Noboru Mizushima

Noboru Mizushima is one of the world's foremost authorities on ATG (autophagy-related) genes and autophagosome biogenesis, having characterized the molecular machinery of autophagy including the ATG12-ATG5-ATG16L1 conjugation system and LC3 lipidation pathway. His generation of tissue-specific ATG knockout mouse models revealed that autophagy deficiency leads to neurodegeneration, liver injury, and altered tumor development. He developed the GFP-LC3 transgenic mouse, which became the standard tool for monitoring autophagy in vivo. His work provides the fundamental molecular framework upon which therapeutic strategies targeting autophagy in cancer are built.