Rafael Alvarez Gonzalez

Rafael Alvarez Gonzalez was born in Uruapan, Michoacan, Mexico (November 1958) where he became interested in Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics and Biology in Middle School. He attended his State University (Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolas de Hidalgo) with a academic fellowship from 1974 through 1979 where he studied Chemistry, Microbiology, and Pharmacology.

Upon graduation with a thesis entitled "A new method to measure cyclic AMP phosphodiesterases in different cell lines", he was awarded a National Merit Scholarship by the Mexican Federal Government Office for Science and Technology to attend the Department Of Chemistry, Division of Biochemistry of the Graduate School at the University of North Texas at Denton from 1980 through 1985.

His doctoral dissertation entitled "Characterization of ADP-ribose polymers generated in vitro and in vivo" was carried out at UNT-Denton in the laboratory of The Famous molecular biologist/biochemist, Myron K. Jacobson, Ph.D.

After postdoctoral stints in Pharmacology and Toxicology at the University of Zurich (Tierspital), in Zurich, Switzerland (1985-1986), in the laboratory of Felix R. Althaus, DVM, Ph.D. and the Biochemical Pharmacology and Carcinogenesis laboratory of the Biomedical Division at the Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation in Ardmore Oklahoma (1987-1988), in the laboratory of David P. Ringer, Ph.D., he established his curent research laboratory at the University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth where the famous enzymologist, Paul F. Cook, Ph.D. and Protein Biochemist Robert W. Gracy Ph.D., recruited him as an Assistant Professor when he was 30 years old.

Since his initial faculty appointment in 1989 in the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, he has been vigorously pursuing his scientific research interests in the fields of: Proteomics; Genomics; DNA:Protein Interactions; Enzyme Mechanisms; Apoptosis; and Development of Novel Cancer Therapies. Other current topics that overlap with current laboratory projects include: a) Chemical Carcinogenesis, b) DNA-Damage and Repair, c) Oncoproteins; d) Tumor Suppressor Proteins; e) Vitamin Metabolism; f) Gene Regulation and Gene Expression Mechanisms; g) the nuclear matrix; and h) chromatin structure and function into nucleosomes and polynucleosomes.

Over the years, his work has been funded by agencies including the National Institutes of Health (NIGMS), the Texas Advanced Research Program, The American Society of Chemistry-Petroleum Research Fund and Project-SEED Programs, The National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, as well as the Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation.

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