IT is with great sadness that we announce the death of Dr Ralph Steinman, a member of The H R Trust’s Scientific Review Board, Nikolas Symposium Steering Committee and 2011 Nobel Prize recipient.
Canadian-born Professor Steinman was a member of the Scientific Review Board between 2004 and 2011 and played an extremely active role in reviewing the applications made to conduct research into LCH and HLH. His advice and recommendations were immeasurable.
Despite being unwell during the calls made in 2008 and 2010, Dr Steinman continued to provide perceptive criticisms and greatly helped the SRB to determine which application would be awarded funding.
He was also a valued member of the Nikolas Symposium Steering Committee and his guidance and support will be deeply missed.
On Monday October 3rd2011, Dr Steinman was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, just days after his death from pancreatic cancer. He received it "for his discovery of the dendritic cell and its role in adaptive immunity".
In 1973, Dr Steinman discovered “dendritic cells” which play a critical role in activating the body’s adaptive immune system. His subsequent research led to a new understanding of how they function and laid the foundation for numerous discoveries in the critically important field of immunology. It also led to innovative new approaches in how cancer, infectious diseases and disorders of the immune system are treated.
The Nobel Assembly at the Karolinska Institute said Dr Steinman had revolutionized the understanding of the immune system by discovering key principles for its activation and had discovered the dendritic cells of the immune system and their unique capacity to activate and regulate adaptive immunity, the later stage of the immune response during which micro-organisms are cleared from the body.
The importance of Dr Steinman’s work was marked by an array of awards throughout his career. He was the recipient of the A.H. Heineken Prize for Medicine in 2010, the Albany Medical Center Prize in Medicine and Biomedical Research in 2009 and the Albert Lasker Basic Medical Research Award in 2007. He received the Debrecen Prize in Molecular Medicine in 2006, the New York City Mayor’s Award for Excellence in Science and Technology in 2004, the Novartis Prize in Immunology in 2004 and the Gairdner Foundation International Award in 2003. He was a member of the National Academy of Sciences and the Institute of Medicine.
H R Trust President Paul Kontoyannis said: “We express our condolences and sincere gratitude to Ralph’s family for his steadfast dedication to our cause and for his many contributions to helping us understand more about Histiocytosis which will enable us to seek a rational cure.
We have lost not only a great and dedicated scientist, but also a wonderful friend.”