NOBEL PRIZE

NOBEL PRIZE


In the year 2011 the winners of physiology and medicine were Bruce A. Beutler and Jules A. Hoffmann. They were American and Luxembourgish and they won the noble prize for their discoveries concerning the activation of innate immunity. They discovered a very important immunity for our society, especially for animals and plants.

Bruce A. Beutler is an American immunologist and geneticist. Between 1959 and 1977, Beutler lived in Southern California. He received his secondary school education at Polytechnic School in Pasadena, California. He attended college at the University of California

Jules A. Hoffmann (born 2 August 1941) is a Luxembourg-born French biologist. During his youth, growing up in Luxembourg, he developed a strong interest in insects under the influence of his father, Jos Hoffmann.

This year's Nobel Laureates have revolutionized our understanding of the immune system by discovering key principles for its activation.Scientists have long been searching for the gatekeepers of the immune response by which man and other animals defend themselves against attack by bacteria and other microorganisms. Bruce Beutler and Jules Hoffmann discovered receptor proteins that can recognize such microorganisms and activate innate immunity, the first step in the body's immune response. Ralph Steinman discovered the dendritic cells of the immune system and their unique capacity to activate and regulate adaptive immunity, the later stage of the immune response during which microorganisms are cleared from the body.

The discoveries of the three Nobel Laureates have revealed how the innate and adaptive phases of the immune response are activated and thereby provided novel insights into disease mechanisms. Their work has opened up new avenues for the development of prevention and therapy against infections, cancer, and inflammatory diseases.