Professor Tadashi Yamamoto, head of the Cell Signal Unit at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST), has been selected as the recipient of the 25th Prince Hitachi Prize for Comparative Oncology.
Established in 1995 to commemorate the 60th birthday of Prince Hitachi, who has long been engaged in cancer research, the prize honors outstanding achievements in comparative oncology and related fields. The award ceremony will be held in Tokyo this May.
Originating from studies of avian tumor viruses, Yamamoto's body of work made a major contribution to establishing the concept that host oncogenes play a central role in the development of cancer in the host organism. This conceptual breakthrough subsequently laid the foundation for the development of molecularly targeted cancer therapies.
Yamamoto analyzed an avian tumor virus that transforms immature red blood cells and was the first in the world to demonstrate that the causative gene was the viral erbB oncogene. It was later revealed that erbB originates from the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene in the avian genome, a discovery that ultimately led to the development of anti‑EGFR molecularly targeted drugs. These are now effective treatments for lung cancer and other malignancies. In addition, he identified a gene similar to erbB, known as c‑erbB‑2 (also called HER2), in the human genome. He demonstrated the potent signal‑transducing activity of its gene product, as well as its gene amplification and overexpression, thereby establishing the critical role of c‑erbB‑2 in human breast cancer. These discoveries paved the way for the development of anti‑ERBB2 antibodies, which have shown significant effectiveness in the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer.
Reflecting on the award, Yamamoto said, "This research began about 40 years ago at the Institute of Medical Science at the University of Tokyo, and it continues today in my work at OIST. I hope that in the coming years we will achieve significant advances building on this foundation."
After completing his PhD at Osaka University Graduate School, Yamamoto conducted research at the U.S. National Institutes of Health before joining the Institute of Medical Science, University of Tokyo, where he served as director from 2003 to 2007. Since establishing the Cell Signal Unit at OIST in 2012, he has continued to play a central role in Japan's medical science community, including serving concurrently as Director of the RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences from 2015 to 2020.
He has also received numerous honors in cancer research, including the Princess Takamatsu Cancer Research Fund Prize, the Asahi Prize, and the Tomizo Yoshida Award.
