RIMD HISTORY

The Research Institute for Microbial Diseases (RIMD) was established in 1934
to study microbial and infectious diseases, the immune system, and cancer.
The RIMD of today is the result of the hard work and amazing achievements of many researchers over the years.

  • History
  • Achievements

1930

Tenji Taniguchi

Professor of Bacteriology at the Osaka Medical school. He played a huge role in the foundation of RIMD as he emphasized the need for a research institute in the KANSAI area that focused on microbial or infectious diseases.

Gendo Yamaguchi

A successful businessman in the KANSAI area. He gave back to the community by offering his property for public benefit services and temples. He donated 200,000 yen to establish RIMD.

1934

Research Institute for Microbial Diseases opened

RIMD was founded through a merger of the Research Center for Communicable Diseases (Osaka Medical School), the Takeo Tuberculosis Institute (donated by Mr. Jiemon Takeo), and the Osaka Leprosy Institute (donated by an anonymous benefactor).

1950Around 1950

Discovered
Vibrio parahaemolyticus
Tunesaburo Fujino

1960Around 1960

Discovered cell fusion
Yoshio Okada

Developed a measles vaccine
Yoshiomi Okuno

1967

RIMD buildings in 1967.

RIMD moved to the Suita Campus

1970Around 1970

Discovered a viral oncogene
Kumao Toyoshima

1980Around 1980

Developed a chickenpox vaccine
Michiaki Takahashi

1993

RIMD Hospital was merged with Osaka University Hospital

2000Around 2000

Elucidation of the Innate Immune System
Shizuo Akira

Developed GFP mice (Green mice)
Masaru Okabe

Selected for funding by the 21st Century COE programs on the theme of “Combined program on microbiology and immunology”

2005

Three centers for specialized research on infectious disease and genome information launched

The Research Collaboration Center on Emerging and Re-emerging Infections in Thailand was founded

2007

Immunology Frontier Research Center (IFReC) was founded

2008

Selected for funding by the Global COE programs on the theme of “Frontier Biomedical Science Underlying Organelle Network Biology”

2010Around 2010

Developed a malaria vaccine
Toshihiro Horii

Certified as a “Joint Usage/Research Center” by the MEXT

2015

BIKEN Innovative Vaccine Research Alliance Laboratories was launched