Fernando Garcia de Mello
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Fernando Garcia de Mello (born July 1944) is a renowned neurochemist from Brazil. He obtained his degree in Biochemistry in 1968 from the State University of Rio de Janeiro. Fernando Mello started his scientific training as an undergraduate student at the Brazilian National Institute of Cancer, and later at the Institute of Biophysics from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, being mentored by dr. Firmino de Castro, which greatly influenced him to have a more humanistic approach towards the students that he would train. It was only during his post-doc period (1973-1976) at the National Institutes of Health under supervision of dr. Marshall Warren Nirenberg that Mello began his research in Neurochemistry, using the embryonary Retina as a model for his investigations.[1]
Fernando Mello made vast contributions to neurochemistry by investigating the embryonic development of the chicken retina. His works led to the characterization of new transmitters, mechanisms of action, alternative synthesis pathways and plasticity events. He was also a pioneer in the demonstrations that showed a morphogenic property of neurotransmitters along the development of the Central nervous system, i.e that neurotransmitter coordinate the maturation of neural cells.
When dr. Fernando Mello came back from his post-doc at the NIH, he stablished a laboratory at the Institute of Biophysics, the Laboratory of Neurochemistry. Along the years, he received many students from all over the country and contributed to their scientific training. He also helped in the creation of other neurochemistry groups in Brazil and in Portugal. Indeed, Mello obtained much recognition for his contributions to the establishment of molecular neuroscience in the brazilian territory.
Fernando Mello first investigations focused on the GABAergic system. During his time at the NIH, Mello found an inconsistency between the levels of GABA in early stages of embryonic retina development and the activity of the enzyme known to synthesize this neurotransmitter, Glutamate decarboxylase. This led him to hypothesize the existence of an alternative synthesis pathway for GABA. Indeed, through collaborative works with other researchers, he found that putrescine represents a major source for GABA in initial stages of retina development, and decreases along it, giving space to Glutamate Decarboxylase.[2]
Years later, de Mello also discovered that GABA regulates Glutamate Decarboxylase through the activation of GABAA receptor, establishing a new regulation mechanism for this transmitter system.[3] Besides, it was also discovered that in the embryonary chick retina, GABA is majorly released through a carrier-mediated mechanism, which contrast with the current paradigm of the time that neurotransmitter's release occurs exclusively through a vesicular-mediated mechanism.[4]