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This year's Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine has been granted for revolutionary findings that clarify how the body's defense network attacks harmful infections while sparing the healthy tissues.

A trio of esteemed researchers—from Japan Prof. Sakaguchi and US scientists Mary Brunkow and Dr. Ramsdell—share this honor.

Their work uncovered unique "security guards" within the defense system that remove rogue defense cells capable of attacking the body.

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

The laureates will divide a monetary award worth 11 million Swedish kronor.

Crucial Discoveries

"Their research has been essential for understanding how the immune system operates and why we do not all develop serious autoimmune diseases," stated the head of the award panel.

The trio's studies address a core mystery: How does the defense system defend us from countless invaders while keeping our healthy cells unharmed?

The immune system employs white blood cells that scan for signs of infection, including viruses and bacteria it has never encountered.

Such cells utilize sensors—called recognition units—that are produced by chance in a vast number of combinations.

That gives the defense network the capacity to combat a wide array of invaders, but the randomness of the mechanism unavoidably produces immune cells that can target the body.

Protectors of the Body

Scientists earlier knew that some of these problematic white blood cells were destroyed in the immune organ—the site where white blood cells develop.

This year's award recognizes the identification of T-reg cells—known as the body's "security guards"—which travel through the system to neutralize any defenders that attack the healthy cells.

It is known that this mechanism malfunctions in self-attack conditions such as juvenile diabetes, MS, and RA.

The prize committee added, "The discoveries have established a new field of research and spurred the development of innovative treatments, for instance for cancer and immune disorders."

Regarding malignancies, regulatory T-cells prevent the body from attacking the growth, so research are focused on reducing their numbers.

In autoimmune diseases, trials are testing boosting regulatory T-cells so the body is not being harmed. A similar approach could also be useful in reducing the chances of transplanted organ failure.

Pioneering Experiments

Professor Shimon Sakaguchi, of Osaka University, conducted tests on mice that had their immune gland removed, leading to autoimmune disease.

The researcher demonstrated that introducing immune cells from other animals could stop the disease—implying there was a mechanism for preventing immune cells from attacking the host.

Dr. Brunkow, from the Institute for Systems Biology in Seattle, and Fred Ramsdell, now at Sonoma Biotherapeutics in San Francisco, were studying an genetic autoimmune disease in mice and people that resulted in the discovery of a gene vital for the way regulatory T-cells function.

"Their pioneering research has uncovered how the immune system is kept in check by T-reg cells, preventing it from mistakenly targeting the body's own tissues," said a prominent biological science expert.

"The research is a remarkable illustration of how fundamental physiological study can have far-reaching consequences for human health."