This article talks about a precedent in Nobel Prize history. Dr. Ralph Steinman, a biologist at Rockefeller University, was named winner of the 2011 Nobel Prize in Physiology, this Monday. Unfortunately, Steinman died of pancreatic cancer this Friday. Ironically, he had actually extended his own life using therapy that he had designed himself! The Nobel Prize Rules state that the prize cannot be awarded to someone after their death. In this situation, the Nobel committee was not aware of his death and had already declared him to be the winner. He would have received the prize of almost $1.5 million!
Steinman discovered the immune system's sentinel dendritic cells. He also demonstrated that science can productively harness the power of these cells and other components of the immune system to curb infections and other communicable diseases. Brilliantly enough, when Steinman was diagnosed with cancer, he prolonged his life using exactly this; his own dendritic cell-based immunotherapy. The Nobel Committee recognized Steinman for his discovery of the dendritic cell and its role in adaptive immunity.
In further detail, Dr. Steinman discovered dendritic cells in 1973. He found that these new class of cells are very important in activating the body's adaptive immune system. He later, found out how they function. Overall, his reasearch set a foundation for more studies in immunology and has led to advanced, new approaches to treating cancer, infectious diseases, and disorders of the immune system. Dr. Steinman applied his research on his own life. He deployed his own dendritic cells to mount an assault on his own cancer! Truly an inspiration for all.
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