Prestigious Prize Honors Pioneering Body's Defenses Research
The prestigious award in Physiology or Medicine was awarded for revolutionary findings that illuminate how the immune system attacks dangerous pathogens while sparing the healthy tissues.
A trio of renowned researchers—Japan's Shimon Sakaguchi and US experts Dr. Brunkow and Fred Ramsdell—received this accolade.
Their work uncovered unique "security guards" within the immune system that remove rogue defense cells that could attacking the organism.
The findings are now paving the way for innovative therapies for autoimmune diseases and malignancies.
The laureates will divide a prize fund worth 11 million Swedish kronor.
Crucial Discoveries
"Their research has been decisive for understanding how the body's defenses operates and the reason we do not all suffer from serious autoimmune diseases," commented the chair of the award panel.
This team's research explain a fundamental question: In what way does the defense system defend us from countless infections while keeping our healthy cells intact?
The immune system employs white blood cells that scan for signs of infection, even pathogens and germs it has never encountered.
These defenders employ sensors—called recognition units—that are generated randomly in countless variations.
That gives the immune system the capacity to fight a broad range of invaders, but the randomness of the mechanism inevitably produces white blood cells that can target the host.
Security Guards of the Immune System
Scientists earlier understood that some of these problematic defense cells were eliminated in the thymus—where white blood cells mature.
The latest award recognizes the identification of regulatory T-cells—known as the body's "peacekeepers"—which travel through the body to disarm any immune cells that assault the healthy cells.
It is known that this process malfunctions in autoimmune diseases such as juvenile diabetes, MS, and RA.
The prize committee added, "These discoveries have laid the foundation for a new field of research and accelerated the development of innovative therapies, for example for tumors and autoimmune diseases."
In malignancies, regulatory T-cells block the body from attacking the tumor, so research are aimed at lowering their numbers.
In autoimmune diseases, trials are testing increasing T-reg cells so the body is no longer being harmed. A similar method could also be useful in minimizing the chances of transplanted organ rejection.
Pioneering Studies
Prof Shimon Sakaguchi, from Osaka University, performed experiments on mice that had their immune gland removed, leading to autoimmune disease.
He showed that introducing immune cells from other mice could stop the illness—suggesting there was a mechanism for blocking immune cells from harming the host.
Mary Brunkow, affiliated with the a research center in a US city, and Dr. Ramsdell, currently at a biotech firm in San Francisco, were investigating an genetic immune disorder in rodents and humans that led to the discovery of a gene critical for the way T-regs operate.
"The groundbreaking research has uncovered how the body's defenses is controlled by T-reg cells, preventing it from mistakenly targeting the healthy cells," said a leading biological science expert.
"The work is a striking example of how fundamental biological study can have broad consequences for public health."
