Satoshi Ōmura and the University of Yamanashi

Prof Satoshi Ōmura , a graduate of the University of Yamanashi, was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2015. His discovery of a novel soil-living actinomycete and the useful chemicals it produced has had – and continues to have – an immeasurably beneficial impact in improving the health and livelihoods of hundreds of millions of people living in many of the world’s poorest communities throughout tropical regions. In addition many people in Japan and other wealthy countries in the world are also benefitting from the medicaments arising from that single microrganism, as well as the many other beneficial chemicals that Prof Ōmura has discovered.

Prof Ōmura was born in 1935 in Kamiyama Village, Kita-Koma County, Yamanashi Prefecture (now part of Nirasaki City), entered the Faculty of Arts and Sciences of the University of Yamanashi (now the Faculty of Education) in 1954, and graduated in 1958.

In further recognition of the excellent and unprecedented achievements of Prof Ōmura, the University of Yamanashi also awarded him a special Honorary Doctorate degree in October of 2015.

Nobel Prize winning discovery

In 1974, Prof Ōmura isolated an unknown strain of an actinomycete microorganism from a soil sample collected in Kawana, Ito City, Shizuoka Prefecture. In a joint study with Merck & Co., Inc. of the United States, it was found that the new strain, which Prof Ōmura had recognised as having unique properties not seen before in other actinomycetes, produced a novel chemical. This substance was discovered to be able to kill parasitic nematodes in mice.

In 1979, the new strain was described in a scientific publication as a new species of actinomycete, Streptomyces avermitilis, and the antiparasitic substance was named avermectin.

Subsequently, work was carried out to develop and examine a variety of derivatives of avermectin and a safer, more effective compound was produced, a dihydro-derivative named ivermectin. First marketed in 1981 on the animal health market, ivermectin soon became the world’s best selling product for use in killing parasites in livestock and pets. Researchers also began to explore its possible use in humans and it was found to be an ideal drug for treating one of the world’s most neglected tropical diseases that had plagued Africa for centuries. An ivermectin product, named Mectizan®, was manufactured for use in humans to treat Onchocerciasis (or River Blindness) throughout tropical regions in Africa, Latin America and the Middle East. In an unprecedented move, Merck & Co and the Kitasato Institute agreed to forego the income from sales of the drug for human use, resulting in 1987 in the start of the world’s most successful and longest running drug donation programme, one which persuaded many other major pharmaceutical companies to follow suit. Mectizan® was so safe and effective, it allowed public health authorities to switch from simply controlling River Blindness to the possibility of eliminating it.

Ivermectin was such a unique drug that it was later seen to also be highly effective in combatting a similar devastating and disfiguring tropical disease, Lymphatic Filariasis (also known as Elephantiasis). Accordingly, the donation programme was extended in the late-1990s to provide ivermectin free of charge to help eliminate Lymphatic filariasis globally. In massive drug donation initiatives, Merck & Co, Inc, the Kitasato Institute and the World Health Organization and partners have been ensuring that around 300 million people have been taking donated Mectizan® tablets every year for 20-30 years. Hundreds of millions of the world’s poorest individuals, and their families, have had their health and welfare improved as a result. And both disease elimination programmes are approaching their goals. Ivermectin has also long been used to treat other disease in humans, such as strongyloidiasis, scabies, other skin diseases, and to kill head lice and new uses for this extraordinary drug are regularly being found. In Japan, ivermectin is sold under the brand name Stromectol® and is especially useful in preventing and treating skin complaints in the elderly.

In addition to avermectin, Prof Ōmura has discovered over 500 new natural biologically active substances, mostly produced from microbes isolated from soil samples. Among these are staurosporine and lactacystin, which have contributed greatly to our understanding of life phenomena as research reagents and which, in particularly, have been forerunners in the development of highly-successful medicaments, notably anti-cancer agents.

