Autophagy researchers around the world were delighted by the recognition. “This is an exciting day for all of us,” said Dr. Ana Maria Cuervo, an autophagy researcher and co-director of the Institute for Aging at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx.
“His work is some of the most elegant you can imagine for the knowledge and the beauty of how cells work.”
Dr. Ohsumi, who was born in 1945 in Fukuoka, Japan, and received a Ph.D. from the University of Tokyo in 1974, floundered at first, trying to find his way. He started out in chemistry but decided it was too established a field with few opportunities.
So he switched to molecular biology. But his Ph.D. thesis was unimpressive, and he could not find a job. His adviser suggested a postdoctoral position at Rockefeller University in New York, where he was to study in vitro fertilization in mice.
(Sourced from agencies, feature image courtesy:www.asianscientist.com)
