The immune system is often likened to an elite army that protects the body. For decades, humans have only focused on how to make that army stronger, to destroy viruses, prevent cancer, prevent bacteria... But Sakaguchi and his colleagues discovered that, like all armies, if they only "ghige" without control, that "army" would return to destroy themselves.
Scientists have discovered a special group of barrier - regulating T cells (T-reg), controlled by the FOXP3 gene. Their task is to keep the immune system from crossing limits, from confusing "enemies" and "family". When this gene is deficient, people are more likely to fall into autoimmune diseases, because the immune system turns to attack its own tissue. In the context of modern society, where people live in a hurry, sleep less and are stressed, the discovery and awarding of the Nobel Prize also shows that the human body, no matter how small or sophisticated the universe is, still follows the principle of balance.
And when there is a mechanism within the human body to self-regulate and self-resist, society also needs the same. A healthy community depends not only on attack strength or development speed, but also on the ability to self-control conflicts, knowing how to stop before unforgivable limits.
In personal life, it is anger control, emotional management, controlling one's behavior and needs. In society, it is the ability to regulate benefits, harmonize differences, and avoid "collective immune response" that destroys common values.
For sports lovers or people living with chronic diseases, this lesson is even more valuable, because health is not only " stronger", but recovery and balance are very important. An overly excited immune system will harm you; the same goes for a person who is always in a state of stress.
The 2025 Nobel Prize in Medicine, therefore, is not only about biological mechanisms but also a metaphor for how people should know how to regulate themselves and harmonize with the world around them.
