Akira Endo

What if a tiny fungus could help save millions of hearts? That's the real-life puzzle solved by Akira Endo.

Akira Endo (born 1933) is a Japanese biochemist from the late 20th century. He is famous for discovering the first statins — medicines that lower harmful cholesterol.

In the early 1970s, Endo carefully grew molds and tested many samples. He found a natural molecule that blocks an enzyme called HMG-CoA reductase, the body's 'cholesterol factory.' When that enzyme is slowed, the body makes less cholesterol.

This idea turned into statin drugs, like lovastatin and others, that doctors now prescribe around the world. Those medicines help prevent heart attacks and strokes and have improved the lives of millions. Turning a lab finding into safe medicines took many more years of tests in labs, animals, and people.

Scientists and drug companies worked together to make pills doctors could trust. Today, statins are among the most commonly used medicines to protect heart health. Endo's story shows how curiosity and studying nature can turn tiny things into big medical breakthroughs that help people live longer, healthier lives. His discovery didn't appear overnight — it grew from years of careful lab work and teamwork. That reminds us that patient science and asking good questions can change the world.