The 21st (2021) Yamazaki-Teiichi Prize Winner Biological Science and Technology
Development and application of high-performance chemiluminescent proteins
| Winner | ||
|---|---|---|
| Takeharu Nagai Professor, The Institute of Scientific and Industrial Research, Osaka University |
Reason for award
After developing various fluorescent proteins, Dr. Nagai worked on developing chemiluminescent proteins that does not require any excitation light to compensate for the disadvantages for fluorescence detection. By transferring the energy from luciferase to fluorescent proteins, various chemiluminescent proteins with luminescence intensity that are tens of times higher were developed. Using these, the world’s first single-molecule chemiluminescence imaging and single-cell 5-color imaging were demonstrated, and luminescence imaging devices were put into practical use in cooperation with companies. In addition, he developed chemiluminescent biosensors (membrane potentials, bilirubin, and many others)
by combining with functional proteins, and also developed a simple rapid on-site detection method using a smartphone. In addition, by introducing genes of chemiluminescent proteins and enzymes required for substrate production into plants, glowing plants have been created, and he aims to establish a luminescent art business and contribute to resolve environmental issues.
He is a world-leading researcher, having been invited to talk more than 170
times from overseas and as an advisory board member of research institutions in the United States. Chemiluminescence research has a bright future prospect, and government subsidies are large in Russia and the United States. It is noteworthy that Dr. Nagai is a leading researcher in this field despite its low investment in Japan.
For the above reasons, Dr. Nagai has been selected as the winner of the 21st Yamazaki-Teiichi Prize in the field of Biotechnology and Medical Science.