Susumu Tonegawa (1939–2026): A molecular biologist who transformed immunology and neuroscience
- 1Department of Cell Biology, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016
- 2Department of Pathology, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016
- 3Laboratory for Circuit and Behavioral Physiology, RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Wako-shi 351-0106, Saitama, Japan
Abstract
Susumu Tonegawa transformed two fields of biology. His discovery of the genetic mechanism generating antibody diversity established the foundations of modern immunology and earned him the 1987 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. Remarkably, he then began a second scientific career in neuroscience, pioneering genetic approaches to dissect the molecular and circuit mechanisms of learning and memory and, ultimately, the neuronal ensembles that store specific memories. He was also an ambitious institution builder whose leadership shaped neuroscience at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and RIKEN. As former trainees from his immunology and neuroscience labs, we remember a scientist of extraordinary curiosity, intensity, and intellectual courage, who was never afraid to leave familiar territory in pursuit of a fundamental question.
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BibTeX
@article{lafaille2026susumu,
title = {{Susumu Tonegawa (1939–2026): A molecular biologist who transformed immunology and neuroscience}},
author = {Juan J. Lafaille and Thomas J. McHugh},
journal = {Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1073/pnas.2632673123},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2632673123},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Susumu Tonegawa (1939–2026): A molecular biologist who transformed immunology and neuroscience
AU - Juan J. Lafaille
AU - Thomas J. McHugh
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/23
JO - Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
DO - 10.1073/pnas.2632673123
UR - https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2632673123
AB - Susumu Tonegawa transformed two fields of biology. His discovery of the genetic mechanism generating antibody diversity established the foundations of modern immunology and earned him the 1987 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. Remarkably, he then began a second scientific career in neuroscience, pioneering genetic approaches to dissect the molecular and circuit mechanisms of learning and memory and, ultimately, the neuronal ensembles that store specific memories. He was also an ambitious institution builder whose leadership shaped neuroscience at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and RIKEN. As former trainees from his immunology and neuroscience labs, we remember a scientist of extraordinary curiosity, intensity, and intellectual courage, who was never afraid to leave familiar territory in pursuit of a fundamental question.
SN - 0027-8424
SN - 1091-6490
ER -