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Baldomero Olivera (born 1941) is a Manila Bulletin, UP awards Harvard Foundation ‘Scientist of the Year’
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Baldomero Olivera Seminars: "Conus Peptides"
1941 births 21st-century Filipino scientists Filipino chemists California Institute of Technology alumni University of the Philippines alumni Living people Stanford University postdoctoral scholars Harvard University people Howard Hughes Medical Investigators University of Utah faculty Members of the National Academy of Medicine {{Philippines-scientist-stub
Baldomero Olivera (born 1941) is a Filipino
Filipino may refer to:
* Something from or related to the Philippines
** Filipino language, standardized variety of 'Tagalog', the national language and one of the official languages of the Philippines.
** Filipinos, people who are citizens of th ...
chemist known for discovery of many cone snail
A cone is a three-dimensional geometric shape that tapers smoothly from a flat base (frequently, though not necessarily, circular) to a point called the apex or vertex.
A cone is formed by a set of line segments, half-lines, or lines con ...
toxins important for neuroscience. These molecules, called conotoxin
A conotoxin is one of a group of neurotoxic peptides isolated from the venom of the marine cone snail, genus ''Conus''.
Conotoxins, which are peptides consisting of 10 to 30 amino acid residues, typically have one or more disulfide bonds. Cono ...
s, led to a breakthrough in the study of ion channels and neuromuscular synapses.
He discovered and first characterized E. coli DNA ligase, a key enzyme of genetic engineering and recombinant DNA technology.
Olivera graduated from the University of the Philippines
The University of the Philippines (UP; fil, Pamantasan ng Pilipinas Unibersidad ng Pilipinas) is a state university system in the Philippines. It is the country's national university, as mandated by Republic Act No. 9500 (UP Charter of 200 ...
in 1960. He received his PhD from the California Institute of Technology
The California Institute of Technology (branded as Caltech or CIT)The university itself only spells its short form as "Caltech"; the institution considers other spellings such a"Cal Tech" and "CalTech" incorrect. The institute is also occasional ...
(1966) in Biophysical Chemistry, followed by postdoctoral work at Stanford University
Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is consider ...
from 1966 to 1968. In 1970, he moved to the University of Utah, where he is now a Distinguished Professor of Biology. His laboratory's discovery was featured on the cover of the international scientific journal Science
Science is a systematic endeavor that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe.
Science may be as old as the human species, and some of the earliest archeological evidence for ...
in 1990. He was Harvard 2007 "Scientist of the Year". He is a Howard Hughes Medical Institute
The Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) is an American non-profit medical research organization based in Chevy Chase, Maryland. It was founded in 1953 by Howard Hughes, an American business magnate, investor, record-setting pilot, engineer, fil ...
Professor, has been elected into the Institute of Medicine and the American Philosophical Society
The American Philosophical Society (APS), founded in 1743 in Philadelphia, is a scholarly organization that promotes knowledge in the sciences and humanities through research, professional meetings, publications, library resources, and communit ...
, and became an Elected Member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences in 2009.
His impressive research on both DNA biophysics and conotoxins has enabled Dr Olivera to serve as an editorial board member of various scientific publications. He served as a member of the editorial board of the Journal of Biological Chemistry from 1982 to 1987, the Journal of Toxicology – Toxin Reviews from 1990 to 1993, and Toxicon from 2000 until the present. In addition, he was a member of the review committee of the journal Cellular and Molecular Basis of Disease from 1982 to 1986. Dr Olivera has also served as a committee member of various institutions. He was a member of the Visiting Committee of the Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry of Harvard University from 1988 to 1995, the Advisory Committee to the Director of the National Institutes of Health from 1996 to 1999, the Toxicology Advisory Committee of the Burroughs-Wellcome Foundation from 1999 to 2001, and has been a member of the Searle Scholars Advisory Board since 2007.
On July 9, 2007, UP honoured Olivera, for his research on neuropharmacology using the venom of cone snails (carnivorous, predatory marine snails which thrive in tropical and subtropical habitats). UP President Dr. Emerlinda Roman
Emerlinda Ramos–Roman (born August 30, 1949) is a Filipino educator and university administrator who served as the 19th President of the University of the Philippines from 2005 to 2011, becoming the first woman to hold such position. Roman pr ...
said Olivera's award "brings honour" not only to the UP community but to the whole country as well. Roman and UP Chancellor Sergio Cao awarded Olivera for his outstanding research in the field of marine drug discovery. He now resides in Salt Lake City Utah, continuing his work at the University of Utah. He has two children Felicia and Jon and two granddaughters, Macy and Nina.
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References
External links
Baldomero Olivera Seminars: "Conus Peptides"
1941 births 21st-century Filipino scientists Filipino chemists California Institute of Technology alumni University of the Philippines alumni Living people Stanford University postdoctoral scholars Harvard University people Howard Hughes Medical Investigators University of Utah faculty Members of the National Academy of Medicine {{Philippines-scientist-stub