Satoshi Ōmura

Satoshi Ōmura was born in Nirasaki, Yamanashi, Japan, in 1935, the second son of Ōmura family. After graduating from the University of Yamanashi in 1958, he was appointed to science teacher at Tokyo Metropolitan Sumida Tech High School. In 1960, he became an auditor of Koji Nakanishi’s course at Tokyo University of Education, one year later, he enrolled in the Tokyo University of Science (TUS) and studied sciences. Ōmura received his M.S. degree from TUS and his Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Sciences from the University of Tokyo (1968, a Dissertation PhD) and a Ph.D. in Chemistry at TUS (1970).[1]

Since 1965 Ōmura served at Kitasato Institute system.[2] From 1970 to 1990, he also became a part-time lecturer at Tokyo University of Science.[3]

In 1971, he was a visiting professor at Wesleyan University,[2] he consulted the chairman of the American Chemical Society, Max Tishler, at the a Canadian international conference. Finally, they succeeded in acquiring research expenses from Merck & Co. .[4]

Ōmura was considering continuing his research in the United States, but he ultimately decided to move back to Japan. In 1973, he became a director of the antibiotic laboratory at Kitasato University,[5] and he also started collaborative research with Merck & Co. .[6] In 1975, he became professor of Kitasato University School of Pharmacy. Meanwhile, the Ōmura laboratory raised many researchers and produced 31 university professors and 120 doctors.

At present date, Ōmura is professor emeritus at Kitasato University and Max Tishler Professor of Chemistry at Wesleyan University.

Satoshi Ōmura is known for the discovery and development of various pharmaceuticals originally occurring in microorganisms. He was awarded the 2015 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine jointly with William C. Campbell and Tu Youyou for discoveries concerning a novel therapy against infections caused by roundworm parasites. More precisely, his research group isolated a strain of Streptomyces avermitilis that produce the anti-parasitical compound avermectin. Campbell later acquired these bacteria and developed the derived drug ivermectin that is today used against river blindness, lymphatic filariasis and other parasitic infections.[1][7][8]

Since 1970s, Ōmura discoveries more than 480 new compounds, there are 25 kinds of drugs and reagents in use, such as a specific inhibitor of protein kinase: staurosporine, a proteasome inhibitor: lactacystin, a fatty acid biosynthesis inhibitor: cerulenin, and andrastin, herbimycin, neoxaline, and so on, which have greatly contributed to the elucidation of life phenomena. Furthermore, compounds having a unique structure and biological activity discovered by Omura are drawing attention as lead compounds in drug discovery research, and new anticancer drugs and the like have been created.

A Children's statues leading to adults of onchocerciasis before Kitasato University buildings were produced by sculptors of Burkina Faso in honor of Ōmura's contributions of avermectin and ivermectin, a symbol of the campaign to eradicate onchocerciasis,[9] the similar life-sized Bronze statue is built in World Health Organization (WHO) Headquarters, Carter Center, Merck & Co., World Bank Headquarters, and Burkina Faso's World Health Organization Africa Onchocerciasis Control Program.

Ōmura served as deputy director and director at the Kitasato Institute, he was devoted to rebuild the laboratory and promoting the establishment of the medical center (now Kitasato University Medical Center). Meanwhile, he establishing a path to rebuilding of the corporate (school juridical person), it has integrated with the School corporation Kitasato Gakuen and has succeeded in establishing a new "School corporation Kitasato Institute". In addition, in the education field, he served as president of the School corporation Joshibi University of Art and Design twice, and served as the honorary school chief of the School corporation Kaichi Gakuen.[10] In 2007, he established the Nirasaki Omura Art Museum on his collection.[11]

Satoshi Ōmura (left) and William C. Campbell (right) in Stockholm, December 2015.

