In Memoriam

In memoriam: Teruko Tamura

ASBMB Today Staff
Sept. 20, 2021

Teruko Tamura, an influential cancer biochemist, died May 23 in Hannover, Germany. She was 71 years old.

Teruko Tamura

Born July 12, 1949, in Tokyo, Tamura studied veterinary medicine at the University of Tokyo. She never worked as a veterinary doctor but began doing research at the university. She moved to Germany in 1979 to join the institute for medical virology at the Justus Liebig University Giessen. In 1992, she became the third woman in the history of the university to complete a habilitation, Germany’s rigorous postdoctoral degree. Seeing how difficult it was to make a career as a woman in research, she started an initiative to support other talented women throughout their scientific careers. Tamura´s lab always included scientists from countries around the world.

Tamura made major contributions to several studies related to cancer research focusing on the Src and FMS-like tyrosine kinases and signal transduction, gaining a worldwide reputation in the field. In 1999, she discovered a protein, a new cell-fate decision factor termed FMIP/THOC5, and began the second part of her scientific journey. This novel protein is a substrate of oncogenic tyrosine kinases and also a member of the mRNA export complex. Her later work on the function of THOC5 revealed the novel connection between oncogenic signaling and mRNA export. 

In Giessen, Tamura met Hans-Heinrich Niemann, whom she later married. In 1996 the couple moved to Hannover to work at the Medizinische Hochschule Hannover. Both biochemists, they worked together until Niemann’s death in 1999.

Tamura was diagnosed with lung cancer in January 2019. She continued her scientific work with the help of medicine and her longtime friend Thomas Bürger, whom she married in March 2021.

In addition to science, Tamura loved hiking in the mountains and classical music. She was a good piano player.

She is survived by her second husband, Thomas Bürger; her stepson, Steffen Niemann; niece and nephew, Ryoko and Ritzu Watanabe; and her research team.

Enjoy reading ASBMB Today?

Become a member to receive the print edition four times a year and the digital edition monthly.

Learn more
ASBMB Today Staff

This article was written by a member or members of the ASBMB Today staff.

Related articles

In memoriam: Charles Kasper
Poornima Sankar
In memoriam: Jan van Eys
ASBMB Today Staff

Get the latest from ASBMB Today

Enter your email address, and we’ll send you a weekly email with recent articles, interviews and more.

Latest in People

People highlights or most popular articles

Castiglione and Ingolia win Keck Foundation grants
Member News

Castiglione and Ingolia win Keck Foundation grants

Sept. 1, 2025

They will receive at least $1 million of funding to study the biological mechanisms that underly birds' longevity and sequence–function relationships of intrinsically disordered proteins.

How undergrad research catalyzes scientific careers
Essay

How undergrad research catalyzes scientific careers

Aug. 27, 2025

Undergraduate research doesn’t just teach lab skills, it transforms scientists. For Antonio Rivera and Julissa Cruz–Bautista, joining a lab became a turning point, fostering critical thinking, persistence and research identity.

Simcox and Gisriel receive mentoring award
Member News

Simcox and Gisriel receive mentoring award

Aug. 25, 2025

They were honored for contributing their time, knowledge, energy and enthusiasm to mentoring postdocs in their labs.

ASBMB names 2025 Marion B. Sewer scholarship recipients
Society News

ASBMB names 2025 Marion B. Sewer scholarship recipients

Aug. 21, 2025

Ten undergraduates interested in biochemistry and molecular biology will each receive $2,000 toward their tuition and related educational costs.

Attie named honorary professor
Member News

Attie named honorary professor

Aug. 18, 2025

This award includes $100,000 of research funding and recognizes faculty who have made major contributions to the advancement of knowledge through their research, teaching and service activities.

Meet the 2025 SOC grant awardees
Outreach

Meet the 2025 SOC grant awardees

Aug. 15, 2025

Five science outreach and communication projects received up to $1,000 from ASBMB to promote the understanding of molecular life science.