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The prestigious award in medical science was granted for revolutionary discoveries that clarify how the body's defense network targets harmful infections while sparing the healthy tissues.

Three renowned researchers—from Japan Prof. Sakaguchi and American scientists Dr. Brunkow and Dr. Ramsdell—share this honor.

Their research identified specialized "security guards" within the immune system that eliminate rogue immune cells that could harming the body.

The discoveries are now paving the way for new treatments for immune disorders and cancer.

The laureates will share a prize fund worth 11 million Swedish kronor.

Decisive Discoveries

"The work has been essential for comprehending how the immune system functions and why we do not all suffer from severe self-attack conditions," stated the head of the Nobel Committee.

This trio's research address a fundamental question: How does the immune system defend us from countless invaders while leaving our own tissues unharmed?

Our immune system uses immune cells that scan for signs of infection, including pathogens and germs it has never encountered.

These defenders utilize sensors—known as receptors—that are produced randomly in a vast number of combinations.

This provides the immune system the capacity to fight a broad range of invaders, but the randomness of the mechanism inevitably creates immune cells that can target the body.

Security Guards of the Body

Scientists previously understood that some of these harmful defense cells were eliminated in the thymus—where immune cells mature.

This year's Nobel Prize recognizes the discovery of regulatory T-cells—described as the immune system's "peacekeepers"—which travel through the body to neutralize other defenders that attack the body's own tissues.

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

A prize committee added, "These findings have established a new field of investigation and spurred the development of new therapies, for example for tumors and immune disorders."

In malignancies, regulatory T-cells prevent the body from attacking the tumor, so research are aimed at lowering their quantity.

In autoimmune diseases, trials are exploring increasing regulatory T-cells so the organism is no longer under attack. A similar approach could also be effective in minimizing the chances of transplanted organ failure.

Pioneering Experiments

Prof Shimon Sakaguchi, of a Japanese institution, performed tests on mice that had their immune gland extracted, leading to autoimmune disease.

The researcher demonstrated that injecting immune cells from healthy mice could stop the disease—suggesting there was a mechanism for preventing immune cells from attacking the body.

Mary Brunkow, affiliated with the a research center in Seattle, and Dr. Ramsdell, now at a biotech firm in San Francisco, were investigating an genetic immune disorder in rodents and humans that resulted in the discovery of a gene critical for the way regulatory T-cells function.

"The pioneering research has uncovered how the body's defenses is kept in check by T-reg cells, stopping it from accidentally targeting the body's own tissues," commented a leading physiology expert.

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