Osamu Nureki's Biography

Osamu Nureki, Professor, University of Tokyo

Osamu Nureki is a Japanese scientist trained as a structural biologist at the Protein Engineering Research Institute (PERI) under the supervision of Dr. Kosuke Morikawa. He completed his education and gained a doctor of Science at the University of Tokyo (Graduate School of Science). After receiving the doctorate, he worked one year in RIKEN as a post-doc, and then worked as the assistant professor and associated professor at the University of Tokyo for 8 years. In this meantime, he was involved in structural biology of translational apparatus (aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases, RNA processing enzymes, RNA modification enzymes, etc. and their complexes with RNAs). In 2003, he became the full professor at Tokyo Institute of Technology, and continued the structural studies of translational apparatus, and also started the project of membrane protein (the 1st membrane protein structure solved by his group is Mg2+ channel, MgtE, published in Nature in 2007). In 2008, he moved to The University of Tokyo (Institute of Medical Sciences), and mainly worked on membrane transporters and cancer research to design anti-cancer drugs. In 2010, he finally moved back to The University of Tokyo (Graduate School of Science). His group has three main research projects. 1. Membrane channels and transporters, 2. RNA silencing and CRISPR-Cas system, and 3. Chronic inflammation. Especially, his group has pioneered high-resolution crystallography of membrane proteins using lipidic cubic phase crystallization method and microfocus beam in SPring-8 synchrotron. His group has published many new membrane protein structures at high resolution. He participates as a member of Scientific Advisory Boards for a USA venture company and serves as editor for the journals Genes to Cells. His works have been recognized with numerous awards and prizes. In ten years since he became independent professor, he has produced more than 5 PIs in the US, China and Japan.