Update: His family will receive the prize despite the Nobel Foundation's regulations that do not allow a prize to be awarded posthumously * The Rockefeller University announced the death of Prof. Ralph Stayman, the discoverer of dendritic cells, on Friday
21: 50 Update
The Nobel Prize Committee will give half of the 2011 Nobel Prize for Medicine, in the amount of 750 dollars, to the family of Prof. Ralph Stayman. The prize regulations prohibit the awarding of the prize to deceased persons, unless the death occurred between the date of the announcement and the day of the prize distribution, this is a rare case in which the winner died shortly before the announcement, but the members of the prize committee were not informed of this.
The Rockefeller University has announced the passing of Prof. Ralph Stayman, who discovered the dendritic cells of the immune system and demonstrated how science can fruitfully utilize the power of these cells and other components of the immune system to fight infections and infectious diseases. As is well known, the Nobel Prize is not awarded posthumously, except in the event that the person dies in the short period (of about two months) between the announcement of the win and the holding of the ceremony, which takes place every year on December 10 in Stockholm.
Steinman, who was chosen today by the Nobel Prize Committee for Medicine together with Professors Bruce Beutler and Jules Hoffmann, died on Friday, September 30 at the age of 68. He was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer about four years ago and his life was prolonged using a drug based on dendritic cells that he developed himself.
"The Rockefeller University is thrilled that the Nobel Prize Committee recognized Prof. Ralph Stayman for his discoveries in the field of the innate immune system that allows the body to respond immune to a wide variety of threats," says Rockefeller University President Mark Tassier-Laving, "but the happy news is mixed with sadness. We all share in the grief of his wife, children and family over the death of Prof. Steinman"
"We were all thrilled that our father's long-term work was recognized with a Nobel Prize," said his daughter Alexis Steinman. "He dedicated his life to his work and family and we are proud of that."
"Ralph's research laid the foundations for a large number of discoveries in the important field of immunology and led to new approaches to the way we treat cancer, infectious diseases and disorders of the immune system," said Tessier-Laving.
Dendritic cells were discovered in 1973 by Ralph Steinman and the late Zanbil Cohen at Rockefeller University. At the same time, Steinman and Cohen studied spleen cells to understand the induction of the immune response in the mouse's major lymphoid organ. They knew from research in other laboratories that the development of the vaccine in the spleen of mice requires both lymphocytes and another type of cells, accessory cells whose role and identity were not clear. They believed that these cells should be typical macrophages, but despite intensive experiments with macrophages in the laboratory - they encountered a population of cells with an unusual shape and movement that they had not seen before. Because the cells had a tree shape or "dendrite" they called them dendritic cells.
When Steinman examined this population of cells, they bore little if any resemblance to the familiar macrophages. Dendritic cells lack a membrane enzyme that is abundant in macrophages. Unlike the macrophages, the dendritic cells were detached from the surface of the culture, had little vitality, and their turnover in the spleen was rapid. Also, unlike macrophages, they had only a few lysosomes - digestive bodies, they lacked other factors needed for particles that wrap antibodies (Fc receptors) and were hardly ingested both inside the body and in vitro. According to the researchers, the experiments in Cohen's and Steinman's laboratory in the biology of macrophage cells enabled the sure identification of the dendritic cells as new cells, unique in their function.
By 1979, Steinman and Cohen had learned to enrich the small population of dendritic cells (which normally make up XNUMX percent of all cells in the spleen). After achieving a high level of purification, they began functional studies. In these studies it was discovered that these cells play a role in stimulating the immune system. Similar cells have been discovered in many animals and in the human blood system. Subgroups were also identified, each with a different surface area. Laboratories around the world have begun to study dendritic cells and discover how they stimulate the immune system. With the expansion of the capacity to the field of molecular biology, even more details were discovered.
In 1992, Steinman and colleagues from Europe and Japan developed methods to generate many types of dendritic cells from their progenitor cells.
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For some reason I don't think this is an embarrassing mistake, because the scientist was sick with cancer and tried so hard to live the last few days to reach the winning announcement. And so even if the Nobel Prize committee had known in advance that he died three days before the announcement of the win from cancer, it should have awarded him the prize as planned! Because there is elementary morality. He didn't die two or three months before the announcement. He died three days before the announcement, so fairness requires that even if they knew in advance, he deserves the award.
What about the Nobel Prize in Physics? Maybe this year dear Aharonov will finally win the prize. I think he deserves the award. But I'm not Swedish...
It's an embarrassing mishap, but in the end maybe it's good that it happened.