List of honorary doctorate:[16]

• 1992 – Lajos Kossuth University, Hungary
• 1994 – Wesleyan University, USA
• 2016 – Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China
• 2018 – University of St Andrews, Scotland

• Ōmura, S.; wai, A.; Hirano, A.; Nakagawa, A.; Awaya, J.; Tsuchiya, H.; Takahashi, Y.; Masuma, R. (1977). "A new alkaloid AM-2282 of Streptomyces origin: Fermentation, isolation and preliminary characterization". J. Antibiot. 30 (4): 275–282. doi:10.7164/antibiotics.30.275. PMID 863788.
• Burg, R. W.; Miller, B. M.; Baker, E. E.; Birnbaum, J.; Currie, S. A.; Hartman, R.; Kong, Y.-L.; Monaghan, R.; Olson, G.; Putter, I.; Tunac, J. B.; Wallick, H.; Stapley, E. O.; Oiwa, R.; Ōmura, S. (1979). "Avermectins, new family of potent anthelmintic agents: producing organism and fermentation". Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 15 (3): 61–367. doi:10.1128/AAC.15.3.361. PMC 352666. PMID 464561.
• Hopwood, D.A.; Malphatida, F.; Kieser, H.M.; Ikeda, J.; Juncan, J.; Fujii, B.A.M.; Rudd, H.; Floss, G.; Ōmura, S. (1984). "Production of 'hybrid' antibiotics by genetic engineering". Nature. 314 (6012): 642–644. doi:10.1038/314642a0. PMC 180355. PMID 3460518.
• Ikeda, H.; Nonomiya, T.; Usami, M.; Ohta, T; Ōmura, S. (1999). "Organization of the biosynthetic gene cluster for the polyketide anthelmintic macrolide avermectin in Streptomyces avermitilis". Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. 96 (17): 9509–9514. Bibcode:1999PNAS...96.9509I. doi:10.1073/pnas.96.17.9509. PMC 22239. PMID 10449723.
• Hayashi, M.; Rho, M.-C.; Enomoto, A.; Fukami, A.; Kim, Y.-P.; Kikuchi, Y.; Sunazuka, T.; Hirose, T.; Komiyama, K.; Ōmura, S. (2002). "Suppression of bone resorption by madindoline A, a novel nonpeptide antagonist to gp130". Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. 99 (23): 14728–14739. doi:10.1073/pnas.232562799. PMC 137487. PMID 12417753.
• Hirose, T.; Sunazuka, T.; Ōmura, S. (2010). "Recent development of two chitinase inhibitors, argifin and argadin, produced by soil microorganisms (Rev. article)". Proc. Jpn. Acad. 86 (2): 85–102. doi:10.2183/pjab.86.85. PMC 3417560. PMID 20154467.
• Matoba, N.; Husk, A.S.; Barnett, B.W.; Pickel, M.M.; Arntzen, C.J.; Montefiori, D.C.; Takahashi, A.; Tanno, K; Omura, Satoshi; Cao, C.; Mooney, J.P.; Hanson, C.V.; Tanaka, H. (2010). "HIV-1 Neutralization Profile and Plant-Based Recombinant Expression of Actinohivin, an Env Glycan-Specific Lectin Devoid of T-Cell Mitogenic Activity". PLOS ONE. 5 (6): e11143. Bibcode:2010PLoSO...511143M. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0011143. PMC 2886112. PMID 20559567.
• Nakano, H.; Ōmura, S. (2009). "Chemical biology of natural indolocarbazole products: 30 years since the discovery of staurosporine (Review article)". J. Antibiot. 62 (1): 17–26. doi:10.1038/ja.2008.4. PMID 19132059.
• Ōmura, S. (2011). "Microbial metabolites: 45 years of wandering, wondering and discovering". Tetrahedron. 67 (35): 6420–6459. doi:10.1016/j.tet.2011.03.117.

• Avermectin and Ivermectin
• Lactacystin, Cerulenin, Andrastin A, Herbimycin, and Neoxaline
• Merck & Co.
• Koji Nakanishi
• Tohru Fukuyama
• Kitasato Shibasaburō
• List of Japanese Nobel laureates
• List of Nobel laureates affiliated with the University of Tokyo

• Professor Satoshi Omura
• Satoshi Ōmura | People | THE KITASATO INSTITUTE
• Nirasaki Omura Art Museum
• Satoshi Ōmura Quotes With Pictures