Mariano Barbacid facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mariano Barbacid
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| Born |
Mariano Barbacid Montalbán
4 October 1949 Madrid, Spain
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| Nationality | Spanish |
| Education | Biochemist |
| Alma mater | Universidad Complutense de Madrid |
| Occupation | Cancer researcher |
| Known for | Isolating the first oncogene |
Mariano Barbacid Montalbán, born on October 4, 1949, in Madrid, Spain, is a famous Spanish scientist. He is a biochemist who studies molecules. He is best known for finding the first oncogene, called HRAS. Oncogenes are special genes that can cause cancer when they change or mutate.
His Journey in Science
Mariano Barbacid studied chemical sciences at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid in Spain. After finishing his studies, he moved to the United States. There, he started as an intern at the National Cancer Institute. Later, he became the director of this important research center.
After many years, he returned to Spain. He came back to lead a brand new center called the CNIO. This center focuses on finding cures for cancer. He also helped judge the Life Sciences section for the Infosys Prize in 2011.
Important Discoveries
Mariano Barbacid made a huge discovery in cancer research. He was the first to find a human oncogene called HRAS. He found it in a type of bladder cancer. His discovery was published in 1982 in a famous science magazine called Nature. The article was titled "A point mutation is responsible for the acquisition of transforming properties by the T24 human bladder-carcinoma oncogene."
He continued his research and soon found out more. He discovered that HRAS was a changed version of a normal gene. This normal gene belongs to a group called the Ras subfamily. He also figured out how this changed gene could cause cancer.
In 2003, he made another important finding. Scientists used to think that an enzyme called CDK2 was always needed for cells to divide. Cell division is how our bodies grow and repair themselves. But Barbacid showed that CDK2 was not always necessary for DNA replication. DNA replication is the process where cells make copies of their genetic material before dividing. This discovery changed how scientists understood cell growth.
Awards and Recognition
Mariano Barbacid has received many awards for his amazing work in science. These awards recognize his efforts to understand and fight cancer.
Some of his awards include:
- Distinguished Young Scientist Award (1983)
- King Juan Carlos I Science Award (Spain, 1984)
- Rhodes Memorial Award (USA, 1985)
- Joseph Steiner Award (Switzerland, 1988)
- IPSEN Prize in neuronal plasticity (Austria, 1994)
- Charles Rodolphe Brupbacher Cancer Prize (Switzerland, 2005)
- International Agency for Research on Cancer Medal of Honor (France, 2007)
- Great Cross of the Order of 2 May (2011)
See also
In Spanish: Mariano Barbacid para niños
