The prestigious award in medical science has been granted for transformative discoveries that clarify how the immune system targets harmful infections while protecting the healthy tissues.
A trio of esteemed scientists—from Japan Prof. Sakaguchi and US scientists Mary Brunkow and Fred Ramsdell—received this honor.
The work identified unique "security guards" within the immune system that eliminate malfunctioning immune cells that could attacking the body.
The discoveries are now enabling new therapies for immune disorders and cancer.
These laureates will share a monetary award valued at 11m SEK.
Crucial Findings
"The research has been decisive for understanding how the immune system operates and why we do not all develop severe self-attack conditions," commented the head of the Nobel Committee.
This trio's research address a fundamental 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 disease, even pathogens and bacteria it has never encountered.
Such cells employ sensors—called receptors—that are produced randomly in countless variations.
This gives the defense network the capacity to combat a wide array of threats, but the randomness of the process inevitably creates white blood cells that may attack the body.
Protectors of the Immune System
Researchers earlier understood that a portion of these harmful defense cells were eliminated in the thymus—where immune cells mature.
The latest Nobel Prize honors the discovery of regulatory T-cells—known as the immune system's "security guards"—which patrol the system to disarm other defenders that attack the healthy cells.
It is known that this process fails in self-attack conditions such as type-1 diabetes, MS, and RA.
A prize committee added, "The findings have established a new field of research and accelerated the creation of innovative treatments, for instance for tumors and immune disorders."
Regarding cancer, T-regs block the body from fighting the growth, so research are aimed at reducing their numbers.
For autoimmune diseases, trials are exploring boosting regulatory T-cells so the body is no longer being harmed. A similar method could also be useful in reducing the risks of transplanted organ failure.
Pioneering Studies
Professor Sakaguchi, from a Japanese institution, performed experiments on mice that had their thymus extracted, leading to autoimmune disease.
The researcher showed that injecting defense cells from healthy animals could stop the illness—suggesting there was a mechanism for preventing defenders from attacking the body.
Mary 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 inherited autoimmune disease in rodents and people that led to the discovery of a gene vital for how regulatory T-cells operate.
"Their pioneering work has revealed how the immune system is controlled by T-reg cells, stopping it from mistakenly targeting the body's own tissues," said a leading biological science expert.
"This research is a remarkable example of how basic biological study can have far-reaching consequences for public health."
