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Three pioneers of the immune system awarded this year's Nobel Prize in Medicine

4 October 2011

Immunology was a standout winner at this year’s Nobel Prize Ceremony.

The 2011 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine went to three immunologists who have dedicated their careers to understanding the extraordinary intricacies of our immune systems.

The Nobel Prize was divided, one half jointly to Bruce A. Beutler and Jules A. Hoffmann "for their discoveries concerning the activation of innate immunity" and the other half to Ralph M. Steinman "for his discovery of the dendritic cell and its role in adaptive immunity".

Link to the Official Nobel Prize Web Site to read more

Sadly, Prof Steinman died just a couple of days before the announcement by the Nobel Foundation but will keep his award. Read more >>

This announcement has been received with great enthusiasm by all of us here at the Malaghan Institute, where our scientists are focused on developing novel strategies for harnessing the strength and potency of the immune system to fight disease.

The discoveries published by Beutler, Hoffman and Steinman have played a pivotal role in shaping the Malaghan Institute’s research programmes.

On behalf of everyone here at the Malaghan Institute we offer our heartfelt congratulations to Bruce Beutler and Jules Hoffman, and to the Steinman family in memory of Ralph’s pioneering research.

Read more about the Malaghan Institute's immunology research