Press Release

September 12, 2019
Keio University

Announcement of The Keio Medical Science Prize 2019
Keio University annually awards The Keio Medical Science Prize to recognize researchers who have made anoutstanding contribution to the fields of medicine or the life sciences. It is the only prize of its kind awarded by aJapanese university, and 8 laureates of this Prize have later won the Nobel Prize. The 24th Keio Medical Science Prize
is awarded to Prof. Hans C. Clevers and Prof. Tadamitsu Kishimoto.

1. Laureates
Hans C. Clevers, M.D., Ph.D.

Tadamitsu Kishimoto, M.D., Ph.D.
・Professor,Immunology
Frontier ResearchCenter, Osaka
University

・Professor in MolecularGenetics, University
Medical Center Utrecht
・Principal Investigatorat Hubrecht Institute of
the Royal Netherlands
Academy and atPrincess Máxima
Center for PediatricOncology“IL-6: From Molecule to Medicine”“Wnt signaling in Stem Cells and Organogenesis”

2. Award Ceremony and Events

The award ceremony and commemorative lectures will be held on December 19, 2019 at Keio University School ofMedicine, located on Keio University’s Shinanomachi Campus.

Award Ceremony and Commemorative Lectures
Date & Time: December 19, 2019, 14:00-17:30
Venue:Kitasato Memorial Hall, Keio University School of Medicine, Shinanomachi Campus, Tokyo, Japan
Language:
English and JapaneseSimultaneous translation available (English-Japanese/Japanese-English)
Admission:
Open to the public
Attachments:(1) The Keio Medical Science Prize(2) The Keio Medical Science Prize Laureate 2019

Inquiries: Secretariat, Keio University Medical Science Fund
TEL: +81-3-5363-3609
FAX: +81-3-5363-3215
Publisher: Office of General Affairs, Keio University School of Medicine
TEL: +81-3-5363-3611
FAX: +81-3-5363-3612
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URL: https://www.ms-fund.keio.ac.jp/en/
E-mail: k-msf@adst.keio.ac.jp
URL: http://www.med.keio.ac.jp/en/
E-mail: med-koho@adst.keio.ac.jp

Attachment (1)The Keio Medical Science Prize
1. BackgroundIn the fall of 1994, Dr. Mitsunada Sakaguchi, a 1940 alumnus of the School of Medicine, donated five billion yen to Keio
University with the expressed desire that it be used to commend outstanding researchers, to encourage medical researchand its creative progress at Keio through grants, and to promote worldwide medical advances. In keeping with Dr.
Sakaguchi's commitment, Keio launched The Keio University Medical Science Fund on April 1, 1995. Dr. Sakaguchi
made an additional donation of two billion yen in July 1999, bringing the fund to a total of seven billion yen.
2. Initiatives
 The Keio Medical Science Prize Grants for International Activities in Medicine and the Life Sciences Medical School Faculty and Alumni Grants Research Award Research Grants for Medicine and the Life Sciences Sakaguchi Laboratory
3. Objective
The Keio Medical Science Prize gives recognition to the outstanding and creative achievements of researchers in thefields of medicine and the life sciences, in particular those contributing to scientific developments in medicine. It aims topromote worldwide advances in medicine and the life sciences, encourage the expansion of researcher networks
throughout the world, and contribute to the well-being of humankind.
4. Prize
Laureates receive a certificate of merit, medal, and a monetary award of 10 million yen. The award ceremony andcommemorative lectures are held at Keio University.
5. Nomination and Selection
The Keio Medical Science Prize is an international award, and each year academics and researchers from around theworld are invited to nominate a candidate. Laureates are then selected through a rigorous review process by about ninety
Japanese academics from both within and outside of Keio University.
6. 2018 Prize Laureates
Feng Zhang
Development of CRISPR/Cas system in mammalian cells and application for medical science
Masashi Yanagisawa
Elucidation of sleep control mechanisms and applications in drug discovery
7. Nobel Prize Winning Laureates
2016
Tasuku Honjo (The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2018)
Identification of PD-1 and Establishment of Cancer Immunotherapy Principle by PD-1 Blockade
2015
Yoshinori Ohsumi (The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2016)
Discoveries of mechanisms for autophagy
2010
Jules A. Hoffmann (The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2011)
Discovery of Insect-innate Immune System and Toll Receptors
2006
Thomas A. Steitz (The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2009)
Structural Basis of Large Ribosomal Subunit Function and Drug Development
2004
Roger Y. Tsien (The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2008)
Visualization and Control of Molecules within Living Cells
2002
Barry J. Marshall (The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2005)
Establishment of Diagnostic Techniques and Treatment for Helicobacter Pylori
1999
Elizabeth Helen Blackburn (The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2009)
Telomeres and Telomerase
1996
Stanley B. Prusiner (The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1997)
Discovery of Prions and Prion Diseases
2/4Attachment (2a)The Keio Medical Science Prize 2019 Laureate“Wnt signaling in Stem Cells and Organogenesis”
Hans C. Clevers, M.D., Ph.D.

