Contents
Osamu Shimomura
Discovering green fluorescent protein, later transformed into a tool for seeing processes inside cells.
Crystallising luciferin · Green fluorescent protein
- Born
- 27 August 1928
- Birthplace
- Fukuchiyama, Japan
- Died
- 19 October 2018
More people
Osamu Shimomura
Osamu Shimomura was a Japanese chemist who studied how marine organisms produce light. His discovery of green fluorescent protein contributed to the work recognised by the 2008 chemistry Nobel.
Early life
Wartime youth
Was living near Nagasaki when the atomic bomb was dropped in 1945.
Pharmacy education
Studied in post-war Nagasaki before researching organic chemistry at Nagoya University.
Career
- 1950s
Bioluminescence research
Investigated the light-producing chemistry of small marine crustaceans.
- 1960–1982
Princeton research
Worked with Frank Johnson and studied luminous jellyfish.
- 1982 onward
Woods Hole
Continued research at the Marine Biological Laboratory.
Contributions
Crystallising luciferin
Isolated the light-producing compound from a marine crustacean.
Green fluorescent protein
Isolated GFP while investigating the jellyfish Aequorea victoria.
Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Shared the award with Martin Chalfie and Roger Tsien.
Beyond work
Family collaboration
His wife Akemi helped with the collection and processing of jellyfish.
Writing his story
Recorded his experiences of war and scientific discovery in autobiographical writing.
Sources & photo credit
Life, career and references ↗Institutional source ↗Photo: Prolineserver ( talk ). CC BY-SA 4.0 · Original image. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.
