獲得榮譽
2006年因與斯坦福醫學院病理學和遺傳學教授安德魯·費里發現RNA干擾現象而共同獲得2006年諾貝爾生理學或醫學獎。
人物經歷
Mello was born inNew Haven,Connecticuton October 18, 1960.He was the third child of James and Sally Mello. His father,James Mello, was a paleontologist and his mother, Sally Mello, was an artist.His paternal grandparents immigrated to the US from the Portuguese islands ofAzores. His parents met while attendingBrown Universityand were the first children in their respective families to attend college. His grandparents on both sides withdrew from school as teenagers to work for their families.James Mello completed hisPh.D.inpaleontologyfromYale Universityin 1962. The Mello family moved to Falls Church in northernVirginiaso that James could take a position with theUnited States Geological Survey(USGS) in Washington, DC.He was raised asRoman Catholic.
After a brief stay in Falls Church, the family moved toFairfax, Virginia, when James Mello switched from the USGS to a position as assistant director at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History.Among his fondest early memories were field trips with his father and the whole family to Colorado and Wyoming and more frequent trips to the Blue Ridge mountains in Virginia.
The Mello family had a very strong tradition of discussions around the dinner table and this experience was very important to young Mello. He learned to argue, to listen, and to admit it when he was wrong about something. At a time when young Mello was not performing so well in school, these daily discussions helped to build his confidence and self-esteem.Mello struggled during the first few years of grade school. He started first grade at the age of five in a local private school because he was too young to enter first grade in the public system. He doesn't know if he was a slow learner, or just not interested, but he did not do well in school until the seventh grade. In second grade, Mello only pretended that he could read and he was embarrassed by being called on in class.He much preferred playing outdoors, in the woods and creeks, to time spent in the classroom.Meanwhile, his older siblings were model students, raising the teacher's expectations for him. During these early years, Mello had no doubt that he would be ascientistwhen he grew up. He is now the father of two daughters and a step-daughter and step-son.
Education
Mello attendedFairfax High School (Fairfax, Virginia).After receiving his high school diploma, Mello attendedBrown Universityas a biochemistry and molecular biology major. He received his Sc.B. from Brown in 1982.
Mello attended theUniversity of Colorado, Boulderfor graduate studies in molecular, cellular and developmental biology with David Hirsh. After Hirsh decided to take a position in industry, Mello moved toHarvard Universitywhere he could continue his research with Dan Stinchcomb.Mello completed his Ph.D. at Harvard in 1990. He was a postdoctoral fellow at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in the laboratory of Dr. James Priess.
