was a Japanese biochemist, famous for research on chemical

carcinogens A carcinogen is any substance, radionuclide, or radiation that promotes carcinogenesis (the formation of cancer). This may be due to the ability to damage the genome or to the disruption of cellular metabolic processes. Several radioactive subs ...

. He received the Japan Prize for the contribution to establishment of fundamental concept on causes of

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...

.Dr. Takashi Sugimura 1997 (13th) Japan Prize Laureate
/ref> He was elected as President of the

Japan Academy The Japan Academy ( Japanese: 日本学士院, ''Nihon Gakushiin'') is an honorary organisation and science academy founded in 1879 to bring together leading Japanese scholars with distinguished records of scientific achievements. The Academy is ...

on October 15, 2013, serving till 2016 and was replaced with Hiroshi Shiono.

Contribution

Sugimura isolated and identified many

mutagens In genetics, a mutagen is a physical or chemical agent that permanently changes genetic material, usually DNA, in an organism and thus increases the frequency of mutations above the natural background level. As many mutations can cause cancer i ...

with a structure of

heterocyclic amine Heterocyclic amines, also sometimes referred to as HCAs, are chemical compounds containing at least one heterocyclic ring, which by definition has atoms of at least two different elements, as well as at least one amine (nitrogen-containing) group. ...

from foods cooked under ordinary conditions. He showed that

tumors A neoplasm () is a type of abnormal and excessive growth of tissue. The process that occurs to form or produce a neoplasm is called neoplasia. The growth of a neoplasm is uncoordinated with that of the normal surrounding tissue, and persists ...

induced by these heterocyclic amines had genetic alterations. He further developed his studies to analyze multiple-step

carcinogenesis Carcinogenesis, also called oncogenesis or tumorigenesis, is the formation of a cancer, whereby normal cells are transformed into cancer cells. The process is characterized by changes at the cellular, genetic, and epigenetic levels and abno ...

at molecular levels to promote effective primary prevention of

.Fellows of the AACR Academy
/ref> His group identified the novel polymer poly(

ADP-ribose Adenosine diphosphate ribose (ADPR) is an ester molecule formed into chains by the enzyme poly ADP ribose polymerase. ADPR is created from cyclic ADP-ribose (cADPR) by the CD38 enzyme using nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) as a cofactor. ...

) and demonstrated the presence of the enzyme

poly ADP ribose polymerase Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) is a family of proteins involved in a number of cellular processes such as DNA repair, genomic stability, and programmed cell death. Members of PARP family The PARP family comprises 17 members (10 putative) ...

(PARP). He also discovered the cognate catabolic enzyme, poly(ADP-ribose) glycohydrolase (PARG) and further elucidated the biology of poly(ADP-ribose). The discovery of pierisin, an apoptogenic peptide that ADP-ribosylates DNA, profoundly illuminates his scientific character and curiosity as well.

Biography

Sugimura completed his M.D. in 1949 from the Faculty of Medicine,

University of Tokyo , abbreviated as or UTokyo, is a public research university located in Bunkyō, Tokyo, Japan. Established in 1877, the university was the first Imperial University and is currently a Top Type university of the Top Global University Project b ...

, and received the degree of Doctor of Medical Science in 1957 from the same institution. After his postdoctoral fellowship at the Cancer Institute,

Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research The (JFCR) is a non-profit cancer research organization based in Ariake, Tokyo. The JFCR was founded in 1908 as the first Japanese organization specializing in cancer by Katsusaburō Yamagiwa and his supporters. The Cancer Institute and its att ...

, he became Chief of Biochemistry Division at the Research Institute,

National Cancer Center National Cancer Center ("NCC" or "Center"), founded in 1953, is a (501)(c)(3) not-for-profit organization in the United States that funds young cancer researchers who are working to discover how the body's immune system sees and responds to ca ...

in Tokyo in 1962, where he served as President from 1984 to 1991."チョウとがんと未知なるものと私" Biography of Takashi Sugimura
/ref> In addition, he was Professor of Institute of Medical Science,

from 1970 to 1985 and President of Toho University from 1994 to 2000. He was Fellow of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Academy, Honorary Member of Japanese Cancer Association and also President Emeritus of National Cancer Center.

Recognition

Sugimura received numerous awards and honors which include the following:

Awards

*1976

Imperial Prize of the Japan Academy The is a prestigious honor conferred to two of the recipients of the Japan Academy Prize. Overviews It is awarded in two categories: humanities and natural sciences. The Emperor and Empress visit the awarding ceremony and present a vase to ...

*1977 Fogarty Scholar in Residence,

National Institutes of Health The National Institutes of Health, commonly referred to as NIH (with each letter pronounced individually), is the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and public health research. It was founded in the late ...

, USA *1978 Outstanding Work Award, Environmental Mutagen Society of the United States *1981

Order of Culture The is a Japanese order, established on February 11, 1937. The order has one class only, and may be awarded to men and women for contributions to Japan's art, literature, science, technology, or anything related to culture in general; recipient ...

*1981 Charles S. Mott Prize *1992 Tomizo Yoshida Award of the Japanese Cancer Association *1996 National Order of Merit (France) (Officer) *1997 Japan Prize

Honors

*1982 Foreign Associate, the National Academy of Sciences, USA *1982 Member, the

. *1987 Foreign Member, the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (Division for Sciences) *1987 Foreign Member, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences (Class for Medical Sciences) *1994 Foreign Associate, the Institute of Medicine, National Academy of Sciences, USA

References