Countercurrent chromatography research shaped by Yoichiro Ito

In 1968 Yoichiro Ito came to the National Institutes of Health as an accomplished biomedical engineer having embarked on developing separation devices for blood cells. An early device for measuring blood fragility was produced in Japan and two early coil planet centrifuges were built. Ito remained at the NIH for over 50 years and accomplished many innovations in instrument design for partition chromatography, achieving high efficiency separation of all types of molecules. Research on the coil planet centrifuge evolved more complex instruments with large-scale preparative capability for small molecules, as well as large biological molecules. Ito discovered separation methods such as pH zone refining CCC, a powerful separation process in addition to being a strong preparative technique. In reading and reviewing the patents he filed over the years, we can witness his thought process in creating new instruments and useful separation techniques.