Ishizaka Kimishige

Ishizaka Kimishige ( Japanese 石 坂 公 成 ; * December 3, 1925 in Tokyo Prefecture ; † July 6, 2018 in Yamagata ) was a Japanese immunologist . In 1966 he discovered the immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibodies, which are of particular importance in allergies .

Live and act

Ishizaka received his MD as a medical doctor from the University of Tokyo in 1948 and then worked as a researcher at the National Institute of Health, Serology Department, in Tōkyō. In 1954 he received his doctorate in immunology. 1951 to 1957 he conducted research at the National Health Research Institute of Japan (国立 感染 症 研究所, Kokuritsu kansenshō kenkyūjo) in the serology department.

From 1957 to 1959 Ishizaka researched at Caltech and from 1962 to 1970 at the Asthma Clinic and the Asthma Research Institute of the University of Colorado Medical School in Denver. Then he was Associate Professor and from 1979 Professor of Immunology at Johns Hopkins University , which he was until 1980. From 1974 to 1980 he also taught at the University of Kyoto .

Between 1960 and 1966, Ishizaka succeeded in isolating immunoglobulin E (IgE), an antibody that causes certain allergic syndromes such as bronchial asthma and pollen reactions.

In 1983 he became a member of the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences , and was also a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science . In 1984/1985 he served as President of the American Association of Immunologists . In 1989 he became director of the La Jolla Institute for Immunology in California.

Ishizaka often worked with his wife Ishizaka Teruko (called Terry), who was also a professor of immunology at Johns Hopkins, on the discovery of IgE antibodies, among other things.

In honor of the Ishizaka couple, Allergy Day was introduced in 1995 to commemorate their research achievements and to raise awareness about allergies.

Awards

• 1972 Passano Award
• 1972 Takeda-Igaku Prize
• 1973 Asahi Prize
• 1973 Paul Ehrlich and Ludwig Darmstaedter Prize
• 1974 Japanese Academy of Sciences Prize
• 1974 Order of Culture
• 2000 Japan Prize

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Birth and career data according to American Men and Women of Science , Thomson Gale 2004
2. ↑ 石 坂 公 成 氏 が 死去 ア レ ル ギ ー 物質 ＩｇＥ を 発 見. In: nikkei.com. July 6, 2018. Retrieved July 6, 2018 (Japanese). 
3. ↑ 石 坂 公 成 . In: デ ジ タ ル 版 日本人 名 大 辞典 + Plus at kotobank.jp. Retrieved July 19, 2012 (Japanese). 

literature

• S. Noma (Ed.): Ishizaka Kimishige . In: Japan. An Illustrated Encyclopedia. Kodansha, 1993, ISBN 4-06-205938-X , p. 633.

Web links

• To receive the Japan Prize

Japanese name: As is common in Japan, the family name comes before the first name in this article . So Ishizaka is the family name, Kimishige the first name.