Biographical sketch

1935

Born as the eldest son of three children of the Ōmura family in Kamiyama Village, Kitakoma-gun, Yamanashi Prefecture (July 12). His father was a community leader and his mother was a school teacher (music/piano)

1939

A wooden Amida Nyorai of Ganjoji Temple and the statues on both sides of it (which Prof Ōmura’s father Yoshio and others ensured were saved from destruction) became a National Important Cultural Property

1942

Entered Kamiyama Village Kamiyama National School

1948

Graduated from Kamiyama Village Kamiyama Elementary School
Entered Kamiyama Village Kamiyama Junior High School
Integrated with Kamiyama Junior High School, the school became Nirasaki Junior High School, established by an association including Nirasaki City and Kamiyama Village.(July)

1951

Graduated from Nirasaki Junior High School
Enrolled in Yamanashi Prefectural Nirasaki High School
Joined Yamanashi Prefectural Nirasaki High School Table Tennis Club

1952

Joined Yamanashi Nirasaki High School Ski Club
Joined Nirasaki Ski Club
Encountered Yamadera Iwao, officer of the Yamanashi Prefectural Ski Association

1953

Becomes leader of Yamanashi Prefectural Nirasaki Senior High School Table Tennis club
Wins 3rd place prize in the 7th Yamanashi ski championship long distance high school student division
Father recommends going to university and becoming a surgeon.

1954

Graduated Yamanashi Prefectural Nirasaki High School
Entered the Department of Natural Sciences, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, University of Yamanashi
Studied under Senjiro Maruta, a Chemistry Professor, and served as a Research Assistant for Motonoshin Tanaka, a Professor of Earth Sciences.
Studied under Ryusaku Yokoyama (who was called the “Emperor of Skiing”)
Won the long-distance division of the 8th Yamanashi Prefecture ski championship

1955

Won the long-distance division of the 9th Yamanashi Prefecture ski championship

1956

Won both the long-distance division of the 10th Yamanashi Prefecture ski championship and as a member of Nirasaki Ski Club, the club competition relay
Won the long-distance youth division, the youth slalom division and the youth grand slalom division of the 1st Amariyama Ski Championship

1957

Participated as the representative of Yamanashi Prefecture in the long-distance skiing division of the 11th National Athletic Meet Winter Games (Aomori Prefecture)
Won both the long-distance division of the 11th Yamanashi Prefecture ski championship and as a member of Nirasaki Ski Club, the club competition relay
Won the long-distance youth division and the youth slalom division of the 2nd Amariyama Ski Championship

1958

Participated as the representative of Yamanashi Prefecture in the long-distance skiing division of the 12th National Athletic Meet Winter Games (Hyogo Prefecture)
Won the long-distance youth division, the youth slalom division and the youth grand slalom division of the 1st Amariyama Ski Championship
Won the long-distance division of the 12th Yamanashi Prefecture ski championship
Introduced to the University of Yamanashi’s Prof Adachi Sada by Prof Motonoshin Tanaka
Graduated from the University of Yamanashi Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Department of Natural Science
Became a night school teacher at Tokyo Metropolitan Sumida Technical High School
Began to learn German under Bunpei Koro

1959

Introduced to Prof Tetsujiro Obara from Tokyo University of Education by Senjiro Maruta
Learned about IR (infrared absorption) spectrum under Koji Nakanishi (who was later awarded the 2007 Japan’s Order of Culture)

1960

Enrolled in the Master’s programme at the Graduate School of Science, Tokyo University of Science
Studied under the guidance of Prof Yojiro Tsuzuki and Nobuo Mori

1961

Congratulatory address as student representative at the 80th anniversary ceremony of Tokyo University of Science. A congratulatory speech was also given by Fumiko Akiyama, who later became Prof Ōmura’s wife.

1962

Led Tokyo Metropolitan Sumida Technical High School Table Tennis Club to second place in the Tokyo Metropolitan Games

1963

Completed Master’s degree at the Tokyo University of Science
Mar. 23 married Fumiko Akiyama
Retired from high school teaching and was assigned as an Assistant Professor to Motoo Kagami, a Professor of fermentation production at the Faculty of Engineering, University of Yamanashi, and became interested in microorganisms.

1964

After being told by Koji Yamakawa, Professor, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tokyo University of Science of an opportunity for research work at the Kitasato Institute, headed by Toju Hata, passes the recruitment test.

