Reporter Volume 25, No.9 October 28, 1993

By MARK WALLACE
Reporter Staff

He has been working at UB for only three months, but Dr. Howard K.
Kuramitsu, new member of the Department of Oral Biology, is already
deeply involved in his microbiology research here. After a lengthy
career that has included significant time in San Antonio, Chicago, and
Los Angeles, he has managed in his short time at UB to begin again on
the various research projects that have been the focal point of his
work since the early 1960s.
	His office in Foster Hall on the South Campus is meticulously
organized; the computer equipment, the shelves, and the numerous
charts that cover the board above his desk are arranged in such a way
that everything has a well-defined place. And there are the necessary
human touches; photographs of his family in one corner of the room,
several pictures of boats on the wall which match well with the
sailboats floating on the computer energy saver screen.
	"I grew up in South Central Los Angeles," he says, " in an
environment that was not conducive to becoming a scientist. I don't
know of anyone else there who became an academic. The biggest
influence in my decision to become a scientist was my father, who
suggested that I consider medicine as a career."
	While a student at UCLA, Kuramitsu decided that he had a
preference for research over clinical medicine, and the result was a
decision to do his graduate work in biochemistry. "At that time, late
fifties, early sixties, biochemistry basically involved the study of
bacteria--this was before the molecular biology revolution. Bacteria
was the choice for studying biosystems then. Animals were considered
too complex, whereas bacteria were simple, easy to grow, and
experiments on them could be done in a day, as opposed to weeks.
	"Later, while others moved on to studying larger biosystems, I
stayed with the study of bacteria, because I recognized the various
advantages of working with them. Because they are important as causes
of disease, I moved into studying that area, in particular diseases of
the mouth."
	Partly because of a lecture course on microbiology that he
taught at Northwestern University, Kuramitsu became involved in the
study of tooth decay, and the particular bacteria that causes it,
Streptococcus mutans, on which he has written numerous papers. "I've
been working on that bug for twenty years now," he smiles.
	"Tooth decay is related to sucrose and human sugar intake," he
explains. "Streptococcus mutans converts sucrose into a sticky
material that attaches to the teeth. I've done a lot of work on what
this bacteria is, and how we prevent it from attaching to and damaging
the teeth."
	For Kuramitsu, UB was an excellent place to continue his
already impressive research, which most recently has expanded to
include the problems of gum disease. "The UB Oral Biology department
is considered one of the strongest oral science centers in the world,
and it's particularly strong for periodontal research, which includes
all types of gum disease.  Since this is such an important center, it
offers great opportunities to expand these studies, and to communicate
them to others.
	"The department has a reputation for training oral
microbiology graduate students, with relation to periodontal research.
There are not too many other institutions that train this sort of
student--the other institutions I worked for did not. I'll be taking
part in graduate level courses, contributing my knowledge on tooth
decay and gum disease. And I anticipate contributing to the
undergraduate dental school as well."
	Crucial to Kuramitsu's sense of the value of his research is
the social impact it can have in terms of health problems. "I was
fortunate in coming along in my research at a time when it can have
direct results on human health, in terms of future preventitive
strategies for oral health. It's nice to know that there could be a
practical payoff in terms of the ability to control disease."