Nobel Prize Recognizes Pioneering Immune System Research
This year's Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was granted for transformative findings that clarify how the immune system targets harmful infections while sparing the healthy tissues.
A trio of renowned researchers—from Japan Prof. Sakaguchi and American scientists Dr. Brunkow and Dr. Ramsdell—share this honor.
The research identified unique "sentinels" within the defense system that remove malfunctioning immune cells that could harming the organism.
The discoveries are now enabling innovative treatments for autoimmune diseases and cancer.
The laureates will divide a monetary award worth 11 million SEK.
Crucial Discoveries
"The research has been essential for understanding how the body's defenses operates and why we do not all suffer from serious self-attack conditions," commented the chair of the Nobel Committee.
The trio's studies explain a fundamental mystery: How does the defense system protect us from numerous invaders while leaving our own tissues intact?
Our immune system employs immune cells that scan for indicators of infection, even viruses and bacteria it has not met before.
These cells utilize detectors—known as receptors—that are produced by chance in countless variations.
That provides the defense network the ability to combat a wide array of threats, but the unpredictability of the mechanism inevitably produces white blood cells that may target the host.
Protectors of the Body
Scientists earlier knew that some of these problematic defense cells were destroyed in the immune organ—where white blood cells develop.
The latest award honors the discovery of regulatory T-cells—known as the immune system's "peacekeepers"—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 juvenile diabetes, MS, and RA.
A Nobel panel stated, "These findings have established a novel area of investigation and accelerated the development of new treatments, for example for cancer and immune disorders."
In cancer, T-regs prevent the body from fighting the tumor, so research are focused on lowering their numbers.
For autoimmune diseases, experiments are testing boosting regulatory T-cells so the organism is no longer under attack. A similar method could also be useful in reducing the risks of transplanted organ failure.
Pioneering Studies
Prof Sakaguchi, of a Japanese institution, performed experiments on rodents that had their immune gland extracted, leading to self-attack conditions.
He demonstrated that injecting immune cells from other mice could prevent the disease—suggesting there was a system for preventing defenders from attacking the host.
Mary Brunkow, affiliated with the a research center in Seattle, and Fred Ramsdell, currently at a biotech firm in San Francisco, were investigating an genetic immune disorder in mice and humans that resulted in the discovery of a genetic factor vital for how regulatory T-cells operate.
"The groundbreaking research has revealed how the immune system is controlled by regulatory T cells, stopping it from accidentally targeting the body's own tissues," said a leading physiology expert.
"The work is a striking example of how basic physiological research can have broad implications for human health."
