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The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was granted for transformative findings that illuminate how the body's defense network targets dangerous infections while protecting the healthy tissues.

A trio of esteemed researchers—from Japan Prof. Sakaguchi and American scientists Dr. Brunkow and Fred Ramsdell—share this honor.

Their work uncovered unique "security guards" within the defense system that remove malfunctioning immune cells capable of attacking the organism.

The discoveries are now enabling new therapies for immune disorders and malignancies.

The winners will share a prize fund worth 11m Swedish kronor.

Crucial Discoveries

"The work has been essential for understanding how the immune system operates and why we don't all develop serious autoimmune diseases," commented the chair of the Nobel Committee.

This team's research address a core question: How does the immune system protect us from countless invaders while leaving our healthy cells intact?

The body's protection system uses white blood cells that search for indicators of disease, even viruses and germs it has not met before.

Such cells utilize sensors—called recognition units—that are produced randomly in countless variations.

This gives the defense network the capacity to combat a broad range of invaders, but the unpredictability of the mechanism inevitably produces immune cells that can attack the body.

Security Guards of the Body

Scientists earlier knew that a portion of these harmful white blood cells were eliminated in the thymus—where immune cells develop.

This year's Nobel Prize honors the discovery of T-reg cells—described as the body's "security guards"—which travel through the system to neutralize any defenders that assault the body's own tissues.

It is known that this process malfunctions in autoimmune diseases such as type-1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis, and RA.

The prize committee added, "These findings have laid the foundation for a novel area of research and spurred the creation of new therapies, for instance for tumors and autoimmune diseases."

Regarding malignancies, regulatory T-cells prevent the system from fighting the tumor, so research are focused on lowering their numbers.

For self-attack disorders, trials are testing boosting T-reg cells so the organism is not under attack. A similar method could also be useful in minimizing the chances of organ transplant failure.

Pioneering Experiments

Prof Shimon Sakaguchi, of Osaka University, performed tests on mice that had their immune gland removed, causing autoimmune disease.

He demonstrated that introducing immune cells from healthy animals could stop the illness—implying there was a mechanism for preventing immune cells from attacking the host.

Dr. Brunkow, affiliated with the a research center in a US city, and Dr. Ramsdell, currently at a biotech firm in a California city, were studying an inherited immune disorder in mice and people that resulted in the discovery of a genetic factor critical for the way T-regs function.

"Their pioneering research has revealed how the immune system is controlled by regulatory T cells, stopping it from mistakenly attacking the healthy cells," commented a leading biological science expert.

"This research is a remarkable illustration of how basic biological study can have far-reaching implications for public health."