Research: Why do we have so many Autoimmune Diseases? Nobel Prize-Winning doctors unlock the mechanism behind their origin

Given that autoimmune diseases are the 3rd astir wide class of human illnesses (after crab and cardiovascular diseases), this year’s Nobel Prize in Medicine not lone makes consciousness but besides confirms the world of our times. It is estimated that astir 10% of the planetary colonisation suffers from immoderate autoimmune disorder. The 2025 Nobel Prize successful Medicine was awarded to 3 scientists who managed to decode the mechanics down the root of specified diseases.

Simply enactment — since “autoimmune” is often a euphemism for “incurable” and “unexplained” — the 2025 Nobel Prize successful Medicine marks a decisive measurement toward addressing much than 150 autoimmune disorders that affect, and sometimes threaten, the lives of implicit 800 cardinal radical worldwide. The groundbreaking probe that earned the Nobel — conducted by 1 Japanese and 2 American scientists — is besides linked to imaginable developments successful crab treatments, successful preventing organ transplant rejection, and more.

A Rapid Increase

As for autoimmune diseases themselves, not lone person they been steadily expanding implicit the past 20–30 years — successful some the fig of patients and the scope of diseases — but they besides remain, to a ample extent, a “black hole” for science. After all, it is fundamentally perplexing wherefore the quality assemblage would effort to harm itself — to self-torment oregon adjacent self-destruct.

And yet it does truthful utilizing its astir effectual means of survival: the immune system. Autoimmune diseases are precisely the effect of a mysterious inclination of the assemblage to trigger a self-destructive pathological condition, specified arsenic aggregate sclerosis, lupus, myocarditis, benignant 1 diabetes, psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis, and galore others.

The immune system, astatine its core, is simply a analyzable biologic warfare instrumentality — the astir almighty shield the quality assemblage possesses against disease-causing enemies. In elemental terms, its ngo is to repel and neutralize viruses and pathogens from the environment, preventing the instauration of dysfunctional oregon harmful cells. After millions of years of improvement and adaptation to ever-changing conditions, the immune strategy is considered 1 of evolution’s top miracles — a stunning masterpiece of earthy biotechnology.

The Nobel Laureates

The recipients of this year’s Nobel Prize successful Medicine — Japanese immunologist Shimon Sakaguchi, prof astatine Osaka University; American researcher Mary E. Brunkow of Princeton; and Fred Ramsdell of Sonoma Biotherapeutics successful San Francisco — aft years of research, managed to recognize however the immune strategy tin beryllium regulated to forestall unwanted deviations and derailments. In different words, they uncovered what happens erstwhile the immune strategy becomes confused and attacks the quality assemblage alternatively of defending it against outer threats — countless microbes, bacteria, and viruses, specified arsenic COVID-19.

Deceptive Cells

Many of the body’s unseen enemies are truthful cunning that they “disguise” themselves to lucifer steadfast cells. Normally, however, the immune strategy is not easy deceived; it has the singular quality to separate harmful invaders adjacent erstwhile camouflaged. Yet the question arises: wherefore does this highly blase strategy sometimes “go mad” and abruptly suffer its quality to archer steadfast cells from harmful ones? And however often does this happen? Why does the immune strategy rebel successful lone 1 retired of each 10 people? Moreover, tin COVID-19 corruption — oregon adjacent vaccination against it — trigger autoimmune disease?

The answers to astir of these questions stay vague astatine best. The 2025 Nobel Prize successful Medicine is wide grounds that subject is making advancement successful knowing autoimmunity, but the roadworthy to attraction oregon prevention is inactive long. The 3 laureates focused connected the basal of autoimmunity and its cardinal mechanisms, portion different researchers are investigating, for example, imaginable links betwixt COVID-19 and autoimmune onset.

The “Molecular Mimicry” Phenomenon

Recently, a survey revealed the paradoxical improvement known arsenic molecular mimicry. In elemental terms, definite viruses — specified arsenic the coronavirus that caused the planetary pandemic astatine the extremity of 2019 — person molecules that imitate the body’s ain proteins. This confuses the immune system, which, successful mobilizing to combat the virus, ends up attacking its ain cells. This process is associated with autoimmune diseases specified arsenic benignant 1 diabetes, ankylosing spondylitis, aggregate sclerosis, and others.

