On Monday, October 3, 2011 the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine was awarded to three researchers for their work in the workings of the body’s immune system. Working independently, Dr. Ralph M. Steinman, Jules A. Hoffman, and Dr. Bruce A. Beutler were awarded the prize for their research in how the immune system works to detect and attack invaders such as viruses and bacteria. Unfortunately, Dr. Steinman succumbed to pancreatic cancer on Friday, September 30, just three days before being awarded the prize.
There has been controversy surrounding posthumously awarding Steinman the prize since it is widely-thought that only a living person can receive the award. According to Statute 4 of the Nobel Foundation, while it is true that a deceased person cannot be nominated for the prize, if a person passes away between the nomination committee meeting and the award date, the award can be presented posthumously. Besides, Dr. Steinman, this has only occurred two other times in history. Nominations are kept secret for 50 years. Therefore, there would have been no reasonable contact between Steiman’s family of his declining health or death, and the Nobel Foundation committee.
Much has been made over the committee’s need to pore over rules and regulations of the prize founded by Swede, Alfred Nobel. However, since the 1974 amendment that no deceased person shall be nominated for the prize, there has not been any question as to awarding a nominee who passes away before nomination and award ceremony.
Tuesday, October 4, Steinman’s family accepted the award of $750,000 for the immunologist. The remaining half of the $1.5 million dollar award will be shared between Hoffman and Beuter.