Nobel Prize Recognizes Pioneering Immune System Research
This year's prestigious award in medical science has been granted for revolutionary findings that clarify how the body's defense network targets dangerous infections while sparing the healthy tissues.
A trio of renowned researchers—Japan's Prof. Sakaguchi and American scientists Mary Brunkow and Fred Ramsdell—received this honor.
The research identified unique "security guards" within the immune system that remove rogue immune cells that could harming the body.
The discoveries are now paving the way for innovative treatments for immune disorders and cancer.
These laureates will divide a monetary award worth 11m SEK.
Crucial Discoveries
"Their research has been decisive for understanding how the body's defenses functions and the reason we do not all develop severe autoimmune diseases," commented the chair of the award panel.
The trio's research address a fundamental mystery: How does the defense system defend us from numerous invaders while leaving our own tissues unharmed?
Our body's protection system uses white blood cells that scan for signs of infection, including pathogens and bacteria it has never encountered.
These cells utilize sensors—called receptors—that are generated randomly in a vast number of combinations.
That gives the immune system the capacity to fight a broad range of threats, but the unpredictability of the process unavoidably produces immune cells that can attack the body.
Protectors of the Immune System
Researchers earlier knew that a portion of these problematic white blood cells were eliminated in the immune organ—the site where white blood cells mature.
The latest award honors the discovery of T-reg cells—described as the body's "peacekeepers"—which travel through the system to disarm any defenders that attack the healthy cells.
It is known that this process malfunctions in self-attack conditions such as type-1 diabetes, MS, and RA.
The prize committee stated, "The findings have established a new field of research and spurred the creation of new treatments, for example for tumors and immune disorders."
In cancer, regulatory T-cells prevent the body from fighting the tumor, so studies are aimed at lowering their numbers.
For autoimmune diseases, experiments are testing boosting T-reg cells so the body is no longer under attack. A similar approach could also be effective in minimizing the risks of organ transplant failure.
Innovative Experiments
Professor Shimon Sakaguchi, from Osaka University, performed tests on mice that had their immune gland removed, causing autoimmune disease.
He demonstrated that injecting defense cells from other animals could prevent the disease—suggesting there was a system for preventing immune cells from attacking the host.
Dr. Brunkow, from the a research center in a US city, and Fred Ramsdell, currently at a biotech firm in a California city, were studying an genetic immune disorder in rodents and humans that led to the discovery of a genetic factor vital for the way T-regs function.
"The groundbreaking research has uncovered how the body's defenses is controlled by regulatory T cells, stopping it from accidentally attacking the body's own tissues," commented a prominent physiology expert.
"This research is a remarkable illustration of how fundamental biological research can have far-reaching implications for human health."
