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This year's prestigious award in medical science has been granted for revolutionary discoveries that illuminate how the immune system attacks dangerous pathogens while sparing the healthy tissues.

Three renowned scientists—Japan's Prof. Sakaguchi and American scientists Dr. Brunkow and Fred Ramsdell—share this honor.

Their research identified unique "security guards" within the immune system that eliminate rogue immune cells that could attacking the organism.

The findings are now enabling innovative therapies for immune disorders and malignancies.

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

Crucial Discoveries

"The research has been essential for understanding how the immune system functions and the reason we do not all develop severe autoimmune diseases," stated the head of the Nobel Committee.

The trio's studies address a fundamental question: How does the defense system protect us from numerous invaders while keeping our own tissues intact?

Our body's protection system employs white blood cells that scan for indicators of disease, even pathogens and bacteria it has never encountered.

These defenders employ sensors—known as receptors—that are generated randomly in countless combinations.

This gives the immune system the ability to combat a wide array of threats, but the randomness of the process inevitably produces immune cells that can attack the body.

Protectors of the Immune System

Scientists earlier understood that a portion of these harmful white blood cells were destroyed in the immune organ—the site where white blood cells develop.

This year's award honors the identification of T-reg cells—known as the immune system's "peacekeepers"—which travel through the body to disarm other immune cells that assault the body's own tissues.

It is known that this process fails in autoimmune diseases such as type-1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis, and rheumatoid arthritis.

The prize committee stated, "The discoveries have established a new field of research and accelerated the development of innovative treatments, for example for cancer and autoimmune diseases."

Regarding cancer, T-regs prevent the body from attacking the tumor, so research are aimed at reducing their numbers.

For self-attack disorders, trials are testing boosting T-reg cells so the body is not under attack. A similar method could also be useful in reducing the chances of transplanted organ failure.

Innovative Experiments

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

The researcher showed that introducing immune cells from healthy mice could stop the illness—suggesting there was a mechanism for preventing immune cells from harming the host.

Dr. Brunkow, from the Institute for Systems Biology in a US city, and Fred Ramsdell, currently at Sonoma Biotherapeutics in a California city, were investigating an genetic immune disorder in rodents and people that resulted in the discovery of a gene vital for the way regulatory T-cells operate.

"Their groundbreaking research has uncovered how the immune system is controlled by regulatory T cells, preventing it from mistakenly attacking the healthy cells," commented a prominent biological science specialist.

"The work is a remarkable example of how basic biological research can have far-reaching implications for public health."