Dr. Yukiaki Kuroda, honorary member and former vice president of the Japanese Society for Alternatives to Animal Experiments, passed away on May 21, 2008. He was 82 years old.
Dr. Kuroda was born in Nara Prefecture on May 22, 1926. After graduating from the Faculty of Science, Kyoto University in 1950, he immediately assumed the position of research associate in the Department of Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, Osaka University. In 1957, he was appointed as an lecturer in the Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Osaka University, and was promoted to associate professor in the same Department in 1963. In 1966, Dr. Kuroda transferred to the National Institute of Genetics as general manager, and in 1976 he was appointed as the director of the Division of Gene Expression. He was elected as professor at the same institute in 1984, and in 1990 became an honorary professor upon retirement. Also in 1990 he assumed the post of professor in charge of the Life Science Course, the School of Environmental Health, Azabu University. He served as director of the Research Institute of Biosciences at the same university from 1991 until he retired in 1997. After his retirement from the University he devoted himself to activities in research and education, while assuming such positions as honorary professor at the National Institute of Genetics, and visiting professor at Azabu University and University of Shizuoka.
Dr. Kuroda's research spanned a wide range of themes, including the establishment of cell and tissue culture techniques, analysis of gene expression in culture systems, establishment of methods for gene mutation detection, and search for environmental mutagens and mutagenesis inhibitors. …
