is a Japanese immunologist known for research on

IgM Immunoglobulin M (IgM) is the largest of several isotypes of antibodies (also known as immunoglobulin) that are produced by vertebrates. IgM is the first antibody to appear in the response to initial exposure to an antigen; causing it to also ...

and

cytokines Cytokines () are a broad and loose category of small proteins (~5–25 kDa) important in cell signaling. Cytokines are produced by a broad range of cells, including immune cells like macrophages, B cell, B lymphocytes, T cell, T lymphocytes ...

, most famously,

interleukin 6 Interleukin 6 (IL-6) is an interleukin that acts as both a pro-inflammatory cytokine and an anti-inflammatory myokine. In humans, it is encoded by the ''IL6'' gene. In addition, osteoblasts secrete IL-6 to stimulate osteoclast formation. Smoo ...

. He did postdoctoral work under

Kimishige Ishizaka was a Japanese immunologist who, with his wife Teruko Ishizaka, discovered the antibody class Immunoglobulin E (IgE) in 1966–1967. Their work was regarded as a major breakthrough in the understanding of allergy. He was awarded the 1973 Gaird ...

, the discoverer of

IgE Immunoglobulin E (IgE) is a type of antibody (or immunoglobulin (Ig) " isoform") that has been found only in mammals. IgE is synthesised by plasma cells. Monomers of IgE consist of two heavy chains (ε chain) and two light chains, with the ε ...

Johns Hopkins University The Johns Hopkins University (often abbreviated as Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private university, private research university in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1876 based on the European research institution model, J ...

. He is listed by the

Institute for Scientific Information The Institute for Scientific Information (ISI) was an academic publishing service, founded by Eugene Garfield in Philadelphia in 1956. ISI offered scientometric and bibliographic database services. Its specialty was citation indexing and analysis, ...

(ISI) as a highly cited

biologist A biologist is a scientist who conducts research in biology. Biologists are interested in studying life on Earth, whether it is an individual Cell (biology), cell, a multicellular organism, or a Community (ecology), community of Biological inter ...

and he is also in the top ten of

h-index The ''h''-index is an author-level metric that measures both the productivity and citation impact of the publications, initially used for an individual scientist or scholar. The ''h''-index correlates with success indicators such as winning t ...

of living biologists.

Life

Tadamitsu Kishimoto, who was born in

Osaka is a Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the List of cities in Japan, third-most populous city in J ...

in 1939, was President of

Osaka University The , abbreviated as UOsaka or , is a List of national universities in Japan, national research university in Osaka, Japan. The university traces its roots back to Edo period, Edo-era institutions Tekijuku (1838) and Kaitokudō, Kaitokudo (1724), ...

from 1997 to 2003 and a Member, Council for Science and Technology Policy, Cabinet office from 2004 to 2006. He is now Professor, Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences, Osaka University. He was Dean, Professor and Chairman of Department of Medicine at Osaka University Medical School from which he graduated in 1964.http://www.japanprize.jp/en/prize_prof_2011_kishimoto.html, The Japan Prize Foundation He is currently Japan's leading scientist in the field of life science, specifically in immunology and has made fundamental contributions to the understanding of cytokine functions through series of his studies on IL-6, its receptor system, and transcription factors. He has developed anti-IL6 receptor therapy for several immune disorders including

Castleman's disease Castleman disease (CD) describes a group of rare lymphoproliferative disorders that involve enlarged lymph nodes, and a broad range of inflammatory symptoms and laboratory abnormalities. Whether Castleman disease should be considered an autoimmu ...

rheumatoid arthritis Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a long-term autoimmune disorder that primarily affects synovial joint, joints. It typically results in warm, swollen, and painful joints. Pain and stiffness often worsen following rest. Most commonly, the wrist and h ...

and

juvenile idiopathic arthritis Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), formerly known as juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA), is the most common chronic rheumatic disease of childhood, affecting approximately 3.8 to 400 out of 100,000 children. ''Juvenile'', in this context, ref ...

