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This year's prestigious award in medical science has been granted for transformative findings that clarify how the immune system attacks dangerous infections while protecting the healthy tissues.

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

Their research identified specialized "sentinels" within the defense system that eliminate malfunctioning defense cells capable of attacking the organism.

These findings are now paving the way for innovative treatments for immune disorders and cancer.

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

Crucial Findings

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

The trio's studies address a core mystery: In what way does the defense system protect us from numerous infections while leaving our own tissues unharmed?

The body's protection system uses immune cells that search for signs of infection, including pathogens and bacteria it has never encountered.

Such defenders employ sensors—called receptors—that are produced randomly in a vast number of variations.

This provides the defense network the capacity to fight a wide array of threats, but the unpredictability of the process inevitably produces immune cells that may attack the body.

Protectors of the Body

Scientists earlier knew that some of these problematic defense cells were eliminated in the immune organ—where immune cells develop.

This year's Nobel Prize recognizes the identification of T-reg cells—described as the immune system's "security guards"—which patrol the body to neutralize any immune cells that assault the body's own tissues.

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

The prize committee stated, "These findings have established a new field of investigation and spurred the development of new therapies, for instance for tumors and autoimmune diseases."

In malignancies, regulatory T-cells prevent the body from fighting the tumor, so research are focused on reducing their numbers.

For self-attack disorders, experiments are testing increasing T-reg cells so the body is not being harmed. A comparable method could also be effective in minimizing the risks of transplanted organ rejection.

Pioneering Studies

Professor Shimon Sakaguchi, of a Japanese institution, conducted tests on mice that had their immune gland removed, causing autoimmune disease.

He showed that injecting immune cells from other mice could prevent the disease—implying there was a system for preventing immune cells from harming the host.

Mary Brunkow, from the a research center in a US city, and Dr. Ramsdell, now at a biotech firm in San Francisco, were studying an genetic autoimmune disease in mice and people that resulted in the identification of a genetic factor vital for the way regulatory T-cells function.

"The pioneering research has revealed how the immune system is controlled by regulatory T cells, preventing it from mistakenly targeting the healthy cells," said a leading biological science specialist.

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