Shizuo Akira

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Shizuo Akira (審良 静男 Akira Shizuo), M.D., Ph.D., (born January 27, 1953 in Higashiōsaka)[1] is a professor at the Department of Host Defense, Osaka University, Japan.[2] He has made ground-breaking discoveries in the field of immunology, most significantly in the area of innate host defense mechanisms.

Beside being the world's most-cited scientist,[3] he has also been recognised, in the years 2006 and 2007, as having published the greatest number of ‘Hot Papers’ (11 papers) over the preceding two years. He is the recipient of several international awards, including the Gairdner Foundation International Award, Robert Koch Prize, the Milstein Award, and the William B. Coley Award.[4]

Among his greatest discoveries is the demonstration, through the ablation of toll-like receptor (TLR)s genes, that TLRs recognize a descrete collection of molecules of microbal origin,[4] and later the RNA helicases, RIG-I (retinoic-acid-inducible protein I) and MDA5 (melanoma differentiation-associated protein 5).[5] All molecules belong to the pattern recognition receptors, which detects intruding pathogens and initiates antimicrobial responses in the host.[6]

References

  1. ↑ http://hcr3.isiknowledge.com/author.cgi?&id=5379
  2. ↑ Fast Breaking Comment by Shizuo Akira, M.D., Ph.D
  3. ↑ Archive - keyword 'Shizuo Akira' : Nature News
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 I received my Ph
  5. ↑ Yoneyama M, Kikuchi M, Natsukawa T, et al. (July 2004). "The RNA helicase RIG-I has an essential function in double-stranded RNA-induced innate antiviral responses". Nature Immunology 5 (7): 730–7. doi:10.1038/ni1087. PMID 15208624. 
  6. ↑ Lee MS, Kim YJ (February 2007). "Pattern-recognition receptor signaling initiated from extracellular, membrane, and cytoplasmic space". Molecules and Cells 23 (1): 1–10. PMID 17464205. 
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