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

Three esteemed scientists—from Japan Shimon Sakaguchi and American experts Mary Brunkow and Fred Ramsdell—share this accolade.

The research identified specialized "sentinels" within the immune system that remove rogue defense cells that could attacking the body.

The discoveries are now paving the way for new therapies for autoimmune diseases and cancer.

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

Decisive Findings

"The work has been essential for comprehending how the immune system functions and the reason we do not all develop severe autoimmune diseases," stated the head of the Nobel Committee.

This trio's studies address a core question: In what way does the immune system defend us from countless infections while leaving our own tissues unharmed?

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

Such cells employ detectors—known as receptors—that are produced randomly in a vast number of variations.

That gives the immune system the capacity to fight a broad range of invaders, but the randomness of the mechanism unavoidably produces immune cells that can attack the host.

Protectors of the Immune System

Researchers previously knew that some of these problematic white blood cells were destroyed in the thymus—where immune cells mature.

This year's Nobel Prize recognizes the discovery of regulatory T-cells—known as the body's "peacekeepers"—which travel through the body to disarm any immune cells that attack the body's own tissues.

We know that this mechanism malfunctions in autoimmune diseases such as juvenile diabetes, multiple sclerosis, and rheumatoid arthritis.

A Nobel panel stated, "The findings have laid the foundation for a novel area of investigation and accelerated the development of new treatments, for example for cancer and autoimmune diseases."

In malignancies, T-regs block the body from attacking the growth, so research are aimed at reducing their quantity.

In self-attack disorders, trials are testing boosting regulatory T-cells so the body is no longer being harmed. A similar approach could also be useful in reducing the risks of transplanted organ rejection.

Innovative Studies

Prof Shimon Sakaguchi, of Osaka University, conducted experiments on mice that had their thymus extracted, leading to autoimmune disease.

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

Mary Brunkow, affiliated with the a research center in a US city, and Fred Ramsdell, now at a biotech firm in San Francisco, were investigating an genetic autoimmune disease in mice and people that led to the discovery of a gene vital for the way regulatory T-cells function.

"Their groundbreaking work has revealed how the immune system is controlled by T-reg cells, stopping it from accidentally attacking the healthy cells," commented a leading biological science specialist.

"This research is a remarkable example of how basic biological research can have far-reaching implications for human health."