科技英语新闻:Nobel medicine laureate honored at NYC Rockefeller University after his death

NEW YORK, Oct. 3 (Xinhua) -- For the 34-year-old Alexis Steinman, Oct. 3 would have been a great day, because her father Ralph Steinman was announced winner of the 2011 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.

But as she talked to Xinhua at the Rockefeller University where his father worked, she said the day was rather "bittersweet".

"This is the moment, but my Dad was not here," said Alexis, trying to hold her tears.

The Canadian-born cell biologist Ralph Steinman died of pancreatic cancer on Friday at the age of 68, three days before he was announced the joint winner along with Prof. Bruce Beutler and Prof. Jules Hoffman for the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.

"We even talked about the Nobel Prize days before his death," Alexis added.

"We were like 'OK Dad, I know things aren't going well but the Nobel, they are going to announce it next Monday'. And he was like 'I know I have got to hold out for that. They don't give it to you if you have passed away,'" she said.

"It's really impossible to describe how our family is feeling right now. We're devastated to have lost Ralph,"Steinman' s son Adam Steinman told reporters at the press conference at Rockefeller University. "We're so incredibly proud of Dad for receiving this wonderful honor ... We know he will live on through his scientific contributions," he said.

Rockefeller University president Marc Tessier-Lavigne told reporters during Monday's press conference that the university only heard of Steinman's death from the family about half an hour after news of the Nobel prize came out from Sweden.

"We are all deeply saddened by his death, " said Tessier- Lavigne , adding that Steinman had been treating himself with a groundbreaking therapy based on his research into the body's immune system.

He said Steinman's research has laid the foundation for numerous discoveries in the critically important field of immunology, and it has led to innovative new approaches in how people treat cancer, infectious diseases and disorders of the immune system.

Steinman's first student and close colleague Michel Nussenzweig told the press conference packed with reporters, students and professors that "one of the interesting things about Ralph and his discovery is that no one believes it for a really long time."

"What was amazing about Ralph was that he just knew that, even though nobody else believed it, this was really important, and he persisted, and finally after a very long time, everyone just found out it was true," Nussenzweig said.

"Ralph worked until last week. His dream was to use his discovery to make vaccines and it is a dream that is pretty close, and we are all continuing to work to make that come true," he added.

The Nobel Foundation made a statement after learning Steinman's death, saying that the decision to award the prize to the Canadian scientist would remain unchanged despite his death, and the prize money will be transferred to his estate.