1965

Appointed to the Kitasato Institute as an Assistant Professor in the Antibiotics Research Laboratory
Started research on the structure determination of leucomycins (completed in 1967)
Started research on the isolation and structural study of cerulenin (completed in 1967)

1968

Received Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Tokyo (under the guidance of Prof Toshihiko Okamoto)

1969

Promoted to Associate Professor, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kitasato University
Visited various universities and pharmaceutical companies located in Europe as a member of the Japanese Society for Pharmaceutical Research

1970

Received the Kitasato Institute Award to Encourage Academic Studies
Awarded a Doctor of Science degree from the Tokyo University of Science (under the guidance of Prof Yojiro Tsuzuki, Faculty of Science)

1971

On the advice of Yukimasa Yagisawa, Executive Director, Japan Society for the Study of Antibiotics, travels to Canada and the US with a view to studying abroad (March)
Invited as a Visiting Research Professor at Wesleyan University in the United States under the guidance of Professor of Chemistry Max Tishler (September)
Met Konrad Bloch (a Biochemistry Professor at Harvard University, and winner of the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine in 1964). Conducted a joint research project on cerulenin to clarify its mechanism of action, working in the Bloch Research Laboratory at Harvard.

1972

Interacted with prominent researchers, including Roy Vagelos, Professor of Medicine at the University of Washington, who would later become President of Merck & Co., Inc.

1973

Completed research work abroad and returned to Japan (January)
Appointed as Director of the Antibiotics Office, Kitasato Institute and Assistant Professor, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kitasato University
Personally negotiated and signed a joint research memorandum between Kitasato Institute and Merck & Co., Inc. on the discovery and development of useful natural compounds including veterinary drugs, and began the joint research project in Japan (March)

1974

Discovered the novel “OS-3153” actinomycete microbe from soil collected in Kawana, Ito City, Shizuoka Prefecture. After establishing that it had a unique microbial activities and character, and produced interesting metabolic chemicals, sent the organism to Merck & Co., Inc for further testing as part of the joint research project

1975

Promoted to Professor, Kitasato University (April)
Started Kitasato Microbial Chemistryeminar

1977

After notified the closure of the Kitasato Institute’s Ōmura laboratory (for financial reasons), began operating under a financially independent system
Discovery of protein kinase inhibitor staurosporine (November)

1979

Gave a presentation at an international conference and published in the Scientific Journal regarding the discovery of a potent anthelmintic compound “Avermectin”

1980

Developed Ivermectin (dihydro derivative of avermectin), improved the spectrum of activity and safety than avermectin

1981

Merck & Co., Inc begins sales of ivermectin as an antiparasitic drug for animals and avermectin as an agrochemical
Appointed as Auditor of the Kitasato Institute
Exchange with China begins through the invitation of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Beijing Antibacterial Research Institute

1982

Submitted proposal for the construction of a new Kitasato Institute hospital (August)

1983

Met British biologist Sydney Brenner (winner of the 2002 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine)

1984

Appointed Trustee and Deputy Director of the Kitasato Institute

1985

Received the Hoechst-Russell Award from the American Society for Microbiology and internationally recognized for his research work and achievements

1986

Received the Pharmaceutical Society of Japan Award

1987

Ivermectin was developed as a treatment for Onchocerciasis in humans and donated for use in treating the disease
Re-elected as Deputy Director of the Kitasato Institute

1989

Established the Max Tishler Memorial Symposium in honour of his mentor, Max Tishler
Held the 1st Celebration of Humanity Award Exhibition (aiming to draw attention to the use of paintings in hospitals to help promote recovery as part of the global “Healing Art” movement)
Opened the Kitasato Institute Medical Center Hospital (a “Healing Art” hospital)
Received the Uehara Award (from the Uehara Memorial Life Science Foundation)

1990

Appointed Director of the Kitasato Institute
Received the Japan Academy Award

1991

Special lecture at the 100th anniversary ceremony of Germany’s Robert Koch Institute
Received the Charles Thom Award from the American Society for Industrial Microbiology
Discovered the proteasome inhibitor lactacystin

1992

Received Japan’s Medal of Honor with Purple Ribbon
Awarded France’s l’Ordre National du Merite (Chevalier)
Selected as a Foreign Member of the German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina

1993

Gave a special invited lecture at Harvard University
Developed friendship with Nobel Laureates Conrad Bloch and Elias Corey
Moved the Kitasato Institute Research Center for Biologicals to the Kitamoto Business Site
Appointed Director of Joshibi University of Art and Design

