Westporter Dies Just Days Before Winning Nobel Prize

A scientist and Westport resident who was awarded the Nobel Prize in medicine but died just days before the honor was announced will receive it posthumously, the Nobel Committee reportedly announced today.

According to published reports, Ralph Steinman, 68, who lived on North Avenue, died last Friday from pancreatic cancer, just three days before he was due to receive the Nobel Prize for his discovery of a special type of immune cells, known as dendritic cells, two decades ago.

Steinman shares the prize, which was announced Monday by the Nobel Prize Committee in Stockholm, with American Bruce Beutler and French scientist Jules Hoffmann.

According to an Associated Press report, the Nobel Committee was apparently not made aware of Steinman's death until Monday. The committee had to review whether the award would have to be withdrawn, as Nobel statutes don't allow posthumous awards unless a laureate dies after the award is officially announced.

According to a report on WestportNow, the Nobel Foundation held an emergency meeting today to discuss whether Steinman should still receive the award, even though he died three days before the announcement. The foundation reportedly decided that the decision will stand and Steinman will still receive the award.

A cell biologist, Steinman co-discovered a previously unknown class of immune cells called dendritic cells. His research revealed that the cells play an important role in the onset of certain immune responses.