Harvard Chemist Wins Japan Prize

The Japan Prize for 1989 was awarded yesterday to a Harvard organic chemist who has led the development of bio-organic substances used for therapy.

Emery Professor of Organic Chemistry Elias J. Corey is known for his development of chemical pathways for the synthesis of more than 60 complex naturally occurring organic molecules, according to Harvard biographical material. He has published more than 660 scientific papers during the last 40 years.

"Corey is a prolific giant of organic chemistry," said Takashi Nagayama, spokesperson for the Science and Technology Foundation of Japan, which distributes the prize. He said Corey's work represents a "monumental achievement in the synthesis of eicosaniods, a vital substance in the study of human cellular and immune functions."

In 1979, Corey synthesized leukotreine A before it was found to be the precursor of the leukotrine family, a discovery which made previously inaccessible substances available for biological research.

Along with University of California-Irvine professor Frank S. Rowland, Corey was awarded 50 million yen ($387,600).

The prizes, given for scientific achievements contributing to world peace and prosperity, are to be presented April 12 in Japan. They are considered the country's version of the Nobel Prize.

Thomas A. Scully, spokesperson for the public relations company in Tokyo that handles the Japan Prize, said while in Japan, the two prize winners would probably meet with Emperor Akihito and possible Prime Minister Takeshita.

Corey declined to comment on his award yesterday, saying Harvard had issued a release on the subject.

"This prize is an unequalled honor for several reasons, not the least of which is the extraordinary quality of scientific research in Japan in fields such as my own," Corey said in a statement released by the Harvard News Office. "I am appreciative and delighted both to receive the Japan Prize and to be so connected with the country."

A 1948 graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Corey earned his doctorate there in 1950 at age 22. He taught at the University of Illinois from 1951 to 1959 and became a full professor of chemistry in 1956 at the age of 27.

The government-sponsored Japan Prize was established in 1985 "to commemorate major achievements in science and engneering which will advance peace and prosperity for mankind," Takashi said.

Scully said members of the foundation distributing the prize include the executive director of Matsushita Electric Industrial Company, which owns Panasonic, and a former chief justice of Japan's supreme court.

The selection process resembles that of the Nobel Prize committee. Each year a panel of Japanese scientists and academics, after designating two sectors of science or technology, accepts nominations from scientists worldwide.

Since the prize was established in 1985, Americans have made up more than half of the winners, Scully said.

But the Japan Prize Selection Committee chose Corey from a field of 407 nominees for sythesizing prostagladins--key regulatory substances in the body. His work with prostagladins has led to the production of many therapeutic synthetic agents.

Masahisa Ikeda acted as interpreter for some of the reporting of this story.