Mary E. Brunkow, Fred Ramsdell, and Shimon Sakaguchi are the laureates of the Nobel Prize for Medicine, announced on Monday by the Nobel Assembly at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden. The distinction was awarded to them for their research on preventing the negative effects of the immune system’s action on the body, reports IPN.
“The laureates’ discoveries have given rise to the field of peripheral tolerance, stimulating the development of medical treatments for cancer and autoimmune diseases. These advances may also lead to more successful transplants. Several of these treatments are currently in clinical trials,” the Nobel Committee said, as quoted by Digi24.
The three researchers identified the “security guards” of the immune system: the regulatory T cells, which prevent immune cells from attacking the body itself.
“Their discoveries have been crucial for understanding how the immune system works and why we don’t all develop serious autoimmune diseases,” said Olle Kämpe, the chairman of the Nobel Committee.
The Nobel Prizes, established by Alfred Nobel – a Swedish businessman and chemist from the 19th century – are considered some of the most prestigious awards in the world. This year’s announcements began on October 6th, with the Prize for Medicine, and will continue on October 7th with the Prize for Physics, followed in the coming days by the awards for Chemistry and Literature. The Nobel Peace Prize will be announced on Friday, and the one for Economic Sciences on October 13th.
Each award has a financial value of 11 million Swedish crowns, equivalent to 1.2 million dollars. The winners also receive a gold medal and a diploma. The prize can be shared by up to three laureates.
The award ceremony will take place on December 10th, a date commemorating the death of Alfred Nobel.
