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This year's Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine has been awarded for transformative findings that illuminate how the body's defense network attacks dangerous pathogens while protecting the body's own cells.

Three esteemed scientists—Japan's Prof. Sakaguchi and US scientists Dr. Brunkow and Dr. Ramsdell—received this accolade.

Their work uncovered specialized "security guards" within the immune system that eliminate rogue immune cells capable of harming the organism.

The discoveries are now enabling new treatments for immune disorders and malignancies.

These winners will share a monetary award worth 11 million SEK.

Decisive Discoveries

"The work has been essential for understanding how the immune system functions and the reason we do not all develop serious autoimmune diseases," commented the chair of the award panel.

The trio's studies address a fundamental mystery: How does the defense system protect us from numerous infections while keeping our healthy cells unharmed?

Our immune system uses white blood cells that search for indicators of infection, including viruses and germs it has not met before.

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

That gives the defense network the capacity to fight a wide array of threats, but the unpredictability of the process inevitably produces white blood cells that can attack the host.

Security Guards of the Immune System

Scientists previously understood that some of these problematic white blood cells were eliminated in the immune organ—the site where white blood cells develop.

This year's Nobel Prize recognizes the identification of T-reg cells—known as the body's "peacekeepers"—which patrol the body to disarm any immune cells that assault the healthy cells.

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

A prize committee stated, "These findings have established a new field of investigation and accelerated the development of new treatments, for instance for tumors and autoimmune diseases."

Regarding malignancies, T-regs block the body from fighting the growth, so research are focused on lowering their numbers.

For autoimmune diseases, experiments are testing increasing regulatory T-cells so the body is no longer under attack. A similar method could also be useful in minimizing the chances of organ transplant failure.

Pioneering Studies

Professor Shimon Sakaguchi, of Osaka University, conducted experiments on mice that had their immune gland extracted, causing autoimmune disease.

He showed that injecting immune cells from other animals could stop the illness—implying there was a mechanism for blocking defenders from harming the host.

Mary Brunkow, affiliated with the a research center in Seattle, and Fred Ramsdell, now at a biotech firm in San Francisco, were studying an genetic autoimmune disease in rodents and people that led to the identification of a gene critical for the way T-regs operate.

"Their groundbreaking research has revealed how the immune system is kept in check by regulatory T cells, stopping it from mistakenly targeting the healthy cells," commented a leading physiology expert.

"This work is a remarkable illustration of how basic physiological study can have broad consequences for public health."