January 13, 2005 – Masatoshi Takeichi, director of the RIKEN Kobe Institute and Center for Developmental Biology (Kobe, Japan) was named today as one of this year’s three Japan Prize honorees. This is the 21st year that these prestigious prizes, which are sometimes called the Japanese Nobels, have been awarded by the Science and Technology Foundation of Japan (JSTF) to recognize "people from all parts of the world whose original and outstanding achievements in science and technology are recognized as having advanced the frontiers of knowledge and served the cause of peace and prosperity for mankind.”

Masatoshi Takeichi, Center Director, RIKEN CDB

Dr. Takeichi was awarded for his work in the field of cellular adhesion, the processes by which individual cells are able to recognize other cells and form selective bonds with their appropriate counterparts. His identification of the first members of the cadherin family of calcium-dependent cell-cell adhesion molecules was a breakthrough that has allowed scientists to investigate in great detail the mechanisms by which complex multicellular structures form and hold together. He shared this year’s prize in cell biology with Dr. Erkki Ruoslahti of the Burnham Institute (La Jolla, California, USA), who has also made fundamental advances in the study of cell adhesion and cancer biology. Dr Makoto Nagao was the third japan Prize laureate this year, in the field of Information and Media Technology.

The presentation ceremony will be held in April 2005, in Tokyo as part of the “Japan Prize Week.” The Prize for each field includes a cash award of 50 million yen.