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This year's Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was granted for revolutionary discoveries that illuminate how the immune system targets dangerous infections while protecting the healthy tissues.

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

The research uncovered unique "security guards" within the defense system that eliminate malfunctioning immune cells that could attacking the body.

These discoveries are now paving the way for innovative therapies for immune disorders and cancer.

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

Decisive Discoveries

"Their research has been decisive for comprehending how the body's defenses operates and the reason we don't all suffer from serious autoimmune diseases," commented the chair of the Nobel Committee.

This trio's research explain a core mystery: In what way does the defense system defend us from numerous infections while keeping our healthy cells intact?

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

These cells utilize sensors—called receptors—that are produced by chance in a vast number of combinations.

That provides the defense network the ability to fight a wide array of invaders, but the randomness of the mechanism unavoidably creates immune cells that may target the body.

Security Guards of the Body

Scientists earlier understood that a portion of these harmful defense cells were destroyed in the immune organ—the site where immune cells develop.

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

We know that this process fails in autoimmune diseases such as type-1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis, and RA.

A Nobel panel stated, "The discoveries have established a new field of investigation and spurred the creation of new treatments, for instance for tumors and autoimmune diseases."

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

For self-attack disorders, experiments are testing boosting regulatory T-cells so the body is not being harmed. A comparable approach could also be effective in minimizing the risks of transplanted organ failure.

Pioneering Studies

Prof Sakaguchi, from a Japanese institution, performed experiments on mice that had their thymus extracted, causing autoimmune disease.

He showed that injecting immune cells from other animals could stop the disease—suggesting there was a system for preventing immune cells from harming the body.

Mary Brunkow, affiliated with the a research center in Seattle, and Fred Ramsdell, currently at Sonoma Biotherapeutics in San Francisco, were investigating an genetic autoimmune disease in rodents and people that led to the discovery of a gene vital for how regulatory T-cells operate.

"Their groundbreaking research has uncovered how the immune system is kept in check by T-reg cells, preventing it from accidentally attacking the body's own tissues," said a prominent physiology specialist.

"This research is a remarkable example of how fundamental physiological study can have broad consequences for public health."