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This year's Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was granted for revolutionary discoveries that clarify how the immune system attacks dangerous infections while sparing the body's own cells.

A trio of renowned researchers—Japan's Prof. Sakaguchi and American experts Mary Brunkow and Fred Ramsdell—share this accolade.

The work uncovered unique "sentinels" within the defense system that remove malfunctioning immune cells that could attacking the body.

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

These laureates will share a prize fund worth 11m Swedish kronor.

Crucial Findings

"The work has been decisive for understanding how the body's defenses functions and the reason we do not all suffer from serious autoimmune diseases," commented the head of the award panel.

This trio's studies explain a fundamental question: How does the immune system protect us from numerous infections while leaving our healthy cells intact?

The body's protection system employs white blood cells that search for signs of infection, even pathogens and germs it has not met before.

These cells employ detectors—known as recognition units—that are generated by chance in a vast number of combinations.

This gives the immune system the ability to combat a broad range of threats, but the randomness of the mechanism inevitably creates immune cells that can attack the body.

Protectors of the Immune System

Researchers previously knew that some of these harmful defense cells were destroyed in the thymus—where immune cells develop.

This year's Nobel Prize honors the discovery of T-reg cells—known as the immune system's "security guards"—which travel through the system to neutralize any defenders that assault the healthy cells.

It is known that this mechanism malfunctions in autoimmune diseases such as juvenile diabetes, multiple sclerosis, and RA.

The prize committee stated, "The discoveries have established a novel area of investigation and spurred the development of innovative treatments, for example for cancer and autoimmune diseases."

In cancer, T-regs block the body from fighting the tumor, so studies are focused on lowering their quantity.

In autoimmune diseases, experiments are testing boosting regulatory T-cells so the organism is not under attack. A similar method could also be useful in reducing the chances of organ transplant rejection.

Innovative Studies

Prof Sakaguchi, of Osaka University, performed experiments on mice that had their immune gland removed, causing autoimmune disease.

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

Mary Brunkow, from the a research center in a US city, and Fred Ramsdell, now at Sonoma Biotherapeutics in a California city, were studying an inherited autoimmune disease in rodents and humans that resulted in the identification of a genetic factor vital for how regulatory T-cells function.

"Their pioneering work has uncovered how the immune system is kept in check by regulatory T cells, stopping it from accidentally attacking the body's own tissues," said a leading biological science specialist.

"The work is a remarkable example of how basic physiological research can have broad consequences for human health."