Biography
Susumu Tonegawa ( 利根川 進 , Tonegawa Susumu ; born September 5, 1939) is a Japanese scientist who was the sole recipient of the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine in 1987 for his discovery of V(D)J recombination , the genetic mechanism which produces antibody diversity. [ 1 ] Although he won the Nobel Prize for his work in immunology , Tonegawa is a molecular biologist by training and he again changed fields following his Nobel Prize win; he now studies neuroscience , examining the molecular, cellular and neuronal basis of memory formation and retrieval. Tonegawa was born in Nagoya , Japan and attended Hibiya High School in Tokyo. [ 2 ] While a student at Kyoto University , Tonegawa became fascinated with operon theory after reading papers by François Jacob and Jacques Monod , whom he credits in part for inspiring his interest in molecular biology. [ 2 ] Tonegawa graduated from Kyoto University in 1963 and, due to limited options for molecular biology study in Japan at the time, moved to the University of California, San Diego to do his doctorate study under Dr. Masaki Hayashi. He received his Ph.D. in 1968. Tonegawa conducted post-doctoral work at the Salk Institute in San Diego in the laboratory of Renato Dulbecco . With encouragement from Dr. Dulbecco, Tonegawa moved to the Basel Institute for Immunology in Basel, Switzerland in 1971, where he transitioned from molecular biology into immunology studies and carried out his landmark immunology studies. Fields: Genetics, Immunology, Neuroscience
About the Lasker Award
The Lasker Awards have been awarded annually since 1946 to living persons who have made major contributions to medical science or who have performed public service on behalf of medicine. They are administered by the Lasker Foundation, founded by advertising pioneer Albert Lasker and his wife Mary Woodard Lasker (a medical research activist). The awards are sometimes referred to as "America's Nobels."
Quick Facts
- Award: Lasker Award - Basic Medical Research
- Added: 2026-02-07
- Source: Wikipedia
- Established: 1946
- Presented by: Lasker Foundation