Setsuro Ebashi facts for kids

Setsuro Ebashi MJA ForMemRS (江橋 節郎, Ebashi Setsurō, 31 August 1922 Tokyo – 17 July 2006 Okazaki) was a very important Japanese scientist. He was a physiologist, which means he studied how living things work. He made a big discovery about how our muscles move. He found something called troponin in 1965. This discovery helped us understand muscle contraction much better. He also helped doctors learn more about a condition called muscular dystrophy.

Life and Career

Early Life and Education

Setsuro Ebashi was born in Tokyo, Japan, in 1922. He went to the University of Tokyo for his studies. He earned his first medical degree in 1944. Later, in 1954, he received his Ph.D. from the same university.

In 1959, Ebashi traveled to New York City. He worked as a guest researcher at the Rockefeller Institute. There, he studied with another famous scientist named Fritz Lipmann.

Working at the University of Tokyo

From 1959 to 1983, Ebashi was a professor at the University of Tokyo. He led the department of Pharmacology. From 1971 to 1983, he also led the Biophysics department.

Professor Ebashi taught and guided many students. These students later became important scientists in Japan. One of his students, Tomoh Masaki, discovered something called Endothelin in 1988.

Later Career

After leaving the University of Tokyo, Ebashi became a Professor Emeritus. This is an honor given to retired professors. He then joined the National Institute for Physiological Sciences in Okazaki, Aichi.

In 1985, he became the Director-General of this institute. Later, in 1991, he became the President of the Okazaki National Institutes. This group includes the National Institute for Physiological Sciences.

Awards and Honors

Setsuro Ebashi received many important awards for his scientific work. These awards recognized his big contributions to science.

Some of his awards include:

• The 1968 Asahi Prize
• The 1972 Imperial Prize of the Japan Academy
• The 1999 International Prize for Biology
• The Order of the Sacred Treasure
• The Order of Culture

He was also chosen as a foreign member of the Royal Society in 1977. This is a very old and respected scientific group in the United Kingdom. In 1978, he became a member of the Japan Academy.

Setsuro Ebashi Award

Since 2007, there has been a special award named after Setsuro Ebashi. The Japanese Pharmacological Society gives out the Setsuro Ebashi Award. It honors researchers who have made great achievements in the field of pharmacology.

This award celebrates Ebashi's important work in biomedical research around the world. One famous winner of this award was Shinya Yamanaka. He won the Setsuro Ebashi Award in 2008. Four years later, in 2012, he received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.