Koichi Tanaka (田中 耕一, born August 3, 1959) is a Japanese scientist who won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2002 for developing a novel method for mass spectrometric analyses of biological macromolecules. August 3 is the 215th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (216th in leap years), with 150 days remaining. ... 1959 (MCMLIX) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... List of Nobel Prize laureates in Chemistry from 1901 to the present day. ... 2002(MMII) is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Mass spectrometry is a technique for separating ions by their mass-to-charge (m/z) ratios. ... A macromolecule is a molecule composed of a very large number of atoms. ...

Tanaka was born and raised in Toyama, Japan. In 1983, he graduated from Tohoku University with a bachelor's degree in engineering. After graduation, he joined Shimadzu Corporation, where he engaged in the development of mass spectrometers. Toyama (富山市; -shi) is the capital city of Toyama Prefecture, Japan. ... 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... It has been suggested that Tohoku Fukushi University be merged into this article or section. ... Shimadzu Corporation (島津製作所) is a manufacturer of precision instruments, measuring instruments and medical equipment, based in Kyoto, Kyoto. ...

For mass spectrometry analyses of a macromolecule, such as a protein, the analyte must be ionized and vaporized by laser irradiation. The problem is that the direct irradiation of an intense laser pulse on a macromolecule causes cleavage of the analyte into tiny fragments and the loss of its structure. A representation of the 3D structure of myoglobin, showing coloured alpha helices. ... The range of sizes in which lasers exist is immense, extending from microscopic diode lasers (top) to football field sized neodymium glass lasers (bottom) used for inertial confinement fusion. ...

Tanaka found that by using a mixture of ultra fine metal powder in glycerol as a matrix, an analyte can be ionized without losing its structure. His work was reported for the first time at the Annual Conference of the Mass Spectrometry Society of Japan held in Kyoto, Japan, in May 1987 and became known as soft laser desorption (SLD). However, two German scientists, Franz Hillenkamp and Michael Karas, reported an improved SLD method, with higher sensitivity using a small organic compound as a matrix, that they named Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization (MALDI). MALDI itself was developed by Franz Hillenkamp and Michael Karas previously to SDL. SLD is not used currently for biomolecules analysis, meanwhile MALDI is widely used in mass spectrometry research laboratories. This method, MALDI, has became an indispensable tool for life sciences, especially in the field of proteomics. ... Location of Kyoto, on the main island of Japan Kyoto (Japanese: 京都市; Kyōto-shi) is a city in Japan that has a population of 1. ... 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... An organic compound is any member of a large class of chemical compounds whose molecules contain carbon, with exception of carbides, carbonates, carbon oxides and gases containing carbon. ... Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization (MALDI) is a soft ionization technique used in mass spectrometry, allowing, among others, to ionize biomolecules (biopolymers like proteins, peptides and sugars) which tend to be more fragile and quickly lose structure when ionized by more conventional ionization methods. ... Biology studies the variety of life (clockwise from top-left) E. coli, tree fern, gazelle, Goliath beetle Biology is the science of life (from the Greek words bios = life and logos = word). ... Proteomics is the large-scale study of proteins, particularly their structures and functions. ...

External links

• The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2002
• Nobel Prize Announcement (Shimadzu Corporation)