Nobel Prize In Medicine Awarded To Team Who Discovered How Immune System Is Kept In Check

Previously, many researchers were convinced that immune tolerance only developed due to potentially harmful immune cells being eliminated through a process called central tolerance. In 1995, Shimon Sakaguchi showed that the immune system is more complex and discovered a previously unknown class of immune cells, which protect the body from autoimmune diseases.

Mary Brunkow and Fred Ramsdell made the other key discovery in 2001, when they presented the explanation for why a specific mouse strain was particularly vulnerable to autoimmune diseases. They had discovered that the mice have a mutation in a gene that they named 'Foxp3'. They also showed that mutations in the human equivalent of this gene cause a serious autoimmune disease, IPEX.

Two years after this, Sakaguchi was able to link these discoveries. He proved that the Foxp3 gene governs the development of the cells he identified in 1995. These cells, now known as regulatory T cells, monitor other immune cells and ensure that our immune system tolerates our own tissues.

"The laureates’ discoveries launched the field of peripheral tolerance, spurring the development of medical treatments for cancer and autoimmune diseases. This may also lead to more successful transplantations. Several of these treatments are now undergoing clinical trials," the statement from Nobel Committee said.