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The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded for revolutionary discoveries that illuminate how the immune system attacks dangerous pathogens while protecting the body's own cells.

A trio of esteemed scientists—from Japan Prof. Sakaguchi and US experts Dr. Brunkow and Dr. Ramsdell—received this accolade.

Their research uncovered unique "security guards" within the immune system that remove rogue defense cells that could attacking the organism.

These discoveries are now enabling new therapies for autoimmune diseases and malignancies.

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

Decisive Discoveries

"The work has been essential for comprehending how the immune system functions and the reason we don't all develop serious self-attack conditions," commented the head of the award panel.

This trio's research explain a fundamental mystery: How does the defense system defend us from countless invaders while keeping our own tissues intact?

The immune system employs immune cells that search for indicators of disease, even pathogens and germs it has never encountered.

These cells utilize detectors—called receptors—that are generated randomly in countless variations.

That gives the defense network the capacity to combat a broad range of invaders, but the randomness of the process inevitably produces white blood cells that can target the body.

Protectors of the Immune System

Scientists earlier understood that a portion of these problematic white blood cells were eliminated in the thymus—where immune cells develop.

The latest award honors the discovery of regulatory T-cells—known as the body's "peacekeepers"—which travel through the system to neutralize other defenders that assault the healthy cells.

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

A Nobel panel stated, "The findings have established a new field of research and spurred the creation of new treatments, for example for tumors and autoimmune diseases."

Regarding malignancies, T-regs prevent the system from attacking the growth, so studies are aimed at reducing their numbers.

For autoimmune diseases, experiments are exploring increasing regulatory T-cells so the body is not under attack. A comparable method could also be useful in minimizing the risks of organ transplant failure.

Pioneering Studies

Professor Sakaguchi, of a Japanese institution, performed experiments on mice that had their immune gland extracted, causing self-attack conditions.

He demonstrated that injecting immune cells from other animals could prevent the disease—suggesting there was a mechanism for blocking defenders from attacking the body.

Dr. Brunkow, from the a research center in Seattle, and Dr. Ramsdell, currently at a biotech firm in a California city, were studying an inherited immune disorder in rodents and people that led to the identification of a gene vital for the way regulatory T-cells function.

"Their pioneering research has revealed how the body's defenses is kept in check by T-reg cells, preventing it from accidentally targeting the body's own tissues," commented a leading biological science specialist.

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