We are deeply saddened to announce the passing of the esteemed scientist, Dr. Ryuzo Yanagimachi, at the age of 95. Dr. Yanagimachi's contributions to the field of reproductive biology were unparalleled, most notably for his pioneering work in cloning and groundbreaking techniques like Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI). Born in Hokkaido, Japan, Dr. Yanagimachi’s legacy includes significant breakthroughs such as the "Honolulu Technique", leading to the world's first cloned mouse. He continued to inspire the scientific community throughout his illustrious career, earning accolades such as Japan's International Prize for Biology and the distinguished Kyoto Prize. His persistent dedication and unwavering passion for research have positively impacted countless lives, offering hope to many facing infertility challenges. As we remember and honor Dr. Yanagimachi, we invite our community to explore his incredible life's work further.
By Lluis Montoliu
A couple of weeks ago (on 27 Sep 2023) Ryuzo Yanagimachi, AKA "Yana" passed away in Honolulu at the age of 95, in a nursery facility where he lived since he was 90. He is one of the referent researchers in mouse/rodent reproduction biology and techniques developed around it, including IVF, ICSI and most notably, mouse cloning. I'm sure numerous colleages in the ISTT might have had a chance to meet him at a conference, in Hawaii or elsewhere. Many will remember that the first mouse cloned, Cumulina (obviously a female, made from nuclei of ovary cumuli cells) was cloned in his lab, with the participation of Teruhiko Wakayama, first author of that paper and awarded for it with the first "ISTT Prize" in 2001, in Stockholm, actually before the inception of ISTT.
Wakayama T, Perry AC, Zuccotti M, Johnson KR, Yanagimachi R. Full-term development of mice from enucleated oocytes injected with cumulus cell nuclei. Nature. 1998 Jul 23;394(6691):369-74. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9690471/
His last paper, of February 2023, [out of 357 papers in PubMed] deals with optimizing techniques for mitochondrial transfer into human oocytes (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36769061/).
You will find additional information about Yana and his achievements in these links:
- https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/14/science/ryuzo-yanagimachi-dead.html
- https://www.ssr.org/news-events/ssr-reflects/meet-dr-ryuzo-yanagimachi.html
- https://www.fertstert.org/news-do/celebrating-ryuzo-yanagimachi-true-giant-reproductive-science-and-medicine
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=Yanagimachi+R&sort=date
May he rest in peace
Lluis