Bun-ichi Shimizu

Bun-ichi Shimizu obtained his PhD in agricultural science from Kyoto University (Japan) in 2000.  During his PhD program, he analyzed changes in plant metabolites (in sweet potato) after pathogenic and non-pathogenic interaction with fungi (Fusarium oxysporum).  He also analyzed toxic components produced by pathogenic microbes.  From May 2000 to March 2009, he was an assistant professor in the Laboratory of Molecular Biofunctional Chemistry (Professor Kanzo Sakata) in the Institute for Chemical Research, Kyoto University. He studied the biosynthesis of plant metabolites using tea plant (Camellia sinensis), sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas), and Arabidopsis.  During this time, he cloned the gene encoding ortho-hydroxylase of cinnamate, which is a key step in coumarin biosynthesis in plants.  This is the first example of the ortho-hydroxylase in coumarin biosynthesis cloned from plants.  In April 2009, he moved to Toyo Univeristy, Japan, where he is currently a Professor in bioanaytical chemistry. His research involves studies on metabolism of coumarins in platns and microbes.  From April 2016 to March 2017, he is a visiting professor in the Wheelock laboratory.