Work

When the body's cells are attacked by viruses, the immune system begins killing the infected cells. By studying mice, Rolf Zinkernagel and Peter Doherty proved in 1973 how the immune system recognises virus-ridden cells. A kind of white blood cell, the T-cell, kills the virus-ridden cells, but only if it recognises both the foreign substances, viruses, and certain substances from the body's own cells. The discovery has provided an important basis for producing vaccines and medicines against infectious diseases, and also for treating and understanding inflammatory diseases and cancer.