1994

Established a Nursing School at the Kitamoto site to nurture ‘nurses with a generous heart’
Selected as an Honorary Member of Germany’s Robert Koch Institute
Received Honorary Doctor Degree of Science from Wesleyan University, attended ceremony with wife, Fumiko

1995

Received the American Society of Industrial Microbiology Achievement Award
Received the Fujiwara Award (from the Fujiwara Science Foundation)
Received a Special Achievement Award from the Society of Actinomycetes, Japan

1997

Appointed Chairman of Joshibi University of Art and Design
Received the Robert Koch Foundation’s, Robert Koch Gold Medal, Germany’s highest medical award
Received Thailand’s Prince Mahidol Award

1998

Selected as Honorary Member of the Chemical Society of Japan
Ivermectin began to be donated free of charge for the eradication of lymphatic filariasis

1999

Opened Kitasato Nursing College’s annex Wang Senran Memorial Hall, and invited Wang Senran and his wife to the ceremony
Selected as a Foreign Member of the United States National Academy of Sciences

2000

Received the Nakanishi Prize (American Chemical Society, The Chemical Society of Japan)
Established the “100th Anniversary Foundation Ōmura Fumiko Fund” at Joshibi University of Art and Design
Fumiko Ōmura, passed away
The Women’s Painters Association established the “Fumiko Ōmura Memorial Award”
Received the “Noguchi Prize” from Yamanashi Nichinichi Shimbun and the Yamanashi Broadcasting System. Inc.
Become an Honorary Citizen of Nirasaki City

2001

Selected as a member of the Japan Academy
Published a genetic analysis of the avermectin-producing actinomycete Streptomyces avermectinius (previously known as S. avermitilis), the first genetic map of a commercially important actinomycete
Founded the “Kitasato Institute for Life Sciences” in the Kitasato University and appointed as the inaugural Director and as a teaching professor

2002

Appointed as a Founding Professor of the “Kitasato University Graduate School of Infection Control Sciences”
Awarded the Yamanashi Prefectural Government Special Achievement Award
Selected as a Foreign Member of the French Academy of Sciences

2003

Established the Yamanashi Academy of Sciences with supporters to accumulate intellectual property in Yamanashi Prefecture (May)
Selected as a Special Honorary Member of the Japanese Society of Bacteriology

2004

Visited Ghana and Burkina Faso in west Africa, including the headquarters of the African Programme for Onchocerciasis Control (APOC), Ghana’s Noguchi Institute, and bush villages, such as Asubende ,which are famous as the worst disease-affected sites where the scientific fight against onchocerciasis began and where all villagers are now taking free ivermectin
Received the Ernest Gunther Award from the American Chemical Society

2005

Selected as a Foreign Member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering
Appointed as inaugural Max Tishler Professor of Chemistry at Wesleyan University
Selected as Honorary Member of the Society for Actinomycetes Japan

2006

Appointed an Honorary Advisor to University of Yamanashi

2007

Appointed Professor Emeritus of Kitasato University
Re-elected as Chairman of Joshibi University of Art and Design
Received the International Chemotherapy Society’s Hamao Umezawa Memorial Award
Opened the Nirasaki Ōmura Art Museum

2008

Appointed Honorary Chairman of the Kitasato Institute, which had merged with Kitasato Gakuen-Kitasato University
Appointed as Special Coordinator of the Project for Multidisciplinary Cooperation in Screening for Biologically Active Compounds of Microbial Origin, Kitasato Institute for Life Sciences, Kitasato University
Donated the Ōmura Art Museum buildings and collected works to Nirasaki City

2009

Appointed Chairman of Yamanashi Academy of Sciences

2010

Received the Tetrahedron Prize for Creativity in Organic Chemistry

2011

Awarded the Arima Prize of the International Union of Microbiology
Received the Order of the Sacred Treasure, Gold and Silver Star (National Medal of Japan)

2012

Appointed an Advisor at the Kitasato Institute
Honored as an Honorary Citizen of Nirasaki City, Yamanashi Prefecture
Selected as a Japan’s Person of Cultural Merit

2013

Appointed as a Distinguished Emeritus Professor at Kitasato University
Selected as an Honorary Member of the Pharmaceutical Society of Japan

2014

Received the Gairdner Global Health Award (from Canada’s Gairdner Foundation)
Received a Special Award from the Mayor of Nirasaki City
Gave the Nirasaki Municipal System 60th Anniversary Commemorative Lecture

