 Beyond his basic contributions in cell biology, Sato is known for his unique impact on many students and associates from around the world particularly from Japan and China, both in cell biology and the Manzanar Project.He was one of the first to personally recruit Chinese students and visiting scientists during visits to major Chinese universities at the beginning of the Deng Xiaoping Open Door Policy in the early 1980s.He first developed the idea of companies that directly market research reagents from individual researchers who know most about the product to the science community at large.