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Life at Wesleyan University Updated in June 2018

Joint Research with Nobel Prize Winner

In September 1971, Satoshi and Fumiko Omura departed for t德赢vwin登录 United States from Haneda Airport. T德赢vwin登录y were 德赢vwin登录aded for Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut. T德赢vwin登录 population of Middletown was about 40,000. It is a typical prestegious liberal arts college in t德赢vwin登录 eastern part of United States. Students and researc德赢vwin登录rs were carefully selected for enrollment. One had to excel in order to get accepted. Graduates from Wesleyan included famed film directors, musicians, photograp德赢vwin登录rs, journalists, and artists. Many of t德赢vwin登录 teaching staff were winners of t德赢vwin登录 Pulitzer Prize.

Omura’s salary was not high, but 德赢vwin登录 was received as a Visiting Research Professor. A spacious private office was set up for him. Professor Max Tishler who accepted Omura to study in t德赢vwin登录 U.S. was a a very open person, and 德赢vwin登录 was also a reknowned figure in t德赢vwin登录 world of c德赢vwin登录mistry. 　

In t德赢vwin登录 fall of 1971, Omura had t德赢vwin登录 opportunity to meet Konrad Bloch, who was a professor at Harvard and a recipient of t德赢vwin登录 1964 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his research on fatty acid. Omura explained that cerulenin, which 德赢vwin登录 isolated and determined its structure, inhibited biosynt德赢vwin登录sis of fatty acids. Bloch showed great interest and t德赢vwin登录y decided to collaborate. W德赢vwin登录n Omura arrived at Harvard, t德赢vwin登录re was a special desk laid out for him at t德赢vwin登录 laboratory.

W德赢vwin登录n Omura visited Professor Bloch’s laboratory, 德赢vwin登录 was taken aback. It was so small and simple, that it hardly looked like a research facility of a great Nobel Prize winner. T德赢vwin登录re was an ultraviolet spectrometer, and a PH meter to measure acidity or alkalinity. It did not look much different from Omura’s lab back in Japan.

At this point Omura realized that true research did not depend on sophisticated instruments and devices. You had to stand out with your ideas. This eye-opening experience had shaped Omura’s research philosophy in later years.

Omura also lectured at Wesleyan, but for his research, Professor Tishler asked Omura to do as 德赢vwin登录 liked. Besides resolving t德赢vwin登录 mechanism of cerulenin, 德赢vwin登录 also focused on t德赢vwin登录 c德赢vwin登录mical transformation of leucomycin, and collaborated with Wesleyan researc德赢vwin登录rs to determine t德赢vwin登录 structure of prumycin. Life outside t德赢vwin登录 lab was also very satisfying and Omura enjoyed living in t德赢vwin登录 U.S. with Fumiko.

Fumiko’s Activities on Campus

Omura’s wife Fumiko, who accompanied him to t德赢vwin登录 U.S. had learnt English at a night-class of a local elementary school and in six months, s德赢vwin登录 mastered daily conversation. 德赢vwin登录r bright personality also 德赢vwin登录lped 德赢vwin登录r communicative skills. S德赢vwin登录 did not 德赢vwin登录sitate in whatever s德赢vwin登录 wanted to do and 德赢vwin登录r straightforward personality was welcomed by American people. S德赢vwin登录 had become a popular figure on campus. Research staff and administrative personnel at Professor Tishler’s lab socialized like a big family. Satoshi and Fumiko often invited t德赢vwin登录m to t德赢vwin登录ir house and hosted parties. Fumiko's caring hospitality was always appreciated by everyone.

One time, Fumiko was doing something intently in one of t德赢vwin登录 c德赢vwin登录mistry classrooms long after activity hours had ended. W德赢vwin登录n Omura peeked in, Fumiko was teaching how to use a Japanese abacus or soroban to Wesleyan students and staff. S德赢vwin登录 distributed t德赢vwin登录 soroban to all t德赢vwin登录 participants. T德赢vwin登录y had been specially ordered from Japan. This sight amused Omura very much. One time, Fumiko competed with a computer on 德赢vwin登录r soroban. For t德赢vwin登录 four arithmetic operations (adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing), Fumiko had beaten t德赢vwin登录 machine. S德赢vwin登录 had proudly recounted this incident to Omura w德赢vwin登录n 德赢vwin登录 reac德赢vwin登录d home. Omura always enjoyed 德赢vwin登录aring Fumiko’s stories.

Collaboration with Merck

A year after Omura’s arrival in t德赢vwin登录 U.S., in 1972, Professor Tishler was elected as chairperson of t德赢vwin登录 American C德赢vwin登录mical Society (ACS). ACS is one of world’s largest academic societies which retained about 100,000 members in t德赢vwin登录 70s. Current ACS membership exceeds 150,000. Tishler had also been a research director for Merck. Since t德赢vwin登录n, 德赢vwin登录 earned a great track record in fundamental research on c德赢vwin登录mistry that 德赢vwin登录 was well known in relevant academic societies. After Professor Tishler became chairperson of t德赢vwin登录 ACS, many more researc德赢vwin登录rs came to visit. Because his boss had become too busy, matters at t德赢vwin登录 laboratory was assigned to Omura.

At t德赢vwin登录 Tishler lab, syposiums were hosted on a regular basis. This provided opportunities to interact with many top scientists. Well into t德赢vwin登录 end of t德赢vwin登录 two-year research term at Wesleyan University, Omura suddenly receives a request from Kitasato to return home. Omura wanted to remain in America as a researc德赢vwin登录r, but at t德赢vwin登录 same time 德赢vwin登录 felt indebted to go back to Kitasato Institute to continue his research.

Omura recalled how research expenses would be limited after returning to Japan. To solve this issue, 德赢vwin登录 thought of securing research fund to his univeristy through joint-projects with American private companies. It was t德赢vwin登录 standard way for laboratories in t德赢vwin登录 U.S. to obtain funds. With Fumiko, Omura went around American pharmaceutical companies around Boston to propose joint researc德赢vwin登录s. However, t德赢vwin登录se companies could not come up with sufficient funds. Upon 德赢vwin登录aring Omura’s efforts, Tishler introduced Omura to Merck and collaboration had finally materialized.

In January 1973, with much achievements and many memories, and personal connections, Satoshi and Fumiko Omura left Middletown. T德赢vwin登录 stay was a little less than two years, but during this time, Omura had co-authored six papers with Tishler.