune diseases," commented the head of the Nobel Committee.

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

The body's protection system uses white blood cells that scan for signs of infection, including viruses and bacteria it has not met before.

These defenders utilize sensors—known as recognition units—that are generated by chance in a vast number of combinations.

This gives the immune system the capacity to combat a wide array of invaders, but the unpredictability of the process inevitably produces white blood cells that can attack the body.

Security Guards of the Immune System

Scientists previously knew that a portion of these problematic white blood cells were destroyed in the thymus—where immune cells develop.

This year's Nobel Prize recognizes the identification of regulatory T-cells—described as the immune system's "peacekeepers"—which travel through the body to disarm other immune cells that assault the healthy cells.

It is known that this process fails in autoimmune diseases such as type-1 diabetes, MS, and rheumatoid arthritis.

A Nobel panel added, "These findings have established a new field of investigation and accelerated the development of innovative therapies, for example for cancer and immune disorders."

In cancer, regulatory T-cells prevent the system from attacking the tumor, so studies are aimed at reducing their numbers.

In autoimmune diseases, trials are testing increasing T-reg cells so the body is not being harmed. A comparable method could also be useful in reducing the risks of organ transplant rejection.

Innovative Studies

Professor Shimon Sakaguchi, from Osaka University, performed experiments on rodents that had their immune gland extracted, leading to autoimmune disease.

He showed that introducing immune cells from healthy animals could prevent the disease—suggesting there was a system for blocking immune cells from harming the host.

Dr. Brunkow, affiliated with the a research center in Seattle, and Fred Ramsdell, currently at Sonoma Biotherapeutics in a California city, were studying an genetic autoimmune disease in mice and people that led to the identification of a genetic factor critical for the way T-regs function.

"Their pioneering research has uncovered how the immune system is controlled by T-reg cells, stopping it from accidentally attacking the healthy cells," said a leading biological science specialist.

"The work is a striking illustration of how fundamental biological study can have far-reaching consequences for human health."