A leader in the field of environmentally friendly chemistry for drug discovery, Professor Ohshima is tackling pharmaceutical research at the Kyushu University Greenpharma Research Center for System Drug Discovery, where he aims to develop technology to advance new forms of “green chemistry” that are safer for both people and the environment. Always with a smile on his face, he’s affectionately known to those around him as “Dr. Green.””
Born and raised in the city of Matsuyama in Ehime Prefecture, Professor Ohshima sweated it out on the volleyball court through junior high and high school, and though he always liked science, historical manga and novels sparked his interest in Japanese history and literature. At university, he was torn between pursuing science or literature, but ended up taking the Science II track at the University of Tokyo, where he majored in pharmacy, giving him the opportunity to learn from a wide range of research on everything from biology to physics. As a third-year, he happened across a book by Nobel laureate chemist Kenichi Fukui at the university library, where he was struck by Fukui’s novel Frontier Orbital Theory. It was at this moment that he realized the sheer beauty of chemistry. In his first year as a master’s student, his interest in research was renewed when he met Professor Masakatsu Shibasaki, an organic chemist who would later become his mentor. In 1996, he received his Ph.D. in Pharmacy from the Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, at the University of Tokyo. He joined Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. that same year and one year later went to the United States to work as a postdoctoral researcher at The Scripps Research Institute, one of the top nonprofit biomedical research institutes in the world. After returning to Japan in 1999, he joined the Science and Technology Corporation (CREST) and served as an assistant professor at the Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Tokyo. He became an associate professor at Osaka University’s Graduate School of Engineering Science in 2005 before taking up professorship at the Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences at Kyushu University in 2010. Throughout his career, Professor Ohshima has been the recipient of numerous awards and continues to publish a steady stream of press releases documenting his latest findings.
Professor Ohshima has a radiant personality and speaks with a graceful lilt—with lots of accompanying hand gestures. Looking over at a cactus on his office bookshelf—a present he says he received from his research students—he explains his research group’s monthly birthday and dinner parties that allow him and his students to get to know each other. Professor Ohshima is all smiles as he describes how much he loves chatting with his research students.
Professor Ohshima shares one of his presentations. He’s a forward-thinking professor, always looking to connect with other researchers around the world. Even during our interview, he shows us his lecture materials and takes time to explain his research.
Professors Ohsima and students participated in the symposium.
Professor Ohshima has a radiant personality and speaks with a graceful lilt—with lots of accompanying hand gestures. Looking over at a cactus on his office bookshelf—a present he says he received from his research students—he explains his research group’s monthly birthday and dinner parties that allow him and his students to get to know each other. Professor Ohshima is all smiles as he describes how much he loves chatting with his research students.
My research looks at green pharma—how to make the medicines we depend on "benign by design". Usually drugs can take more than ten years to go from development to market, and synthesizing pharmaceutical products can generate a good deal of waste. To measure just how much, we use the E-factor metric, which refers to the ratio of the mass of waste per mass of product and gives us a barometer to gauge the impact that certain industries have on the environment. The process of pharmaceutical industry has an E-factor of 25–100, which is extremely high, especially when compared with industries such as oil refining, which has an E-factor of just 0.1. What we need is to develop green chemistry synthesis technology that is safe for both humans and the environment.
Professor Ohshima shares one of his presentations. He’s a forward-thinking professor, always looking to connect with other researchers around the world. Even during our interview, he shows us his lecture materials and takes time to explain his research..
Let me give you an example. In the 1970s, a medication called paclitaxel was created, which was said to be a dream drug for cancer treatment. The drug was made from the bark of the Pacific yew tree. But problems with commercialization soon surfaced due to the fact that the bark from one tree could only produce enough paclitaxel to treat a single person, so researchers sought total synthesis of the drug, which attempts to completely synthesize natural products from the smallest possible precursors. Through the ceaseless efforts of countless researchers, total synthesis was eventually achieved in the 1990s, but it remained difficult to maintain the drug in steady supply. That is because the process involved a large number of chemical reactions that produced an equally large amount of waste, which drove costs through the roof. But we can be sure that in the near future organic chemistry will be able to produce such complex compounds without negatively impacting the environment.
Professors Ohsima and students participated in the symposium.
