Popular understanding of the 2025 Nobel Prize in Medicine! The strength of the immune system lies not only in its ability to attack, but also in its ability to restrain itself!
Our immune cells are like an army, they should only kill bacteria and viruses. But sometimes it will "recognize the wrong person" and attack its own organs - this is the root of autoimmune diseases such as lupus erythematosus and type 1 diabetes.
The answer given by the Nobel Prize
This year's three awardees (American and Japanese scientists Mary Brunko, Fred Lamsdale, and Shigefumi Sakaguchi) have identified the key - regulatory T cells (Tregs)
Firstly, Hirofumi Sakaguchi discovered the "abnormality": mice with thymus removed would develop autoimmune diseases, but after being infused with mature T cells from healthy mice, they actually recovered. He concluded that there were "regulators" in the blood and officially named this type of cell Treg in 1995.
Subsequently, Brunko and Ramsdell found the "code": they discovered a mouse innate autoimmune disease that took several years to target the mutated gene FOXP3- a human mutation that can lead to fatal IPEX syndrome in children.
Finally, the puzzle was completed in 2003. Sakaguchi confirmed that FOXP3 is the "dominant gene" that controls Treg development. These types of cells are like security guards, specifically blocking immune cells that attack themselves and allowing the immune system to "stop" after sterilization.
Simply put, Treg is the "brake" of the immune system, and FOXP3 is the "key" to the brake.
Without it, the immune system will 'lose control and crash'.
So, what is the use for humans?
Currently, over 200 clinical trials are underway worldwide, targeting three major categories of diseases:
Autoimmune disease: Extracting Treg cells from patients in vitro for "expansion" and reinfusion - lupus erythematosus and rheumatoid arthritis patients may not need lifelong medication.
Cancer: Tumors can 'buy' Tregs as accomplices, and new drugs can dispel these accomplices, allowing the immune army to re attack cancer cells.
Organ transplantation: Transforming Treg cells to allow the immune system to accept new organs and reduce the side effects of anti rejection drugs.
Three scientists spent 30 years teaching us that the strength of the immune system lies not only in attack, but also in restraint.
It can be seen that in the future, seeking medical treatment may no longer be about "hard killing pathogens", but about "precise immune regulation".
