On his 94th birthday, Google Thursday paid tribute to
Japanese Virologist Dr. Michiaki Takahashi, who developed the first vaccine
against Chickenpox.
Since its invention, Takahashi’s vaccine has been
administered to millions of children around the world as an effective measure
to prevent severe cases of the contagious viral disease and its transmission.
Born in 1928 in Osaka, Japan, Michiaki Takahashi earned his
medical degree from Osaka University and joined the Research Institute for
Microbial Disease, Osaka University in 1959. After studying measles and polio
viruses, Dr Takahashi accepted a research fellowship in 1963 at Baylor College
in the United States. During this time, his son developed chickenpox, which
made him turn his expertise into combating the highly transmissible disease.
After returning to Japan in 1965, Dr.Takahashi began
culturing live but weakened chickenpox viruses in animal and human tissue. In
five years, the vaccine was ready for clinical trials. In 1974, Dr. Takahashi
had developed the first vaccine targeting the varicella virus that causes
chickenpox. It was subsequently subjected to rigorous research with
immunosuppressed patients and was proven to be extremely effective.
Takahashi’s vaccine was then used in over 80 countries. In
1994, he was appointed the director of Osaka University’s Microbial Disease
Study Group—a position he held until his retirement. Thanks to his innovations,
millions of cases of chickenpox are prevented each year.
Today’s Doodle has been illustrated by Tokyo, Japan-based
guest artist Tatsuro Kiuchi.
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