The prestigious award in Physiology or Medicine was awarded for revolutionary discoveries that clarify how the body's defense network targets dangerous pathogens while protecting the body's own cells.
A trio of renowned scientists—from Japan Prof. Sakaguchi and US scientists Mary Brunkow and Dr. Ramsdell—share this accolade.
The research uncovered specialized "security guards" within the defense system that remove malfunctioning immune cells that could harming the organism.
These discoveries are now enabling innovative therapies for autoimmune diseases and cancer.
The winners will divide a monetary award worth 11 million Swedish kronor.
Decisive Discoveries
"The research has been decisive for understanding how the immune system functions and the reason we do not all develop serious autoimmune diseases," stated the head of the award panel.
The team's research explain a fundamental mystery: In what way does the immune system defend us from numerous infections while keeping our own tissues intact?
The body's protection system employs immune cells that search for indicators of infection, including viruses and germs it has never encountered.
Such cells utilize detectors—known as receptors—that are generated randomly in countless variations.
This gives the defense network the ability to fight a broad range of invaders, but the randomness of the mechanism unavoidably produces white blood cells that can attack the host.
Protectors of the Immune System
Researchers previously understood that some of these problematic defense cells were destroyed in the thymus—where white blood cells mature.
This year's award recognizes the discovery of T-reg cells—described as the body's "security guards"—which patrol the body to neutralize any immune cells that assault the healthy cells.
We know that this mechanism malfunctions in self-attack conditions such as juvenile diabetes, MS, and RA.
A Nobel panel added, "These findings have established a new field of research and accelerated the development of innovative treatments, for instance for tumors and immune disorders."
In malignancies, T-regs prevent the system from fighting the tumor, so research are focused on lowering their quantity.
In autoimmune diseases, trials are testing increasing regulatory T-cells so the organism is not being harmed. A similar method could also be useful in reducing the risks of transplanted organ rejection.
Pioneering Experiments
Prof Shimon Sakaguchi, of a Japanese institution, conducted experiments on rodents that had their immune gland extracted, leading to autoimmune disease.
He demonstrated that injecting defense cells from other mice could prevent the illness—suggesting there was a system for blocking defenders from harming the body.
Dr. Brunkow, affiliated with the Institute for Systems Biology in Seattle, and Fred Ramsdell, currently at Sonoma Biotherapeutics in a California city, were studying an inherited autoimmune disease in rodents and people that led to the discovery of a gene critical for how T-regs function.
"Their groundbreaking work has uncovered how the immune system is kept in check by regulatory T cells, preventing it from mistakenly targeting the healthy cells," said a leading biological science specialist.
"This research is a striking illustration of how basic biological research can have broad consequences for public health."
