Contents
Satoshi Ōmura
Discovering microorganisms that led to avermectin and treatments for parasitic disease.
Avermectin-producing bacteria · Lactacystin
- Born
- 12 July 1935
- Birthplace
- Nirasaki, Japan
More people
Satoshi Ōmura
Japanese scientist whose search for useful compounds in microbes helped produce important medicines and laboratory tools.
Early life
Rural origins
Grew up in Yamanashi Prefecture.
Teacher to researcher
Worked as a school science teacher before pursuing advanced scientific study.
Career
- 1960s
Research training
Joined the Kitasato research system and completed advanced degrees.
- 1970s
Microbial discovery
Built a laboratory programme and a collaboration with Merck.
- 1980s onward
Further natural products
Continued isolating useful compounds and developing research institutions.
Contributions
Avermectin-producing bacteria
Isolated the microorganism behind the antiparasitic compounds.
Lactacystin
His research contributed a compound that became useful for studying cellular protein breakdown.
Nobel Prize in Medicine
Shared recognition for a new therapy against roundworm infections.
Beyond the lab
Art collecting
Established an art museum in Nirasaki from his collection.
Local support
Used scientific success to support cultural and community projects in his home region.
Sources & photo credit
Biography and references ↗Biography and contributions ↗Photo: Bengt Nyman. CC BY-SA 4.0 · Original image. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.
