The 2011 Keio Medical Science Prize Awardees

Philip A. Beachy, Ph.D.

Investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Ernest and Amelia Gallo Professor, Stanford University School of Medicine
Department of Biochemistry and Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine
* Website (Stanford University School of Medicine)

Reason for Selection and His Major Achievement:

Identification of Hedgehog, a key molecule in development, and its medical applications

Our bodies develop from single fertilized eggs in an organized manner. The molecular mechanisms of development processes have fascinated scientists for decades. Dr. Philip A. Beachy and his colleagues identified the hedgehog gene and reported that it plays pivotal roles in many developmental processes in Drosophila and mammals. Hedgehog is a signaling molecule that is secreted and becomes distributed in developing tissues, inducing various cell fates. Importantly, they reported that Hedgehog must be modified by cholesterol for its proper functioning. This discovery opened a new era in developmental biology. Currently, they are investigating the roles of Hedgehog signaling in cancer cell proliferation and have found that cyclopamine, a plant-derived alkaloid, is a specific inhibitor of the Hedgehog pathway. Based on this finding, cyclopamine and its derivatives are being investigated as anticancer drugs against medulloblastoma and basal cell carcinoma, which are caused by excessive Hedgehog signaling.

Education and Training

1975-1979	B.A., Goshen College, Goshen, IN, Natural Sciences
1979-1980	Non-Degree Student in Chemistry, Indiana University, South Bend, IN
1980-1981	Graduate Student, Department of Genetics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA
1981-1986	Ph.D., "Molecular biology of homeotic gene function in Drosophila" (with David Hogness), Department of Biochemistry, Stanford University, Stanford, CA.

Positions

Carnegie Institution of Washington

1986 -1988

Staff Associate, Department of Embryology

Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

1988-1993	Assistant Professor, Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics
1993-1998	Associate Professor, Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics
1998-2006	Professor, Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics
2004-2006	Professor, Department of Oncology

Stanford University School of Medicine

2006-present	Professor, Institute of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative medicine, and Department of Developmental Biology
2007-present	Ernest and Amelia Gallo Professor in the School of Medicine
2011-present	Professor, Department of Biochemistry

HHMI

1988-1996	Assistant Investigator, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
1996-2000	Associate Investigator, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
2000-2006	Investigator, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
2006-present	Investigator, Stanford University School of Medicine

Major Honors and Awards

1997	Outstanding Young Scientist Award, Maryland Academy of Sciences
1998	National Academy of Sciences Award in Molecular Biology
2002	Member, National Academy of Sciences
2003	Fellow, American Academy of Arts and Sciences
2008	March of Dimes Prize in Developmental Biology, shared with Cliff Tabin

The 2011 Keio Medical Science Prize Awardees

Keiji Tanaka, Ph.D.

Director General
Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science

Reason for Selection and His Major Achievement:

Discovery of proteasome and elucidation of its physiological functions

Proteins are essential components of organisms, and their synthesis and degradation is controlled synergistically by mRNA within cells. The proteasome, a large protein complex responsible for the selective degradation of intracellular proteins, was first discovered by Dr. Keiji Tanaka. Since then, Dr. Tanaka has focused on elucidating the structure and molecular/physiological functions of the proteasome for the past 30 years. The discoveries of immunoproteasomes, which are important for distinguishing self and non-self , and of thymoproteasomes, which are important for the differentiation of T cells in the thymus, are some highlights of his work. His current research interests include intracellular proteolysis mediated by the proteasome, ubiquitin, as well as the autophagy system in eukaryotes in general. His great achievements have revealed that these intracellular proteolytic systems are involved in the development of many diseases.

Education and Training

1972	Graduated from School of Nutrition, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Tokushima
1976	Dropout from Doctoral Program in Medical Sciences, The University of Tokushima
1980	Ph.D.

Positions

1976	Assistant Professor, Institute for Enzyme Research, The University of Tokushima
1980	Ph.D.
1981	Postdoctoral fellow , Harvard Medical School, USA (2 years)
1995	Associate Professor, Institute for Enzyme Research, The University of Tokushima
1996	Head of Department of Molecular Oncology, The Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science
2002	Vice-Director, The Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science
2006	Acting-Director, The Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science
2011- present	Director General, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science
Visiting professor (Present)	The University of Tokyo, Niigata University, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Ochanomizu University, University of Tsukuba

Major Honors and Awards

2003	The Naito Foundation Merit Award for Advancement of Science
2004	Uehara Award
2004	The Asahi Prize
2008	The Takeda Medical Prize
2010	Japan Academy Prize