. He has received numerous awards, including the

Imperial Prize of the Japan Academy The is a prestigious honor conferred to two of the recipients of the Japan Academy Prize (academics), Japan Academy Prize. Overviews It is awarded in two categories: humanities and natural sciences. The Emperor of Japan, Emperor and Empress ...

in 1992, the Sandoz Prize for Immunology from the International Union of Immunological Society in 1992 and the Avery-Landsteiner Prize from the German Immunology Society in 1996. In 1998, he was awarded the

Order of Culture The is a Japanese Order (decoration), order, established on February 11, 1937. The order has one class only, and may be awarded to men and women for contributions to Japanese Art, Japan's art, Japanese Literature, literature, science, technolog ...

from Emperor. He was awarded

Robert Koch Gold Medal The Robert Koch Medal and Award are two prizes awarded annually by the German for excellence in the biomedical sciences. These awards grew out of early attempts by German physician Robert Koch to generate funding to support his research into the ...

in 2003, Honorary Life Time Achievement Awards from International Cytokine Society in 2006 and the

Crafoord Award The Crafoord Prize () is an annual science prize established in 1980 by Holger Crafoord, a Swedish industrialist, and his wife Anna-Greta Crafoord following a donation to the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. It is awarded jointly by the Acad ...

from the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in 2009. He has been elected a Foreign Associate of the US National Academy of Sciences in 1991, a member of the Japan Academy in 1995 and a member of

German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina The German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina (), in short Leopoldina, is the national academy of Germany, and is located in Halle (Saale). Founded on 1 January 1652, based on academic models in Italy, it was originally named the ''Academi ...

in 2005. He served as a president of the International Immunopharmacology Society, International Cytokine Society and the Japanese Immunology Society. He is an honorary member in American Association of Immunologists and American Society of Hematology. In 2020, He received the prestigious Tang Prize in Biopharmaceutical Science.

IL-6

In the early 1970s, Kishimoto discovered the activity inducing antibody production in culture supernatants of

T cell T cells (also known as T lymphocytes) are an important part of the immune system and play a central role in the adaptive immune response. T cells can be distinguished from other lymphocytes by the presence of a T-cell receptor (TCR) on their cell ...

s. Furthermore, he demonstrated that the activity for inducing IgG and IgE antibodies could be separated. Later, this finding led to the discovery of the dichotomy of helper T cells, Th1 and Th2. On the basis of these early studies, Kishimoto discovered and cloned interleukin-6 and its receptor and delineated the signaling pathway used by IL-6 and the set of related cytokines that utilize gp-130, which he also discovered. He identified the transcription factors

NF-IL-6 CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein beta is a protein that in humans is encoded by the ''CEBPB'' gene. Function The protein encoded by this intronless gene is a bZIP transcription factor that can bind as a homodimer to certain DNA regulatory regi ...

and

STAT3 Signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) is a transcription factor which in humans is encoded by the ''STAT3'' gene. It is a member of the STAT protein family. Function STAT3 is a member of the STAT protein family. In respon ...

, both central to the action of IL-6. He further discovered a family of suppressors of cytokine signaling, the SOCS molecules, that are key regulators of cytokine function. He demonstrated the involvement of IL-6 in the pathogenesis of

cardiac myxoma A myxoma is a rare benign tumor of the heart. Myxomata are the most common primary cardiac tumor in adults, and are most commonly found within the left atrium near the valve of the fossa ovalis. Myxoma may also develop in the other heart chambers. ...

multiple myeloma Multiple myeloma (MM), also known as plasma cell myeloma and simply myeloma, is a cancer of plasma cells, a type of white blood cell that normally produces antibody, antibodies. Often, no symptoms are noticed initially. As it progresses, bone ...

, Castleman’s disease, rheumatoid arthritis,

Crohn's disease Crohn's disease is a type of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that may affect any segment of the gastrointestinal tract. Symptoms often include abdominal pain, diarrhea, fever, abdominal distension, and weight loss. Complications outside of the ...

and juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). He identified IL-6 as a

hepatocyte stimulating factor A hepatocyte is a cell of the main parenchymal tissue of the liver. Hepatocytes make up 80% of the liver's mass. These cells are involved in: * Protein synthesis * Protein storage * Transformation of carbohydrates * Synthesis of cholesterol, bile ...

which induces acute phase reactions. He prepared a monoclonal anti-IL-6 receptor antibody that was subsequently humanized and has been shown to be of great therapeutic value in a series of autoinflammatory diseases including Castleman's Disease, rheumatoid arthritis and juvenile idiopathic arthritis. His work has dominated the field of proinflammatory cytokines and has established paradigms for the study of all of cytokine biology, ranging from discovery of the cytokine and its receptor, through signaling and transcriptional mechanisms, to the utilization of such knowledge to develop highly effective therapeutics. A series of his IL-6 studies for 35 years since 1973 have been highly appreciated; He was ranked as the world’s 8th-most-cited researchers between 1983 and 2002 and he is in the top ten of h-index of living biologists.

