Overcoming each and every barrier.
My dream is to create things that have not yet existed in the world.
Protein Engineering, Biofunctional Chemistry, Biomolecular Engineering
Graduate School of Engineering, Tohoku University
Professor Mitsuo Umetsu
In the recent years, the world is working aggressively to the field of protein science and engineering.
Seventy percent of the human body is water. When water is excluded, half of what remains is composed of high molecular compounds, that is, protein. Protein is one of the three major nutrients along with fat and carbohydrates. However, despite being an indispensable substance for maintaining life, a comprehensive picture of protein is yet unknown. Recently, research into protein has been advancing throughout the world, and a future wherein proteins will impart huge changes not only in science but in daily life is near. Mitsuo Umetsu, professor of the Department of Biomolecular Engineering at the Graduate School of Engineering of Tohoku University is one of the people involved in the latest research into proteins. To promote scientific research in innovative areas, he has received assistance in the form of Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research established by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. While pursuing research at his home base of Tohoku University, he also has a laboratory where he is passionate about mentoring students. The primary objective of his research is to create molecules with specific functions using the structure of proteins as a format. In other words, he is conducting epic research into creating things that have never existed throughout the history of the earth. A well-established accumulation of the basics lies in the foundation of Professor Umetsu’s research which he had built up until he embarked on his journey as a protein researcher.
With previous links to Sendai, he continued his studies at Tohoku University, a place of study known for its research-first approach.
Professor Umetsu is a graduate of Tokai High School in Nagoya City. During his high school years, electronics and energy issues were the main topics of the day, and he took an interest in biomolecular engineering. There were a number of universities famous for their engineering departments in the Chubu area and even in the neighboring Kansai area, but Professor Umetsu chose Tohoku University’s School of Engineering. As a matter of fact, he was born in Fukushima and he spent some of his early childhood years in Sendai, so it was perfectly natural for him to choose to attend Tohoku University. Professor Umetsu says, “Certainly there were times when I was asked why I chose Tohoku University, but in retrospect, I already had links to the Tohoku area. Most of all, I had heard that Tohoku University is a research-first university. So I thought that if I were to conduct engineering research, I’d go to Tohoku University.” After entering the university, he pursued the path of quantum chemistry as he liked physics. He then proceeded to study biotechnology and he continued to be immersed in research. His research was mostly repetition of analyzing, but he was eventually drawn to research that creates something new, and he joined a laboratory that allowed him to make things. He has thus learned the appeal of both analyzing and creating things and acquired the skills for both.
Learning in a different land away from home and discovering a new “me.”
After graduating from Tohoku University’s Graduate School of Engineering, there was a crucial step in the formation of who Professor Umetsu is today. This step was the time spent in research at Leiden University in Holland through the Postdoctoral Fellowship for Research Abroad of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science. Professor Umetsu says, “That year, I had a series of experiences that I could not have had in Japan. The Dutch people value their own private time, so they are focused when working without going overtime. They can also draw out a conclusion quickly. Their way of doing things is very rational and there are many things to be learned from it, and I think that I was able to grow as a person during my time there.” Professor Umetsu still attends many international symposiums and conferences around the country. Journeying from Sendai to another place is not merely going somewhere geographically, but rather, it gives him new perspectives, ideas and discoveries. After coming back to Japan from Holland, Professor Umetsu became an assistant at Graduate School of Tohoku University and came across protein research which he was destined to work with.
At first glance, it may seem that he moved to a completely different field, given that he narrowed down the field of his research to protein even though he had studied physics and chemistry. However, looking at the history of his academic research, it is clear that each step of the way was a logical step.
Protein Technology, Biofunctional Chemistry, Department of Biomolecular Engineering
Graduate School of Engineering, Tohoku University
Professor Mitsuo Umetsu
Completed a doctorate course in Biomolecular engineering at the Graduate School of Engineering,Tohoku University, in 2000. After finishing a Postdoctoral Fellowship for Research Abroad at Leiden University in the same year, he became a member of the Tohoku University faculty in 2001. In 2014, he became a professor of Biomolecular Engineeing at the Graduate School of Engineering. He specializes in biofunctional chemistry, protein engineering, molecular recognition and hybrid self-organization. In 2005, he won the 20th Division of Biofunctional Chemistry Subcommittee Lecture Prize and in 2008, he was given the Poster Award of the Spring Meeting and Exhibit of the Materials Research Society (USA).