Prestigious Award Recognizes Pioneering Immune System Discoveries

The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine has been awarded for revolutionary discoveries that clarify how the body's defense network attacks harmful infections while sparing the body's own cells.

Three renowned scientists—from Japan Prof. Sakaguchi and US experts Mary Brunkow and Dr. Ramsdell—share this honor.

Their research identified unique "sentinels" within the immune system that remove malfunctioning immune cells capable of attacking the body.

The discoveries are now paving the way for new therapies for immune disorders and cancer.

The laureates will share a monetary award worth 11m Swedish kronor.

Crucial Discoveries

"Their work has been decisive for understanding how the body's defenses functions and why we don't all develop serious self-attack conditions," commented the chair of the Nobel Committee.

This trio's research explain a core question: How does the immune system defend us from numerous invaders while leaving our own tissues unharmed?

The immune system employs immune cells that search for signs of disease, even viruses and bacteria it has never encountered.

These cells utilize sensors—called receptors—that are generated randomly in a vast number of combinations.

This gives the defense network the capacity to combat a broad range of invaders, but the unpredictability of the process unavoidably produces white blood cells that may target the host.

Protectors of the Immune System

Scientists previously knew that some of these problematic defense cells were eliminated in the immune organ—where white blood cells mature.

This year's Nobel Prize recognizes the identification of T-reg cells—described as the body's "peacekeepers"—which travel through the system to neutralize other defenders that attack the healthy cells.

We know that this process fails in autoimmune diseases such as juvenile diabetes, MS, and RA.

The Nobel panel stated, "These discoveries have established a novel area of investigation and accelerated the development of innovative treatments, for instance for cancer and immune disorders."

Regarding cancer, T-regs block the system from attacking the growth, so studies are focused on reducing their numbers.

In self-attack disorders, experiments are testing boosting T-reg cells so the body is no longer being harmed. A similar method could also be useful in reducing the risks of transplanted organ failure.

Innovative Studies

Professor Shimon Sakaguchi, of a Japanese institution, performed tests on mice that had their immune gland removed, leading to autoimmune disease.

The researcher showed that injecting immune cells from healthy animals could stop the disease—suggesting there was a system for preventing immune cells from attacking the host.

Dr. Brunkow, affiliated with the a research center in Seattle, and Fred Ramsdell, currently at Sonoma Biotherapeutics in a California city, were studying an genetic immune disorder in rodents and people that resulted in the identification of a gene vital for how regulatory T-cells function.

"Their pioneering work has revealed how the body's defenses is kept in check by T-reg cells, stopping it from accidentally attacking the body's own tissues," said a leading physiology expert.

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