NEW HOPE(SZ:000876) Yang Zi Wan Bao Wang·2025-10-07 06:50Core Viewpoint - The 2025 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to two American scientists, Mary E. Brencoe and Fred Ramsdell, along with Japanese scientist Shimon Sakaguchi, for their discoveries in the field of peripheral immune tolerance, which is crucial for preventing autoimmune diseases [1][6]. Group 1: Immune System and Autoimmune Diseases - The immune system functions as a "health guardian," responsible for combating pathogens and maintaining internal balance by eliminating mutated or dead cells [6]. - Autoimmune diseases occur when the immune system mistakenly attacks normal cells, leading to conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus [6]. - The key to why not everyone develops severe autoimmune diseases lies in the immune system's "recognition correction" mechanism, known as immune tolerance [6]. Group 2: Mechanisms of Immune Tolerance - Immune tolerance is divided into "central tolerance," which eliminates immune cells that recognize self-antigens during development, and "peripheral tolerance," which acts as a "brake system" to protect self-tissues while eliminating threats [6][7]. - The Nobel Prize-winning research focused on the "brake system," identifying regulatory T cells (Treg) as crucial components in peripheral tolerance [6][8]. Group 3: Clinical Applications and Challenges - The findings open new avenues for treating autoimmune diseases, organ transplantation, and cancer therapy [8][9]. - For autoimmune diseases, low-dose interleukin-2 (IL-2) can enhance Treg cells to restore immune balance [8]. - In organ transplantation, increasing Treg activity can reduce rejection responses, improving graft survival [9]. - In cancer treatment, strategies to weaken local Treg cells are necessary to allow immune cells to attack tumors effectively [9]. - Current therapies face challenges in precision and safety, with ongoing research needed to develop effective clinical applications [10].