Tohru Kino
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Tohru Kino | |
|---|---|
| Japanese: 木野 亨 | |
| Known for | Discovery of tacrolimus |
Tohru Kino (木野 亨, Kino Tōru) is a Japanese chemist and pharmacologist, best known for his discovery of tacrolimus.
While working for Fujisawa Pharmaceutical Company in the 1980s (Astellas Pharma today), Kino and his colleagues found that FK-506 (now called tacrolimus), which is produced by the soil bacterium Streptomyces tsukubaensisis, could be expected to be an immunosuppressive drug.[1]
For his achievement, Kino received the Prime Minister Award from the Japan Institute of Invention and Innovation in 2004.[2]