The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine has been awarded to a team of researchers – Mary E. Brunkow, Fred Ramsdell, and Shimon Sakaguchi – for their work relating to the immune system.
Although this work does not directly relate to ME/CFS, in 1995, Shimon Sakaguchi discovered a previously unknown class of immune cells – now known as regulatory T cells (Tregs) – which help to control inflammation and the immune response, and to protect the body against autoimmune diseases.
© The Nobel Committee for Physiology or Medicine. Ill. Mattias Karlén
Notably, there is strong evidence for immune system involvement in ME/CFS, and although at present the exact role of Tregs in ME/CFS is unclear, a paper by Nuno Sepúlveda and colleagues, published in 2019, stated that:
“Tregs show promise to be good candidates for the underlying (ME/CFS) pathology due to their capacity to suppress the immune responses against both self and microbial antigens”
More research is needed to understand the role that Tregs may play in ME/CFS.
Read more about the immune system, and the role the immune system is thought to play in ME/CFS disease mechanisms.
