is a Japanese biochemist whose research into the relationship between

fungi A fungus ( : fungi or funguses) is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as a kingdom, separately from ...

and

cholesterol Cholesterol is any of a class of certain organic molecules called lipids. It is a sterol (or modified steroid), a type of lipid. Cholesterol is biosynthesized by all animal cells and is an essential structural component of animal cell mem ...

biosynthesis led to the development of

statin Statins, also known as HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors, are a class of lipid-lowering medications that reduce illness and mortality in those who are at high risk of cardiovascular disease. They are the most common cholesterol-lowering drugs. Low ...

drugs, which are some of the best-selling pharmaceuticals in history. He received the Japan Prize in 2006,The Science and Technology Foundation of Japan
Japan Prize official release
, accessed 21 June 2006 the

Lasker-DeBakey Clinical Medical Research Award Lasker-DeBakey Clinical Medical Research Award is one of four annual awards presented by the Lasker Foundation. The Lasker-DeBakey award is given to honor outstanding work for the understanding, diagnosis, prevention, treatment, and cure of diseas ...

in 2008,Lasker~DeBakey Clinical Medical Research Award, 2008: Akira Endo
/ref> the

Canada Gairdner International Award The Canada Gairdner International Award is given annually by the Gairdner Foundation at a special dinner to five individuals for outstanding discoveries or contributions to medical science. Receipt of the Gairdner is traditionally considered a p ...

in 2017.

Early life and education

Endo was born on a farm in Northern Japan and had an interest in fungi already at a young age, being an admirer of Alexander Fleming. He obtained a BA at

Tohoku University , or is a Japanese national university located in Sendai, Miyagi in the Tōhoku Region, Japan. It is informally referred to as . Established in 1907, it was the third Imperial University in Japan and among the first three Designated National ...

(Faculty of Agriculture) in Sendai in 1957 and a PhD in biochemistry at the same university in 1966.

Career

From 1957 to 1978 he worked as a research fellow at chemical company

Sankyo Co. is a global pharmaceutical company and the second-largest pharmaceutical company in Japan. It achieved JPY 981.8 billion in revenue in 2019. The company owns the American biotechnology company Plexxikon, American pharmaceutical company American R ...

; initially he worked on fungal enzymes for processing fruit juice. Successful discoveries in this field gained him the credit to move to New York City in 1966, and spend two years at the

Albert Einstein College of Medicine Albert Einstein College of Medicine is a research-intensive medical school located in the Morris Park neighborhood of the Bronx in New York City. Founded in 1953, Einstein operates as an independent degree-granting institution as part of t ...

as a research associate working on

. His most important work in the 1970s was on fungal extrolites and their influence on

synthesis. He hypothesised that fungi used chemicals to ward off parasitic organisms by inhibiting cholesterol synthesis. The cell membranes of fungi contain ergosterol in place of cholesterol, allowing them to produce compounds that inhibit cholesterol. In 1971 he found a culture broth with citrinin had potent inhibitory activity against HMG-CoA reductase and lowered serum cholesterol levels in rats, but research was suspended because of renal toxicity. Endo studied 6,000 compounds, of which three extrolites from '' Penicillium citrinum '' mold isolated from a rice sample collected at a grain shop in Kyoto showed an effect. Findings from clinical studies were only reported in 1980. One of them,

mevastatin Mevastatin (compactin, ML-236B) is a hypolipidemic agent that belongs to the statins class. It was isolated from the mold ''Penicillium citrinum'' by Akira Endo in the 1970s, and he identified it as a HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor, i.e., a statin. ...

, was the first member of the

class of drugs. Soon after,

lovastatin Lovastatin, sold under the brand name Mevacor among others, is a statin medication, to treat high blood cholesterol and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Its use is recommended together with lifestyle changes. It is taken by mouth. ...

, the first commercial statin, was found in the ''Aspergillus'' mold. Although

never became an approved drug, the mevastatin derivative

pravastatin Pravastatin, sold under the brand name Pravachol among others, is a statin medication, used for preventing cardiovascular disease in those at high risk and treating abnormal lipids. It should be used together with diet changes, exercise, and w ...

did. In the late 70s Endo moved back to Tokyo and was an associate professor and later a full professor (1986-) at the

Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology The commonly known as TUAT is a Japanese national university headquartered in Fuchū, Tokyo. This university focuses on the study of agriculture and engineering. The undergraduate organization of the university has two faculties, Agriculture and ...

between 1979 and 1997. After his official retirement he became the president of Biopharm Research Laboratories.

Recognition

He was awarded several other prizes during his career: * Young Investigator Award in agricultural chemistry (Japan), 1966 * Heinrich Wieland Prize for the discovery of the HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors (West Germany), 1987 * Toray Science and Technology Prize (Japan), 1988 *

Warren Alpert Foundation Prize The Warren Alpert Foundation Prize is awarded annually to scientist(s) whose scientific achievements have led to the prevention, cure or treatment of human diseases or disorders, and/or whose research constitutes a seminal scientific finding that ho ...

(

Harvard Medical School Harvard Medical School (HMS) is the graduate medical school of Harvard University and is located in the Longwood Medical Area of Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1782, HMS is one of the oldest medical schools in the United States and is consi ...

, U.S.A), 2000 *

Massry Prize The Massry Prize was established in 1996, and until 2009 was administered by the Meira and Shaul G. Massry Foundation. The Prize, of $40,000 and the Massry Lectureship, is bestowed upon scientists who have made substantial recent contributions in ...

from the Keck School of Medicine,

University of Southern California , mottoeng = "Let whoever earns the palm bear it" , religious_affiliation = Nonsectarian—historically Methodist , established = , accreditation = WSCUC , type = Private research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $8.1 ...

in 2006 *

, 2008 * Inducted into the

National Inventors Hall of Fame The National Inventors Hall of Fame (NIHF) is an American not-for-profit organization, founded in 1973, which recognizes individual engineers and inventors who hold a U.S. patent of significant technology. Besides the Hall of Fame, it also oper ...

, Alexandria, VA 2012 *

Gairdner Foundation International Award The Canada Gairdner International Award is given annually by the Gairdner Foundation at a special dinner to five individuals for outstanding discoveries or contributions to medical science. Receipt of the Gairdner is traditionally considered a ...

, 2017 Apart from the recognition, Endo never derived financial benefit from his discovery, despite the fact that statins are amongst the most widely prescribed medications. "The millions of people whose lives will be extended through statin therapy owe it all to Akira Endo," according to Michael S. Brown and Joseph Goldstein, who won the Nobel Prize for related work on cholesterol.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Endo, Akira Japanese biologists Japanese microbiologists Japanese biochemists 1933 births Living people People from Akita Prefecture Tohoku University alumni Tohoku University faculty Hitotsubashi University faculty Waseda University faculty Kanazawa University faculty Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology faculty Foreign associates of the National Academy of Sciences Massry Prize recipients Recipients of the Lasker-DeBakey Clinical Medical Research Award Daiichi Sankyo people

Early life and education

Career

Recognition

See also

References