Stress and Lifestyle Factors

“Autoimmune diseases are not conscionable expanding — they’re skyrocketing,” says Dr. Eleni Komninou, rheumatologist and manager of the Clinic for Autoimmune Rheumatic Diseases astatine Metropolitan General Hospital, speaking to Proto Thema. Although elaborate statistic for Greece are lacking, her regular objective acquisition confirms the planetary estimation that astir 10% of the colonisation is affected by autoimmune disorders.

According to Dr. Komninou, “We observe an upward inclination each twelvemonth crossed all, oregon astatine slightest the astir common, autoimmune diseases. This summation isn’t lone owed to amended diagnosis oregon greater nationalist awareness. Cases are multiplying successful implicit numbers. And we present judge that heredity doesn’t play the main role. Instead, the triggers are mostly related to manner — stress, mediocre diet, substance maltreatment — and biology conditions, specified arsenic aerial pollution. It’s besides existent that autoimmunity tin beryllium associated with pregnancy; it whitethorn look during oregon aft gestation, often combined with a familial predisposition.”

A Troubling Global Trend

The planetary complaint of summation successful autoimmune diseases is alarming — astir 19.1% per year. Specifically, Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) and Sjögren’s Syndrome — a upset affecting the teardrop and salivary glands — are expanding by 7.1% annually, according to information from the Sjögren Institute, an planetary enactment monitoring these diseases.

80% of Patients Are Women

For women successful particular, the statistic are striking: 80% of autoimmune patients are female. This is linked to familial factors, arsenic the X chromosome is considered a beardown catalyst successful autoimmunity. Each quality compartment contains 23 pairs of chromosomes. In 22 of these pairs, the chromosomes are identical (either XX oregon YY), but the 23rd brace determines enactment — males person XY, females XX.

Studies of individuals with an other X chromosome — specified arsenic men with Klinefelter syndrome (XXY) oregon women with Triple X syndrome (XXX) — amusement that autoimmune diseases are 2.3 to 6.6 times much frequent, pointing to the X chromosome arsenic a cardinal fishy successful autoimmune susceptibility.

Almost Since the Beginning

For decades, modern scientists believed that immune cells matured according to a protocol known arsenic Central Immune Tolerance. However, arsenic aboriginal arsenic the 1980s, Shimon Sakaguchi argued that the technological assemblage should not spot its hopes successful Central Tolerance, but alternatively successful Peripheral Immune Tolerance.

Sakaguchi persisted successful his experiments utilizing guinea pigs, from which helium removed the thymus gland — an organ of pivotal value to the immune system, functioning overmuch similar the power portion of a computer. After countless experiments and studies, Sakaguchi succeeded successful decoding the relation of Regulatory T cells (T-regs), peculiarly successful knowing however these cellular bodyguards forestall different immune cells from deviating and causing autoimmune diseases.

Moreover, it is the T-regs that mean the strength of the body’s antiaircraft effect erstwhile the alarm has ended — that is, aft the invading pathogen (such arsenic a viral infection) has been successfully repelled.

Science Fiction Turned Reality

Following the discoveries of Sakaguchi, Brunkow, and Ramsdell, arsenic good arsenic those of different scientists devoted to the survey of autoimmunity, existent probe focuses connected the artificial multiplication of Regulatory T cells. In aviator experiments, the substance interleukin-2 is administered, which has been observed to enactment similar an anabolic cause for T-regs, dramatically boosting their proliferation. One of the cardinal technological questions is whether interleukin-2 could not lone assistance forestall autoimmune manifestations but besides promote the acceptance of transplanted organs by the body.

Another genuinely fascinating absorption of probe involves the direct manipulation of T-reg behavior by biologists. The full endeavor powerfully evokes subject fabrication — yet it is technological reality. Specialists connect antibodies to the aboveground of T-regs, which relation similar identity tags and geographical coordinates.

By adding these antibodies to the cellular operation of the Regulatory T cells, scientists effort to send them similar a protective guard to circumstantial organs — for example, to a transplanted kidney — successful bid to support it and forestall rejection, successful cases wherever the assemblage instinctively perceives the graft arsenic a overseas and harmful entity. After all, that instinctive rejection is, by definition, the precise intent of the immune system.