Shimon Sakaguchi Wins 2017 Crafoord Prize

For his pioneering work in immune regulation, Professor Shimon Sakaguchi has been recognized with the 2017 Crafoord Prize in Polyarthritis.

AsianScientist (Jan. 13, 2017) – Professors Shimon Sakaguchi, Fred Ramsdell and Alexander Rudensky have been awarded the 2017’s Crafoord Prize in Polyarthritis for their discovery of regulatory T cells. The prize amount of six million Swedish krona (~US$670,000) will be shared equally between the Laureates.

Autoimmune diseases arise when the body’s immune system malfunctions, attacking normal tissue. Globally, these diseases cause great suffering and premature death for millions of people. Autoimmune diseases include multiple sclerosis (MS), type 1 diabetes and polyarthritis, a rheumatic disease in which multiple joints are affected.

The Laureates’ discoveries relate to regulatory T cells, which are the immune system’s security guards. Their task is to keep an eye on other white blood cells that are overzealous in their task of defending the body from intruders and could harm things they should leave alone, such as healthy cells in joints, the pancreas or the brain.

Even back in the 1960s, researchers were searching for suppressor cells in the immune system, but the research results were contradictory. Accordingly, over time, the consensus became that no such cells existed. Despite this, Sakaguchi persevered with the search and, after many years, he succeeded in identifying the cells that are now called regulatory T cells.

Some years later, Ramsdell approached the same area from a different direction; he isolated and identified the gene that is linked to severe autoimmune disease in a particular strain of mice. He also demonstrated that mutation in the same gene in humans, now known as FOXP3, causes a severe congenital disease called IPEX. Shortly afterwards, decisive findings were made, linking these two pieces of knowledge together.

Rudensky, Sakaguchi and Ramsdell each described how the FOXP3 gene is vital to a process that results in some T cells becoming security guards in the immune system. These are the regulatory T cells, which can prevent autoimmune reactions because they detect and suppress overzealous colleagues in the immune system.

A great number of clinical trials are now being conducted globally, with research teams testing various ways of using regulatory T cells to subdue the immune system’s attacks that cause autoimmune diseases. The long-term vision is that of a breakthrough in the treatment of polyarthritis and other autoimmune syndromes, which could be treated more effectively than they are today.


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Source: The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences; Photo: Osaka University.
Disclaimer: This article does not necessarily reflect the views of AsianScientist or its staff.

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