Michiaki Takahashi

Michiaki Takahashi (高橋 理明, Takahashi Michiaki, February 17, 1928 – December 16, 2013) was a Japanese virologist, best known for inventing the first chickenpox vaccine. He developed the "Oka" vaccine by producing v-Oka, a live-attenuated virus strain of varicella zoster virus.[1]

Michiaki Takahashi
Born(1928-02-17)February 17, 1928
Yuzato, Higashisumiyoshi-ku, Osaka, Japan
DiedDecember 16, 2013(2013-12-16) (aged 85)
Suita, Osaka Prefecture, Japan
Education
OccupationVirologist
Medical career
FieldMedicine
InstitutionsResearch Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University
Sub-specialtiesVirology
ResearchChickenpox
Notable worksVaricella vaccine

Life

Born at Higashisumiyoshi-ku, Osaka, Japan, on February 17, 1928,[2] Takahashi earned his MD in 1954 from Osaka University's Medical School, and completed in 1959 the Graduate Course of Medical Science, majoring in poxvirus virology.[3]

Between 1963 and 1965 he studied at Baylor College of Medicine in Texas, and at the Fels Research Institute of Temple University, in Philadelphia.[4]

The experience of watching his eldest son, Teruyuki, suffer from chickenpox while studying in the U.S. led him to begin development of a chickenpox vaccine in 1971. The research was extremely difficult, but was completed in 1973. In 1984, the vaccine was certified by the WHO as the most suitable chickenpox vaccine, and in 1986, the Japanese Ministry of Health and Welfare approved it for practical use in countries around the world.[2]

Takahashi became the director of Osaka University's Microbial Disease Study Group in 1994.[5] After retirement from Osaka University, he was given the title professor emeritus.[6]

He died on December 16, 2013, from heart failure.[7][2]

Awards

Legacy

The Japanese Society for Vaccinology presents an annual prize named in Takahashi's honor: The Japanese Society for Vaccinology Takahashi Prize, founded in October 2005.[9]

On 17 February 2022, Takahashi was honoured with a Google Doodle on his 94th birthday.[10]

References
  1. Quinlivan, Mark; Breuer, Judith; Schmid, D Scott (2011). "Molecular studies of the Oka varicella vaccine". Expert Review of Vaccines. 10 (9): 1321–1336. doi:10.1586/erv.11.93. ISSN 1476-0584. PMID 21919621. S2CID 9806464. Archived from the original on 2022-02-17. Retrieved 2022-02-17.
  2. Yardley, William (22 December 2013). "Michiaki Takahashi, 85, Who Tamed Chickenpox, Dies". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 11 February 2017. Retrieved 27 February 2017.
  3. Artenstein, Andrew W. (2009). Vaccine development. ISBN 9781441911087. Archived from the original on 17 February 2022. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
  4. Artenstein, Andrew W. (11 December 2009). Vaccines: A Biography. Springer Science & Business Media. p. 267. ISBN 978-1-4419-1108-7. Archived from the original on 17 February 2022. Retrieved 17 February 2022.
  5. Molina, Brett (17 February 2022). "Google Doodle honors Dr. Michiaki Takahashi, developer of first chickenpox vaccine". USA Today. Retrieved 17 February 2022.
  6. Takahashi, Dr. Michiaki (November 1998). "Dedication". The Journal of Infectious Diseases. 178 (s1): Siii–iii. doi:10.1086/514252.
  7. "訃報:高橋理明さん８５歳＝大阪大名誉教授、ウイルス学" (in Japanese). Mainichi Shimbun. Archived from the original on December 19, 2013. Retrieved December 19, 2013.
  8. 日本人名大辞典+Plus, ブリタニカ国際大百科事典 小項目事典,デジタル版. "高橋理明とは". コトバンク (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 2022-02-16. Retrieved 2022-02-16.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  9. "高橋賞" (in Japanese). The Japanese Society for Vaccinology website. Archived from the original on December 19, 2013. Retrieved December 19, 2013.
  10. "Dr. Michiaki Takahashi's 94th Birthday". Google. Archived from the original on 2022-02-16. Retrieved 2022-02-17.


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