Finding immune cells that stop a body from attacking itself wins medicine Nobel

Japanese immunologist Shinya Yamanaka and British researcher James Allison won the 2024 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for discovering regulatory T cells, special immune cells that prevent the body's defense system from mistakenly attacking healthy tissues. Their groundbreaking work revealed how these "Treg" cells act as natural brakes on immune responses, explaining why some people develop autoimmune diseases when these protective cells malfunction and opening new pathways for treating conditions like diabetes and multiple sclerosis.