Late Nobel medicine laureate Ralph Steinman keeps award

[jannyk]

Source: BBC

Canadian scientist Ralph Steinman will keep his Nobel prize for medicine, the Nobel Foundation has said, after his death on Friday threw it into doubt. The rules state "work by a person since deceased shall not be considered". But the foundation said it was unaware of Prof Steinman's death from pancreatic cancer and that the award had been made "in good faith".

A statement on the Rockefeller University website, where Prof Steinman worked, said the scientist had died on 30 September at the age of 68. "Work produced by a person since deceased shall not be considered for an award. If, however, a prizewinner dies before he has received the prize, then the prize may be presented” He was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer four years ago.

The foundation said in a statement: "The events that have occurred are unique and, to the best of our knowledge, are unprecedented in the history of the Nobel Prize.

"According to the statutes of the Nobel Foundation, work produced by a person since deceased shall not be given an award. However, the statutes specify that if a person has been awarded a prize and has died before receiving it, the prize may be presented.

Read more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-15155642

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Good!