Dear Colleagues, It is with great sadness that we write to inform you about the passing of Professor Noriyoshi Sakabe on October 9, 2025.
Professor Sakabe made pioneering contributions to macromolecular crystallography and synchrotron radiation research. In the early 1970s, he initiated the insulin project and later collaborated with Professor Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin’s group at Oxford to successfully determine its structure. Subsequently, he achieved a groundbreaking ultra-high-resolution structural analysis, detecting electron density corresponding to hydrogen atoms in protein crystals something previously thought to be impossible. Striving for even higher precision, Professor Sakabe developed an innovative data collection system for protein crystallography using synchrotron radiation. This system, based on a modified Weissenberg camera (known as the “Sakabe camera”) and combined with the newly developed Imaging Plates (Fuji Film), significantly improved the accuracy and efficiency of diffraction data collection at the Photon Factory in Japan. The beamline, under his leadership, became one of the world’s most powerful synchrotron beamlines for protein crystallography, utilized by researchers globally and yielding numerous significant discoveries. Professor Sakabe was deeply committed to supporting the scientific community, and his generosity left a lasting impact on countless researchers worldwide. As an inspiring mentor, he was devoted to his students and colleagues, shaping generations of scientists. We deeply mourn his loss and extend our heartfelt condolences to his family, friends, and colleagues. Sincerely, Atsushi Nakagawa ——————————————————————————— Atsushi NAKAGAWA, Professor, PhD Japan Synchrotron Radiation Research Institute (JASRI) 1-1-1 Kouto, Sayo-cho, Sayo-gun Hyogo 679-5198 JAPAN Tel & Fax : +81-791-58-0950 e-mail : [email protected] Institute for Protein Research The University of Osaka Suita, Osaka 565-0871 JAPAN Tel & Fax : +81-6-6879-4313 e-mail : [email protected] ######################################################################## To unsubscribe from the CCP4BB list, click the following link: https://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/cgi-bin/WA-JISC.exe?SUBED1=CCP4BB&A=1 This message was issued to members of www.jiscmail.ac.uk/CCP4BB, a mailing list hosted by www.jiscmail.ac.uk, terms & conditions are available at https://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/policyandsecurity/