Recognition

Awards

*Behring-Kitasato Prize from Hoechst Japan, 1982 *Osaka Science Prize, 1983 *Erwin von Bälz Prize, 1986 *Takeda Prize, 1988 *

Asahi Prize The , established in 1929, is an award presented by the Japanese newspaper ''Asahi Shimbun'' and Asahi Shimbun Foundation to honor individuals and groups that have made outstanding accomplishments in the fields of arts and academics and have greatl ...

, 1988 *Prize of The Japanese Medical Association, 1990 *Scientific Achievement Award from the International Association of Allergology and Clinical Immunology, 1991 *

, 1992 * Sandoz Prize for Immunology from International Union of Immunology Society, 1992 *The Avery-Landsteiner Prize from the German Immunology Society, 1996 *The Donald Seldin Award from the International Society of Nephrology, 1999 * ISI Citation Laureate Award, 2000 *

Robert Koch Prize The Robert Koch Medal and Award are two prizes awarded annually by the German for excellence in the biomedical sciences. These awards grew out of early attempts by German physician Robert Koch to generate funding to support his research into the ...

- Robert Koch Gold Medal, 2003 *Honorary Lifetime Achievement Awards, International Cytokine Society, 2006 *7th International Award of the Japan Rheumatism Foundation, 2008 *The

Crafoord Prize The Crafoord Prize () is an annual science prize established in 1980 by Holger Crafoord, a Swedish industrialist, and his wife Anna-Greta Crafoord following a donation to the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. It is awarded jointly by the Acade ...

from the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, 2009 *

Japan Prize is awarded to individuals whose original and outstanding achievements in science and technology are recognized as having advanced the frontiers of knowledge and served the cause of peace and prosperity for mankind. As of 2024, the Japan Prize h ...

, 2011 *

King Faisal International Prize The King Faisal Prize (, formerly King Faisal International Prize), is an annual award sponsored by King Faisal Foundation presented to "dedicated men and women whose contributions make a positive difference". The foundation awards prizes in fiv ...

, 2017 *

Asian Scientist 100 The Asian Scientist 100 is an annually published list of 100 prize-winning Asian researchers, academicians, innovators and business leaders from across the Asia-Pacific region and a range of scientific disciplines. Recipients "must have received ...

, ''

Asian Scientist ''Asian Scientist'' is an English language science and technology magazine published in Singapore. History and profile ''Asian Scientist'' was launched as a blog in March 2011 by Juliana Chan. The blog's popularity eventually led to a partnersh ...

'', 2018, 2020, 2021 *

Tang Prize The Tang Prize ( zh, c=唐獎) is a set of Taiwanese biennial international awards bestowed in four fields: Sustainable Development, Biopharmaceutical Science, Sinology, and Rule of Law. Nomination and selection are conducted by an independent se ...

in Biopharmaceutical Science, 2020 *

Clarivate Citation Laureates Clarivate Citation Laureates, formerly Thomson Reuters Citation Laureates, is a list of candidates considered likely to win the Nobel Prize in their respective field. The candidates are so named based on the citation impact of their published rese ...

, 2021

Honors

Person of Cultural Merit is an official Japanese recognition and honour which is awarded annually to select people who have made outstanding cultural contributions. This distinction is intended to play a role as a part of a system of support measures for the promotion of ...

, Japan 1990 *Foreign Associate, The US

National Academy of Sciences The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a United States nonprofit, NGO, non-governmental organization. NAS is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the ...

, 1991 *Honorary Member, the

American Association of Immunologists American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

, 1992 *Honorary Citizen, Tondabayashi City, 1992 *Member, 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 ...

, 1995 *Foreign Associate member, the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Science, USA, 1997 *Honorary member, the American Society of Hematology, 1997 *The

of Japan, 1998 *Doctor Honoris Causa, Universidad Technologica de Santiago, UTESA, 2001 *Honorary Member, International Association of Dental Research, 2001 *Honorary Professor, the

Fourth Military Medical University The Air Force Medical University () is a public medical university in Xincheng, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China. It is affiliated with the People's Liberation Army Air Force. The university is part of the Double First-Class Construction. The university wa ...

, Xi’an, China, 2002 *Honorary Member, World Innovation Foundation, 2002 *Doctor of Science, Honoris Causa, Mahidol University, 2003 *Clemens von Pirquet Distinguished Professor, Medicine and Immunology, University California, Davis, 2004 *Member,

, 2005

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kishimoto, Tadamitsu Japanese immunologists 1939 births Living people People from Tondabayashi, Osaka Foreign associates of the National Academy of Sciences Recipients of the Order of Culture Osaka University alumni Academic staff of Osaka University Laureates of the Imperial Prize Members of the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina Members of the National Academy of Medicine Scientists from Osaka Prefecture