2015

Received the Asahi Award
Appointed Honorary Chairman of Yamanashi Academy of Sciences
Appointed Honorary Chairman of Joshibi University of Art and Design
Selected as Person of Special Cultural Merit by Yamanashi Prefecture
Received Japan’s Order of Culture
Received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
Received the Tokyo Honor Award
Received the Medal of Honor for Setagaya Ward
Received a Special Honorary Doctorate from the University of Yamanashi
Honored as an Honorary Citizen of Yamanashi Prefecture

2016

Appointed Max Tishler Professor Emeritus of Chemistry at Wesleyan University
Awarded the Saitama Prefecture Honorary Medal
Received the Saitama Citizen of Honor Award
Received a Special Honorary Doctorate degree from the Tokyo University of Science
Received an Honorary Doctoral degree (Art) from Joshibi University of Art and Design
Received an Honorary Doctorate from Shanghai Jiao Tong University
Honored as an Honorary Citizen of Tokyo
Honored as an Honorary Citizen of Kitamoto City, Saitama Prefecture

2017

Honored as an Honorary Resident of Setagaya-ku, Tokyo

2018

Received Honorary Degree of Doctor of Science from St. Andrews University, UK

Research achievements (discovery and development of some major biologically active compounds, etc.)

1967

Discovery of cerulenin (fatty acid biosynthesis inhibitor)

1968

Isolation of 10 components of the antibacterial antibiotic leucomycin and determination of their structure

1974

Discovery of the antifungal nanaomycin

1977

Discovery of staurosporine (protein kinase inhibitor)
Discovery of vineomycin (prolyl hydroxylase inhibitor)

1978

Discovery of the antibacterial frenolicin B
Discovery of elasnin (elastase inhibitor)

1979

Discovery and development of the antiparasitic avermectin/Ivermectin
Discovery of herbimycin (Hsp90 inhibitor)
Discovery of neoxaline (cell cycle inhibitor)

1981

Discovery of setamycin (V-ATPase inhibitor)
Development of the semi-synthetic antibacterial rokitamycin

1982

Developed the semi-synthetic antibacterial, tilmicosin
Discovery of virustomycin (antiviral substance)

1984

Discovery of kazusamycin, an inhibitor of nuclear export and an anti-tumour compound

1985

Discovery of the semi-synthetic antibiotic motilide
Creation of the first hybrid antibiotic mederrhodin by genetic engineering

1986

Discovery of triacsin (acyl CoA synthase inhibitor)

1987

Discovery of hymeglusin (HMG-CoA synthase inhibitor)

1988

Discovery of atpenin (Complex II inhibitor)

1991

Discovery of lactacystin (proteasome inhibitor)

1995

Discovery of macrosphelide (cell adhesion inhibitor)
Discovery of amidepsine (DGAT inhibitor)

1996

Discovery of madindrin (IL-6 inhibitor)
Discovery of andrastin (farnesyl transferase inhibitor)

1999

Discovery of beauveriolide (ACAT inhibitor)
Discovery of funalenone (integrase inhibitor)

2001

Genome decoding and mapping of the avermectin-producing bacterium S. avermectinius
Discovered nafuredin (nematode Complex I inhibitor)

2005

Creation and development of afidopyropen (agricultural pest control agent)

2008

Discovery of guadinomine (Type III secretory mechanism inhibitor)

2012

Discovery of wickerol (anti-influenza virus substance)

Research collaborators

Juichi Awaya, Haruo Ikeda, Junji Inokoshi, Nobutaka Imamura, Yuzuru Iwai, Masato Iwatsuki, Hideo Utsuno, Chiaki Kitao, Hiroie Ohno, Ruiko Oiwa, Kazuhiko Otoguro, Yongpil Kim, Kanki Komiyama, Kazuro Shiomi, Toshiaki Sunazuka, Yoko Takahashi, Satoshi Takamatsu, Haruo Tanaka, Kazuo Tsuzuki, Akira Nakagawa, Toru Nagamitsu, Kenichi Nonaka, Setsuzo Nomura, Masahiko Hayashi, Tomoyasu Hirose, Tomoko Fujimoto, Shinji Funayama, Rokurou Masuma, Keiichi Matsuzaki, Atsuko Matsumoto.