Fermentation and natural products
Born in Yamanashi, Ōmura studied at Yamanashi University and Tokyo University of Science and obtained doctorates in pharmaceutical science and chemistry. Joining the Kitasato Institute in 1965, he investigated microbial compounds through isolation, structural analysis and biological screening.
Soil organisms and shared research
The Kitasato team collected and screened soil microorganisms and supplied promising strains through its collaboration with Merck. William Campbell and Merck colleagues investigated antiparasitic activity. Avermectin from a productive strain was chemically modified to produce ivermectin, linking microbial screening with medicinal chemistry and parasitology.
The 2015 award
Ōmura and Campbell shared half of the 2015 Nobel Prize for discoveries concerning a therapy against roundworm-parasite infections; the other half went to Tu Youyou. The collaboration involved distinct contributions to microbial discovery, drug development and subsequent applications.