Ralph Steinman

Ralph Steinman (http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/medicine/laureates/2011/steinman.html ())

In 2011, Ralph Steinman was awarded a Nobel prize for his work in the discovery of the dendritic cell. The dendritic cell probes for antigens and activates the immune system.This could be used in fighting cancer, making vaccines, autoimmunity diseases, and allergies.

Ralph Steinman was a Canadian who achieved a great deal in his lifetime. He was born January 14, 1943 in Montreal, Quebec, and died on September 30, 2011. He attended McGill University in 1963 where he got his undergraduate degree and Harvard University in 1968 where he got his M.D. In 1970 he joined Rockefeller University where he did his research on the dendritic cell.

The dendritic cell is a cell that probes for antigens and activates the immune system. It could be used fighting cancer, making vaccines, autoimmunity diseases, and allergies. Ralph Steinman used the cell in his fight against pancreatic cancer and lived longer than average but it is not known if it was the help of the dendritic cells or not. Sadly he, died three days before he was presented the Nobel Prize for medicine.

The Nobel Prize must be presented to a living scientist but in Ralph Steinman's case the rule was overlooked because he was already awarded the prize before he died. He also won the Albany Medical Center Prize in Medicine and Biomedical Research in 2009, the Albert Lasker Basic Medical Research Award in 2007, the New York City Mayor's Award for Excellence in Science and Technology in 2004 and the Gairdner Foundation International Award in 2003. During his career he donated the prize money from the other awards to a foundation that helps aspiring scientists and the 1.5 million dollar prize is planned to do the same according,to his daughter.

I think Ralph Steinman is a hero because he gave away the prize money even though he worked hard to win it and never sought fame and fortune. Now some of his research is being used for dendritic-cell tumor vaccines. Which could potentially improve the quality of life and expand the life expectancy for many people.