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The prestigious award in medical science has been granted for transformative discoveries that clarify how the body's defense network attacks dangerous infections while protecting the body's own cells.

Three renowned researchers—Japan's Shimon Sakaguchi and US experts Mary Brunkow and Fred Ramsdell—received this honor.

The research identified unique "security guards" within the immune system that eliminate malfunctioning immune cells capable of harming the organism.

The findings are now paving the way for new therapies for immune disorders and malignancies.

These laureates will divide a prize fund valued at 11m Swedish kronor.

Crucial Discoveries

"The research has been essential for understanding how the immune system operates and the reason we do not all develop severe self-attack conditions," stated the chair of the Nobel Committee.

This team's studies address a fundamental question: How does the defense system protect us from numerous invaders while keeping our own tissues unharmed?

The body's protection system uses white blood cells that search for indicators of infection, even pathogens and bacteria it has never encountered.

These defenders employ detectors—called recognition units—that are generated by chance in a vast number of variations.

That gives the defense network the ability to combat a broad range of threats, but the unpredictability of the process inevitably creates immune cells that can target the host.

Security Guards of the Body

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

This year's award honors the identification of regulatory T-cells—described as the immune system's "peacekeepers"—which travel through the system to disarm any defenders that attack the body's own tissues.

It is known that this mechanism malfunctions in self-attack conditions such as juvenile diabetes, MS, and RA.

A prize committee stated, "These findings have laid the foundation for a novel area of research and spurred the development of innovative therapies, for example for cancer and immune disorders."

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

For self-attack disorders, trials are exploring increasing T-reg cells so the organism is no longer being harmed. A comparable method could also be useful in minimizing the risks of organ transplant failure.

Innovative Studies

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

He showed that injecting immune cells from healthy animals could stop the disease—implying there was a system for blocking immune cells from harming the body.

Mary Brunkow, from the a research center in a US city, and Dr. Ramsdell, currently at Sonoma Biotherapeutics in San Francisco, were investigating an inherited autoimmune disease in rodents and people that resulted in the discovery of a gene vital for how regulatory T-cells function.

"The pioneering research has uncovered how the immune system is controlled by T-reg cells, preventing it from mistakenly targeting the body's own tissues," commented a leading biological science specialist.

"This work is a striking example of how basic physiological study can have broad consequences for public health."