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
Beyond protein research is a future of safe medication with no side effects.
Professor Umetsu says that there is a flow involved in academic study. Knowing math helps you understand physics, and by learning physics you can decipher chemistry. By mastering chemistry, he says that you can finally unlock the mysteries of living organisms. He adds, “Living organisms are composed of molecules, so it is necessary to have knowledge of physics and chemistry. Living organisms can only be understood with the advance of other academic studies.” Without realizing, Professor Umetsu followed the same process of advancement of academic studies and found his way into protein research. He is currently aiming for innovation in three directions through protein research; i.e., to greatly advance medicine, the environment and nanotechnology. “For example, current cancer drugs work on cancer cells but also affect other cells - what we call a side effect. If we can have biomedicine that will only work on cancer cells, we can face cancer treatment without worrying about side effects. I am hoping that our attempts in researching into new molecules will be useful for cancer treatment too,” says Professor Umetsu. Carving your own path beyond the fusion of various disciplines - this stance has led to the creation of a small revolution within Tohoku University.
Remove barriers between research fields and work together towards success in each field.
Tohoku University promotes collaboration among departments and specialties and builds collaborative relationships that transcend each one’s domain. Professor Umetsu who is involved in biomolecular engineering has come up with ideas one after another after exchanging views with professors from other departments such as mechanics, materials science and medicine. He says, “I can now handle organic substances, inorganic substances and living organisms, and I am now able to consult professors from various disciplines. I strongly feel that there isn’t a need for creating divisions depending on the material because Tohoku University has always had an environment where people can learn equally. We work together towards each one’s success. It’s a great place for a researcher.” Professor Umetsu maintains a modest attitude when teaching at his laboratory too. The slogan of his laboratory is “be so passionate that you vitalize others around you.” He also respects students as adults and is careful to respect their wishes. “I always tell them not to believe everything that I say and that they should first think for themselves. I think it’s important for them to become persons who can work independently rather than have me tie them up with rules.”
I desire to create products unexploited in the world. Passion for never-ending challenges.
“There are always new things we need to study on every year in protein study. There is still a wide, uncharted territory in this field and it is therefore worth the effort,” says Professor Umetsu. Above all, the source of his passion that he pours into his research is his enthusiasm for “creating things that do not yet exist in the world.” A future with advanced protein research is a dream-like future with medications with few side effects, cars that run on energy converted from wastepaper, the integration of inorganic devices into organisms and so many other possibilities could be there. To achieve that, further joint study on proteins and other materials will be necessary. “I would like to keep on trying and see just how much biomolecular engineering can change the world. I desire to know just how much power proteins have. Protein engineering began around 1980, so the history of this study is still very short. This is precisely why I desire to keep looking into its possibilities,” says Professor Umetsu. Even 5 or 10 years from now on when he achieves his dream, Professor Umetsu will surely seek new aspirations and will overcome barriers, continuing to pursue challenges.
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).