Professor in Molecular Genetics, University Medical Center Utrecht
Principal Investigator at Hubrecht Institute of the Royal Netherlands Academy
and at Princess Máxima Center for pediatric oncology
The Wnt molecular family is known to include many extremely important biological signals that regulate development,differentiation, stem cell maintenance, and carcinogenesis. Dr. Hans C. Clevers first isolated and identified the T-cellfactor (Tcf) family, the most important transcription factor in Wnt signal activation, and he has consistently studied Wnt
signaling thereafter. Dr. Clevers proposed that Wnt signaling is involved in stem cell regulation, organogenesis andtumorigenesis, and identified Lgr5 as a downstream target gene of Wnt. By tracking Lgr5 expression, Dr. Clevers’ researchgroup has made it possible to visualize stem cells in vivo. In addition, he developed organoid technology that makes it
possible for intestinal epithelial stem cells to grow outside the body indefinitely. This technology can also be used withvarious other tissue stem cells, such as those from liver, pancreas, stomach, and lung. Dr. Clevers’ work in these areas has
contributed greatly to elucidating the pathology of various diseases, including cancer.
Education
1975 - 1982
1978 - 1984
1984 - 1985
Positions1985 - 1989
1989 - 1991
1991 - 2002
2002 - 20122012 - 2015
2015 - 20192002 2002 2015 -M.Sc. Biology, University of Utrecht
M.D. University of Utrecht
Ph.D. University of Utrecht
Postdoctoral Fellow. Cox Terhorst Lab at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School,Boston MA, USA
Assistant Professor, Department of Clinical Immunology, University of Utrecht
Professor and Chairman, Dept. of Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Utrecht
Director of the Hubrecht Institute, Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences
President of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Sciences (KNAW), Amsterdam
Chief Scientific Officer/Director Research of the Princess Máxima Centerfor pediatric oncology, Utrecht
Professor in Molecular Genetics, University Medical Center Utrecht
Principal Investigator of a research group of ~40 scientists at the Hubrecht Institute, Utrecht
Principal Investigator at the Princess Máxima Center

Major Honors/Awards
2004
Louis-Jeantet Prize for Medicine, Geneva, Switzerland
2011
The Ernst Jung Medical Award, Germany
2012
The Heineken Prize for Medicine
2013
The Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences
2016
The Körber European Science Prize, Germany

Comments from Professor Hans C. Clevers
It is a great honour for me to be awarded the 2019 Keio Medical Science Prize and to receive this prize
together with Prof. Tadamitsu Kishimoto.
A major reason for the award is the development of three-dimensional culture systems for human miniorgans in a dish, also known as organoids. The key experiments for this technology were done by a young
Japanese scientist in my lab, Dr. Toshiro Sato, who was recently promoted to professor at Keio University.

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Attachment (2b)The Keio Medical Science Prize 2019 Laureate“IL-6: From Molecule to Medicine”
Tadamitsu Kishimoto, M.D., Ph.D.

Professor, Immunology Frontier Research Center, Osaka University
Professor Tadamitsu Kishimoto first discovered interleukin 6 (IL-6) as an antibody production-promoting factor.
He subsequently succeeded in cloning of the genes encoding IL-6 and the IL-6 receptor, and elucidated themechanism underlying IL-6 signal transduction. His group further showed that IL-6 is involved in various diseases,
including rheumatoid arthritis and multiple myeloma. Based on this basic research, Dr. Kishimoto developed
tocilizumab, an anti-IL-6 receptor antibody that inhibits the action of IL-6, and established it as a therapeutic strategy
for Castleman's disease and rheumatoid arthritis. Dr. Kishimoto has made enormous contributions to ourunderstanding of the biological and medical roles of IL-6, from its discovery, to the elucidation of its mechanism ofaction and therapeutic applications, as well as to cytokine research. His achievement is undoubtedly worthy of theKeio Medical Science Prize.
Education
1964
1969

M.D. Osaka University
Ph.D. Osaka University

Professional Appointments
1991-1998
Professor and Chairman, Department of Medicine III, Osaka University Medical School
1995-1997
Dean, Osaka University Medical School
1997-2003
President, Osaka University
2004-2006
Member, Council for Science and Technology Policy, Cabinet Office
2007Chairman of the Board of directors, Senri Life Science Foundation
2011Professor, Immunology Frontier Research Center, Osaka University
Major Honors/Awards
1992
Imperial Prize from the Japan Academy
1998
The Order of Culture from Emperor2009
The Crafoord Prize from the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
2011
The Japan Prize
2017
King Faisal International Prize from Saudi Arabia
Professional Activities
1995
Member, the Japan Academy
2007
President, the 27th General Assembly of the Japanese Medical Association
2010
President, the 14th International Congress of Immunology

Comments from Professor Kishimoto
It is truly my pleasure to receive this prestigious prize in recognition of my forty years of research on IL-6, thediscovery of which, together with IL-6 signal transduction, have led to the development of the anti-IL-6 receptor
antibody. This antibody is now widely used in more than a hundred countries for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis(RA), giant cell arteritis, and cytokine storm and has saved millions of patients. I am also extremely pleased that ourseries of studies has helped inform many internationally recognized immunologists.
I am now 80 years old, but this kind of honor encourages me to continue my research. Thank you very much.
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