# The Life and Science of Professor Tsuneko Okazaki, and her time at Fujita Health University

## TL;DR

This article reviews the scientific contributions and career of Professor Tsuneko Okazaki, focusing on her time at Fujita Health University.

## Contribution

The paper highlights Okazaki's role in discovering DNA lagging strand replication and her impact on women in science.

## Key findings

- Okazaki co-discovered the discontinuous DNA replication process involving Okazaki fragments.
- She became the first female full professor at Nagoya University in 1983.
- The article includes personal accounts from researchers who worked with her at Fujita Health University.

## Abstract

Distinguished Professor Emeritus Tsuneko Okazaki is a hero of science. Together with her late husband, Professor Reiji Okazaki, she discovered that DNA replication involves the discontinuous synthesis of the DNA lagging strand by intermediates of, what is now called, “Okazaki fragments.” She has been a pioneer for women in science and, in 1983, became the first female full Professor at Nagoya University. From 1997 to 2012, she was a full Professor and later a Visiting Professor at Fujita Health University, and this review zooms in on that period. Besides a summary of her career, this article also includes personal memories of researchers who worked with Professor Okazaki.