MONTREAL — Dr. Ralph Steinman, the Montreal-born immunologist who won the Nobel Prize in Medicine along with two other scientists on Monday, died on Friday of pancreatic cancer — never having learned that he would be awarded science's top honour. He was 68.
Steinman earned the prize for his 1973 discovery of what he called the dendritic cell — a finding that scientists say has greatly enhanced our understanding of how the body's adaptive immune system works, and that has paved the way for treatments for cancer and other diseases.
In fact, Steinman probably prolonged his own life with a therapy that was based on his original research, his sister-in-law said. Steinman had been battling pancreatic cancer for the past 4 1/2 years, and had been doing well until his health deteriorated suddenly in the last few weeks, Linda Steinman said.
"He was using his own immune therapy on his illness," she said. "I can't tell you how he was doing it. It's much too complex, I imagine. He worked with colleagues at Harvard (University) and Johns Hopkins (in Baltimore) on this type of therapy. We firmly believe that the therapy that he developed helped him — that it extended his life, since pancreatic cancer is such a lethal form."
Steinman was born at the Royal Victoria Hospital on Jan. 14, 1943. He grew up in Sherbrooke, Que., with his brothers Seymour and Mark as well as sister Joni, working in the family clothing store on weekends.
He returned to Montreal to study science at McGill University on a scholarship, living with his maternal grandparents, Nathan and Eva Takefman.
After earning an undegraduate degree at McGill, he studied medicine at Harvard, also on a scholarship.
Reached by phone at her Montreal-area home, Steinman's mother, 92-year-old Nettie Steinman, said she was proud of her son.
"But I have other children, so they're all equal in my estimation," she said.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper released a statement Monday afternoon praising Steinman's achievements in immunology, along with those of the other recipients, Jules Hoffman and Bruce Beutler.
"Sadly, Dr. Steinman passed away on Sept. 30, 2011, prior to receiving his prize," Harper said. "The Nobel Prize is a fitting final tribute to his life's work."
Seymour Steinman described his brother as a "terrific man and a great guy."
"He worked seven days a week on his research," he said.
In May 2010, Seymour and his wife Linda visited Steinman at his lab at Rockefeller University in New York, where he had made his discovery. Steinman was excited to be giving his brother and sister-in-law a tour of his newly renovated facilities.
"He was amazed by the wonder of science," Linda said. "But he was spiritual, too."
Despite working in New York, Steinman visited Montreal regularly, tending to his mother after she broke a hip.
He advised Dr. Jean-Pierre Routy, a hematologist at the Royal Victoria Hospital, when he was developing an HIV vaccine in 2009. That vaccine is now undergoing Phase II clinical trials
"He was a very kind person," Routy recalled.
The Nobel committee observed that Steinman's discovery was "initially met with skepticism" but later proved to be highly influential.
"He was able to find something from a lab mouse — the dendritic cell — to understand the mechanism of the immune system," Routy explained. "He was able to show that these cells are the big conductors of the immune system. Then he pushed for research into these cells as a therapeutic vehicle."
Steinman had been asked to advise the McGill University Health Centre in its plans to build a new hospital and research facilities, Linda said. And he sat on a committee sponsored by the Canadian government that discussed how research grants are awarded.
In 2003, Steinman was awarded the Gairdner Prize in Toronto for his pioneering work into dendritic cells. In 2009, he was named a co-recipient of the $500,000 Albany Medical Centre Prize, the largest award in medicine in the United States.
But Steinman wasn't all science and research. He enjoyed gardening and jogging. For a while, he and his wife, Claudia, took dancing lessons, practising the salsa at a number of New York clubs.
A private funeral was held over the weekend in New York. In addition to his mother and siblings, Steinman is survived by his son Adam, twin daughters Alexis and Lesley, as well as three grandchildren.
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