Yoshinori Ohsumi facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Yoshinori Ohsumi
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Ohsumi in 2016
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| Born | February 9, 1945 Fukuoka, Japan
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| Alma mater | University of Tokyo (BSc, DSc) |
| Known for | Autophagy |
| Awards | Kyoto Prize (2012) Gairdner Foundation International Award (2015) Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (2016) Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences (2017) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Cell biologist |
| Institutions | Institute of Science Tokyo Tokyo Institute of Technology |
Yoshinori Ohsumi (born February 9, 1945) is a Japanese scientist who studies cells. He is famous for his work on something called autophagy. This is a natural process where cells clean themselves by getting rid of old or damaged parts. Think of it like a recycling program inside your body's tiny cells!
Ohsumi is a professor at the Institute of Innovative Research in Tokyo. He has won many important awards for his discoveries about autophagy. These include the Kyoto Prize in 2012, the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2016, and the Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences in 2017.
Contents
About Yoshinori Ohsumi
Yoshinori Ohsumi was born in Fukuoka, Japan, on February 9, 1945. He studied at the University of Tokyo, where he earned his first degree in 1967 and his science doctorate in 1974.
After finishing his studies in Japan, he worked as a researcher in New York City from 1974 to 1977. He then returned to the University of Tokyo. There, he continued his research and became a professor. In 1996, he moved to the National Institute for Basic Biology in Okazaki City to work as a professor.
Since 2009, he has been a professor at the Tokyo Institute of Technology. He now leads the Cell Biology Research Unit there.
What is Autophagy?
A scientist named Christian de Duve first used the word "autophagy" in 1963. Ohsumi started his important work on this topic in 1988. Before his research, not many scientists were studying autophagy.
During the 1990s, Ohsumi and his team made big discoveries. They used yeast cells to understand how autophagy works. Yeast cells are tiny living things, similar to the yeast used to make bread. By studying these cells, Ohsumi found the important genes that cells need for autophagy to happen.
His discoveries showed how cells recycle their own parts. This process is vital for keeping cells healthy and for fighting diseases.
Nobel Prize Winner
In 2016, Yoshinori Ohsumi won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. He received this huge honor for his discoveries about how autophagy works. He was the 25th person from Japan to win a Nobel Prize. Ohsumi's wife, Mariko, also a professor, worked with him on some of his research.
Awards and Recognition
Yoshinori Ohsumi has received many awards for his groundbreaking work. Here are some of them:
- 2005 – Fujihara Award
- 2006 – Japan Academy Prize
- 2007 – Science Award, Botanical Society of Japan
- 2008 – Asahi Prize
- 2012 – Kyoto Prize in Basic Sciences
- 2013 – Thomson Reuters Citation Laureate
- 2015 – Gairdner Foundation International Award
- 2015 – International Prize for Biology
- 2015 – Keio Medical Science Prize
- 2015 – Person of Cultural Merit
- 2015 – Rosenstiel Award
- 2016 – Wiley Prize in Biomedical Sciences
- 2016 – Dr. Paul Janssen Award for Biomedical Research
- 2016 – Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
- 2017 – Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences
- 2017 – Honorary doctorate from Kyoto University, Japan
See also
In Spanish: Yoshinori Ohsumi para niños
- List of Japanese Nobel laureates
- List of Nobel laureates affiliated with the University of Tokyo
