Tadatsugu Taniguchi

Tadatsugu Taniguchi (Japanese谷口 维绍, Taniguchi Tadatsugu; * January 1, 1948 in Wakayama Prefecture ) is a Japanese immunologist, who is known for research on interferons.

Taniguchi studied biology at the University of Tokyo (Bachelor 1971), worked from 1972 to 1974 at the Laboratory of Biochemistry at the University of Naples and then went to the University of Zurich, where he received his doctorate at Charles Weissmann in molecular biology ( with a thesis on the Q phage under others, with the cloning of its RNA genome into a plasmid and point-specific mutagenesis). From 1978 he was at the Cancer Research Center in Tokyo, where it (via the cDNA) of interferon beta (then called fibroblast interferon) made ​​a breakthrough ( while the interferon - alpha gene was sequenced with the sequencing of the amino acid sequence in Weissmann's lab and others groups such as those of Walter Fiers also cloned interferon beta ). For two years he was Visiting Associate Professor at New York University Medical Center and from 1984 he was professor of molecular and cell biology at the University of Osaka. Since 1995 he is Professor at the Medical Faculty of the University of Tokyo. He is also an adjunct professor at New York University Medical School.

Taniguchi investigated mainly the mechanism of action of interferons and discovered transcription factors (IRF transcription factors, Interferon Regulatory Factor ), the interferon- regulate the response of the cell to viral infection. Known are nine such factors, the first of which was discovered in 1988. Characterized it also interleukin- 2 and its mechanism of action.

In 1991 he was awarded the Robert Koch Prize, the 1986 Hammer Prize, 1988 Behring Kitasato price, the 1988 Milstein Award, 1989 Asahi Prize and the Osaka Science Prize, 1994 Uehara Prize, 1996 Fujihara Award, 1997 Keio Medical Science Prize and in 2006 the Pezcoller price. It was 2007 Honorary Doctor of the University of Zurich. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and the Japanese Science Council.