Nobel Prize Recognizes Pioneering Body's Defenses Research
This year's Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was granted for revolutionary discoveries that illuminate how the body's defense network attacks dangerous pathogens while sparing the healthy tissues.
Three renowned researchers—from Japan Shimon Sakaguchi and American scientists Dr. Brunkow and Dr. Ramsdell—received this accolade.
Their research uncovered unique "sentinels" within the defense system that eliminate malfunctioning defense cells capable of attacking the body.
The findings are now enabling innovative treatments for immune disorders and malignancies.
The laureates will divide a monetary award worth 11 million SEK.
Decisive Discoveries
"The work has been decisive for comprehending how the body's defenses operates and the reason we do not all suffer from serious self-attack conditions," commented the head of the Nobel Committee.
The team's research address a fundamental mystery: In what way does the immune system defend us from countless invaders while keeping our healthy cells unharmed?
Our body's protection system uses immune cells that search for signs of disease, even pathogens and germs it has not met before.
These defenders employ sensors—called receptors—that are generated randomly in countless variations.
That gives the defense network the capacity to combat a wide array of invaders, but the unpredictability of the process inevitably produces immune cells that can target the host.
Protectors of the Immune System
Scientists earlier knew that a portion of these harmful defense cells were eliminated in the thymus—the site where immune cells develop.
This year's award recognizes the identification of regulatory T-cells—described as the body's "peacekeepers"—which travel through the body to neutralize other immune cells that assault the healthy cells.
We know that this process malfunctions in autoimmune diseases such as type-1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis, and rheumatoid arthritis.
The prize committee added, "These discoveries have established a novel area of investigation and accelerated the development of new therapies, for instance for tumors and autoimmune diseases."
Regarding malignancies, regulatory T-cells prevent the system from fighting the growth, so research are focused on reducing their quantity.
In autoimmune diseases, trials are testing boosting regulatory T-cells so the body is not under attack. A similar method could also be useful in reducing the risks of organ transplant rejection.
Pioneering Studies
Professor Shimon Sakaguchi, from a Japanese institution, conducted tests on mice that had their thymus removed, causing self-attack conditions.
The researcher showed that introducing immune cells from healthy animals could stop the illness—suggesting there was a mechanism for preventing immune cells from harming the host.
Mary Brunkow, from the a research center in Seattle, and Dr. Ramsdell, currently at a biotech firm in San Francisco, were investigating an genetic immune disorder in rodents and humans that resulted in the identification of a gene vital for how regulatory T-cells operate.
"Their pioneering work has uncovered how the body's defenses is kept in check by regulatory T cells, preventing it from mistakenly targeting the healthy cells," said a leading physiology specialist.
"This research is a remarkable illustration of how basic physiological research can have broad consequences for public health."