High-grade catalysts are required for green chemistry reactions, and as we combine different catalysts the possibilities continue to expand. I’m current working to develop environmentally friendly catalytic reactions as well as the efficient synthesis of various medical and bioactive natural products. In order to discover excellent catalysts for these reactions, we’ve conducted research and experiments into metal complex catalysis in organic and organometallic synthesis, and we have been successful in developing a catalyst that can be repeatedly used in the synthesis of ester compounds that are commonly used in medicines and perfumes. We have also succeeded in synthesizing antiviral drugs that can be recycled after use. The most common method to produce such synthesis reactions is batch production, where all the raw materials are put into a reaction tank and the product is extracted once the reactions are complete. At Kyushu University, however, we envision the application and commercialization of high value-added bioactive compounds and are conducting research on the synthesis of structurally complex compounds using continuous flow synthesis, in which reactions are performed using a variety of raw materials that are continuously passed through a pipe or tube.
We are currently engaged in joint research with industry to expand green chemistry. At the Kyushu University Greenpharma Research Center for System Drug Discovery, we are also working on new research that fuses green chemistry and drug discovery chemistry, aiming to create drugs that are both human-friendly and environmentally sound.
What do you think of when you hear the word chemistry? Positive impressions may conjure up images of any number of things like food, perfume, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, or new inventions like erasable pens or heat-generating clothing. But pollution might be the first thing you think of if you have a negative impression of the field. In chemistry textbooks, all you need to do is to synthesize your product, and it's simply assumed that many of these chemical reactions will produce waste. But now we live in a time of fierce environmental conservation, which has given rise to types of pseudo-green chemistry. So that begs the question: what should our research really be focusing on?
I remain steadfast in my dedication to authentic green chemistry. I plan to refine my objectives and propose hypotheses for experiment design that envisages new materials and new chemical reactions. It’s such a wonderful feeling when you are able to achieve the desired result. But then again, you’ll sometimes find a quite unlikely combination to be highly reactive, and it is in those unexpected moments that research becomes truly exciting.
I am of the opinion that organic chemistry is modern-day alchemy. While we may not be able to turn iron into gold, there exist infinite element combinations that can yield results of far greater value. In fact, Kyushu University’s own Professor Morita, of the Faculty of Sciences, achieved the stunning feat of discovering a brand-new element now known as nihonium after repeatedly attempting reactions using mind-boggling combinations. This is one of many examples that shows that chemistry can be more creativity than discovery. The field is brimming with innovation and new things are being created all the time, and that is why I find chemistry so captivating.
Students who feel forced to study at school are bound to become employees who work for someone else. Researchers must be active learners. When I teach, I try to make students think on their own by dropping hints without spelling it out for them. That’s why I put emphasis on building trust with students day by day, engaged in one-on-one meetings and holding numerous events for them. I also encourage international student exchange and require doctoral candidates and postdocs to have discussions in English. I believe that they must be held to international standards, so I try to create an environment that reflects that.
He wears ASICS running shoes and a Garmin GPS running watch, which analyzes his heart rate. These are, of course, his companions when traveling as well.
Professor Ohshima loves coffee. He says that his CHEMEX hand-drip coffee maker, designed by a German chemist, looks like a glass flask and tickles his inner chemist. His mill is made by Kalita.
"These glasses cover all the bases: nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism. They’re so light that I forget I’m wearing them, and I can’t imagine going on a run without them," he says about his beloved sports-type glasses. He uses a four-color PILOT FriXion erasable pen. "This ball pen uses friction to erase, which is made possible with the magic of chemistry," he exclaims.
Do Your Own Thing and Come Alive Challenge Yourself, Make Mistakes, and Have No Shame!
Many Japanese people feel comfortable being on the same level as others. A fear of risk stops them from trying something new and they choose an easier path, quitting before they even start. I feel like many students of this generation have this tendency for risk aversion. But I hope that students will realize that their true value emerges once they start doing their own thing.
Oftentimes university is the last bastion of security for students before going out into society. No matter how many times you fail or make a fool of yourself at school, you won’t be held accountable. Actually, the more you fail, the tougher you’ll get. When you start working, you can’t afford to make mistakes. The real shame is when you keep making the same mistakes even as you get older. So now is the time to try, fail, and be shameless before you go out into the world. You can’t say that you don’t have a knack for something before you even try.
I want students to gain this kind of awareness while they’re still students. In the course of your life, these few years at university can have a huge impact on the kind of person you'll become. So leave that "same level" state of mind behind and cultivate the power to think and act for yourself. Your hard work will pay off someday, but only if you try.
This interview was conducted in October 2018.
