Prestigious Prize Honors Pioneering Body's Defenses Research

This year's Nobel Prize in medical science was awarded for revolutionary findings that illuminate how the immune system attacks dangerous infections while protecting the healthy tissues.

Three renowned researchers—from Japan Prof. Sakaguchi and US experts Mary Brunkow and Dr. Ramsdell—received this honor.

The research uncovered unique "sentinels" within the defense system that eliminate malfunctioning immune cells capable of attacking the organism.

These discoveries are now paving the way for new therapies for immune disorders and malignancies.

The laureates will share a monetary award worth 11m Swedish kronor.

Decisive Discoveries

"Their research has been essential for understanding how the body's defenses functions and why we do not all develop severe autoimmune diseases," commented the chair of the Nobel Committee.

The trio's research address a core mystery: In what way does the defense system defend us from numerous invaders while leaving our healthy cells unharmed?

Our body's protection system uses immune cells that search for signs of infection, even pathogens and germs it has never encountered.

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

That provides the defense network the capacity to combat a broad range of invaders, but the unpredictability of the mechanism inevitably creates white blood cells that may target the body.

Security Guards of the Immune System

Scientists previously understood that some of these harmful defense cells were destroyed in the immune organ—the site where white blood cells mature.

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

We know that this mechanism malfunctions in self-attack conditions such as juvenile diabetes, MS, and rheumatoid arthritis.

A prize committee added, "These findings have established a new field of investigation and spurred the creation of new therapies, for example for cancer and immune disorders."

In cancer, regulatory T-cells prevent the system from attacking the tumor, so studies are focused on lowering their quantity.

For self-attack disorders, experiments are testing boosting T-reg cells so the body is not being harmed. A similar method could also be effective in reducing the risks of organ transplant failure.

Innovative Experiments

Prof Sakaguchi, from Osaka University, conducted experiments on rodents that had their immune gland extracted, leading to autoimmune disease.

He showed that injecting defense cells from healthy animals could stop the illness—implying there was a mechanism for blocking immune cells from attacking the host.

Mary Brunkow, affiliated with the a research center in a US city, and Dr. Ramsdell, now at a biotech firm in a California city, were investigating an inherited autoimmune disease in mice and people that resulted in the discovery of a gene vital for the way regulatory T-cells function.

"Their pioneering work has uncovered how the immune system is kept in check by regulatory T cells, preventing it from accidentally attacking the healthy cells," said a prominent physiology expert.

"The research is a remarkable example of how fundamental biological study can have broad implications for human health."