José Moura Gonçalves (January 5, 1914– October 18,1996), Brazilian

physician A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...

biomedical scientist A biomedical scientist is a scientist trained in biology, particularly in the context of medical laboratory sciences or laboratory medicine. These scientists work to gain knowledge on the main principles of how the human body works and to find new w ...

biochemist Biochemists are scientists who are trained in biochemistry. They study chemical processes and chemical transformations in living organisms. Biochemists study DNA, proteins and Cell (biology), cell parts. The word "biochemist" is a portmanteau of ...

and

educator A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. whe ...

, one of the pioneers of

biochemistry Biochemistry or biological chemistry is the study of chemical processes within and relating to living organisms. A sub-discipline of both chemistry and biology, biochemistry may be divided into three fields: structural biology, enzymology and ...

in the country. Moura Gonçalves studied

medicine Medicine is the science and practice of caring for a patient, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment, palliation of their injury or disease, and promoting their health. Medicine encompasses a variety of health care pract ...

Belo Horizonte Belo Horizonte (, ; ) is the sixth-largest city in Brazil, with a population around 2.7 million and with a metropolitan area of 6 million people. It is the 13th-largest city in South America and the 18th-largest in the Americas. The metropol ...

. While a student, he began to work as an assistant in the laboratory of physiological chemistry of Professor José Baeta Vianna (May 30, 1894-October 01,1967).Academia Mineira de Medicina
/ref> After graduation, he accepted an invitation to work on the chemistry of

protein Proteins are large biomolecules and macromolecules that comprise one or more long chains of amino acid residues. Proteins perform a vast array of functions within organisms, including catalysing metabolic reactions, DNA replication, respo ...

s and

enzyme Enzymes () are proteins that act as biological catalysts by accelerating chemical reactions. The molecules upon which enzymes may act are called substrates, and the enzyme converts the substrates into different molecules known as products. A ...

s at the Instituto de Biofísica da Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, under noted scientist

Carlos Chagas Filho Carlos Chagas Filho (September 10, 1910 – February 16, 2000) was a Brazilian physician, biologist and scientist active in the field of neuroscience. He was internationally renowned for his investigations on the neural mechanisms underlying ...

. His post-doctoral work was carried out at

University of Wisconsin–Madison A university () is an educational institution, institution of higher education, higher (or Tertiary education, tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. Universities ty ...

, in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, where he produced what was his most important work, the isolation of a new

toxic Toxicity is the degree to which a chemical substance or a particular mixture of substances can damage an organism. Toxicity can refer to the effect on a whole organism, such as an animal, bacterium, or plant, as well as the effect on a subst ...

protein from the

venom Venom or zootoxin is a type of toxin produced by an animal that is actively delivered through a wound by means of a bite, sting, or similar action. The toxin is delivered through a specially evolved ''venom apparatus'', such as fangs or a sti ...

rattlesnake Rattlesnakes are venomous snakes that form the genera ''Crotalus'' and ''Sistrurus'' of the subfamily Crotalinae (the pit vipers). All rattlesnakes are vipers. Rattlesnakes are predators that live in a wide array of habitats, hunting small anim ...

s, which he named

crotamine Crotamine is a toxin present in the venom of the South American rattlesnake ('' Crotalus durissus terrificus''). It is a 42-residue long protein containing 11 basic residues (9 lysines, 2 arginines) and 6 cysteines. It has also been isolated from t ...

. Returning to Brazil in the first years of the 1950s, he was invited by Dr.

Zeferino Vaz Zeferino Vaz (May 27, 1908 – February 19, 1981) led the construction, establishment and development of the Unicamp university, in the interior of the State of São Paulo, Brazil in the 1960s and 1970s. The main campus is named after Zeferin ...

to join the new and ambitious project of a research medical school at the hinterland city of

Ribeirão Preto Ribeirão Preto (Portuguese pronunciation: �ibejˈɾɐ̃w ˈpɾetu is a municipality and a metropolitan area located in the northeastern region of São Paulo state, Brazil. Ribeirão Preto is the eighth-largest municipality in the State wi ...

, the

Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto (Ribeirão Preto Medical School in Portuguese) is a medical school of the University of São Paulo (USP) located in the city of Ribeirão Preto, state of São Paulo, Brazil, founded in 1952. It is consider ...

of the

Universidade de São Paulo The Universiade is an international multi-sport event, organized for university athletes by the International University Sports Federation (FISU). The name is a portmanteau of the words "University" and "Olympiad". The Universiade is referred t ...

, where he became the chairman of the department of biochemistry, and, after Vaz's departure, the new dean of the medical school, in 1964.

References

External links

Interview with José Moura Gonçalves
Canal Ciência, IBICT (in Portuguese) * Leite, FV

Revista USP Ribeirão Preto, 2002. * Nóbrega, FG
José Moura Gonçalves
Revista ADUSP, 1998. Brazilian biochemists 1914 births 1995 deaths Recipients of the National Order of Scientific Merit (Brazil) Members of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences University of São Paulo faculty People associated with Federal University of Rio de Janeiro {{Brazil-scientist-stub