Susumu Tonegawa
Japanese scientist
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“Susumu Tonegawa.” thisDay, thisday.info/people/susumu-tonegawa/. Accessed 19 Oct. 2026.
Susumu Tonegawa. (n.d.). thisDay. Retrieved October 19, 2026, from https://thisday.info/people/susumu-tonegawa/
“Susumu Tonegawa.” thisDay. Accessed October 19, 2026. https://thisday.info/people/susumu-tonegawa/.
Who was Susumu Tonegawa?
Susumu Tonegawa (利根川 進, Tonegawa Susumu; September 5, 1939 – July 11, 2026) was a Japanese scientist who was the sole recipient of the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine in 1987 for his discovery of V(D)J recombination, the genetic mechanism which produces antibody diversity. Tonegawa was born in Nagoya, Japan, and attended Hibiya High School in Tokyo. While a student at Kyoto University, Tonegawa became fascinated with operon theory after reading papers by François Jacob and Jacques Monod, whom he credits in part with inspiring his interest in molecular biology. Tonegawa graduated from Kyoto University in 1963 and, due to limited options for molecular biology study in Japan at the time, moved to the University of California, San Diego, to do his doctorate study under Dr. Masaki Hayashi.
Historical significance
Although he won the Nobel Prize for his work in immunology, Tonegawa was a molecular biologist by training and, following his Nobel Prize win, changed fields to neuroscience, examining the molecular, cellular and neuronal basis of memory formation and retrieval.
Cite this page
“Susumu Tonegawa.” thisDay, thisday.info/people/susumu-tonegawa/. Accessed 19 Oct. 2026.
Susumu Tonegawa. (n.d.). thisDay. Retrieved October 19, 2026, from https://thisday.info/people/susumu-tonegawa/
“Susumu Tonegawa.” thisDay. Accessed October 19, 2026. https://thisday.info/people/susumu-tonegawa/.