Every day of our lives, silently and invisibly, our bodies do battle against a never-ending onslaught of hostile forces. Bacteria. Viruses. Microbes of all kinds. Fortunately, we win the lion’s share of these battles. If we didn’t, we’d all die.

The foot soldiers in this daily battle are the microscopic cells and molecules of the body’s immune system. For centuries, its workings were shrouded in mystery. But over the past hundred years, thanks in large part to the groundbreaking discoveries of Nobel Prize-awarded scientists, we have unraveled its basic principles, and learned how to teach it new disease-fighting skills. And in recent years, immunology has made even bolder advances – taking on diseases that once seemed beyond its reach.

The Body’s Secret Army, a new 30-minute documentary from Nobel Media AB, introduces viewers to scientists, doctors, and patients who are united by their determination to unlock the immune system’s mysteries, as well as to some of the Nobel Prize awarded pioneers whose discoveries opened the doors to today’s advances.

The program was produced by the award-winning US production company Kikim Media and is currently being broadcast by public television stations.

The Body’s Secret Army is the second documentary produced as part of the AstraZeneca Nobel Medicine Initiative, which highlights the impact of the work of researchers who have won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.  The first, The Mystery of Memory, explored how advances in neuroscience help us better understand the mechanisms of memory.  This new program explores how groundbreaking discoveries by Nobel Prize awarded scientists have helped unravel the immune system’s basic principles and reveal the secrets to its ability to fight any number of diseases.  The documentary also explores how recent advances in immunology have allowed doctors to successfully treat diseases that once seemed incurable.

The documentary features interviews with several Nobel Laureates, as well as doctors and patients who are united by their determination to unlock the immune system’s mysteries.  “‘The Body's Secret Army’ tells the story of the remarkable progress we’ve made in understanding the complexities of the body's immune system, thanks in large part to the discoveries of researchers who have been recognized by the Nobel Prize,” said Camilla Hyltén-Cavallius, CEO, Nobel Media AB.

See The Body’s Secret Army:

http://www.nobelprize.org/mediaplayer/index.php?id=1643

The Body’s Secret Army is part of the AstraZeneca Nobel Medicine Initiative, a global co-operation between AstraZeneca and Nobel Media AB. The aim of the Initiative is to increase understanding of the impact of the work of researchers who have been awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.

To see the first documentary within the Initiative, The Mystery of Memory, please visit this link:

http://www.nobelprize.org/mediaplayer/index.php?id=1456

To read more about the AstraZeneca Nobel Medicine Initiative, see: http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_organizations/nobelmedia/s_partners/astrazeneca/index.html

Media Contact Nobel Media AB

Merci Olsson

Marketing and Communications Director

Tel: 46 738 523595

Email: merci.olsson@nobelmedia.se