Professor Shuh Narumiya is a distinguished leader in medical research and drug discovery innovation at Kyoto University. He currently serves as Professor of Drug Discovery Medicine and Director of the Medical Innovation Center at Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, where he has significantly shaped the institution's research trajectory. Narumiya earned his M.D. in 1973 and Ph.D. in biochemistry in 1979, both from Kyoto University, followed by postdoctoral training in pharmacology at Wellcome Research Laboratories in Beckenham, England from 1979 to 1981. He advanced through the academic ranks to become Professor in Pharmacology at Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine from 1992 to 2013 and served as Dean of the Graduate School of Medicine from 2004 to 2007, demonstrating exceptional leadership in academic medicine.
Narumiya's groundbreaking research has fundamentally advanced our understanding of molecular signaling pathways with profound implications for therapeutic development. He achieved international recognition for cloning the entire prostaglandin receptor family, a critical breakthrough in understanding inflammatory processes and physiological regulation. His separate discovery of botulinum C3 exoenzyme and Y-27632, specific inhibitors of Rho GTPase and its effector ROCK respectively, provided essential pharmacological tools that have transformed research in cellular signaling and cytoskeletal dynamics. With over 500 original and review publications and an impressive H-index of 129, his work spans pharmacology, cell biology, biochemistry, and molecular biology to elucidate pathophysiological mechanisms underlying human diseases.
As a visionary academic leader, Narumiya established the Global Center of Excellence program 'Center for Frontier Medicine' to foster collaboration between basic and clinical researchers in advancing medical science. He has cultivated international partnerships with leading institutions including the University of Pennsylvania, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Imperial College London, and INSERM to promote global scientific exchange and training. His leadership in the field was further recognized when he served as President of the 18th World Congress of Basic and Clinical Pharmacology in 2018 and was elected as an Honorary Fellow of the British Pharmacological Society in 2019. Currently directing Kyoto University's Medical Innovation Center, Narumiya continues to drive translational research that bridges molecular discoveries with clinical applications, maintaining his position at the forefront of pharmacological innovation in Japan and worldwide.
