Late Nobel Medicine Laureate Ralph Steinman Will Keep Award

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 Steinman’s death from pancreatic cancer and that the award had been made “in good faith.”

Steinman was announced the joint winner on Monday, along with Bruce Beutler and Jules Hoffman.

Steinman received the award for revolutionizing the understanding of the immune system.

He discovered the dendritic cell, which helps the body fight off infection.