Osamu Shimomura

Chemistry

Osamu Shimomura, a biochemist, was awarded the 2008 Nobel Prize in Chemistry together with Martin Chalfie and Roger Tsien "for the discovery and development of the green fluorescent protein, GFP.” Osamu Shimomura studied chemistry and was the first to crystallize a bioluminescent organic compound known as luciferin found in a small sea crustacean. He was awarded his doctorate for the work, and then continued studying bioluminescence of jellyfish. He found the first photoprotein, called aequorin, which fluoresced blue in the presence of calcium ions, and its partner, the first protein that fluoresced green, now called the Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP).