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This year's prestigious award in medical science was awarded for revolutionary findings that clarify how the body's defense network targets dangerous infections while protecting the healthy tissues.

A trio of renowned scientists—from Japan Shimon Sakaguchi and US scientists Dr. Brunkow and Fred Ramsdell—received this accolade.

The research uncovered unique "sentinels" within the defense system that remove rogue defense cells that could harming the organism.

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

The laureates will divide a monetary award worth 11m SEK.

Crucial Discoveries

"Their work has been essential for comprehending how the immune system functions and why we do not all develop severe self-attack conditions," stated the chair of the award panel.

This team's studies address a fundamental mystery: How does the immune system protect us from numerous invaders while leaving our healthy cells unharmed?

Our body's protection system employs immune cells that search for signs of disease, even pathogens and bacteria it has never encountered.

Such defenders employ sensors—called recognition units—that are generated by chance in countless variations.

This gives the defense network the ability to combat a wide array of invaders, but the randomness of the process unavoidably produces immune cells that can attack the host.

Protectors of the Immune System

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

The latest award recognizes the discovery of regulatory T-cells—described as the body's "peacekeepers"—which patrol the system to neutralize any defenders that attack the body's own tissues.

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

A prize committee stated, "These discoveries have laid the foundation for a new field of investigation and accelerated the development of innovative therapies, for example for tumors and immune disorders."

In malignancies, T-regs prevent the body from fighting the growth, so studies are aimed at lowering their numbers.

For autoimmune diseases, experiments are testing boosting regulatory T-cells so the organism is not under attack. A similar approach could also be useful in minimizing the risks of transplanted organ rejection.

Pioneering Studies

Professor Sakaguchi, from a Japanese institution, conducted experiments on mice that had their thymus removed, causing self-attack conditions.

The researcher demonstrated that introducing immune cells from other mice could prevent the illness—implying there was a mechanism for blocking defenders from attacking the body.

Mary Brunkow, from the Institute for Systems Biology in Seattle, and Fred Ramsdell, now at Sonoma Biotherapeutics in San Francisco, were studying an genetic autoimmune disease in rodents and people that resulted in the discovery of a genetic factor critical for the way regulatory T-cells function.

"The pioneering research has uncovered how the immune system is controlled by regulatory T cells, preventing it from mistakenly attacking the body's own tissues," commented a prominent biological science specialist.

"The research is a striking example of how fundamental biological study can have far-reaching consequences for public health."