Focus: Luciano Galdieri '11Ph.D. - A Series of Discussions on Research at St. John's

November 27, 2012

In this first in a series of profiles on researchers at St. John's making a real impact in their field, Luciano Galdieri '11 Ph.D. discusses his work as a research associate in the Department of Biological Sciences, St. John’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Born and raised in Brazil, he earned his B.S. in Biomedical Sciences and M.S. in Sciences Applied to Pediatrics at the Universidade Federal de São Paulo.

Why did you choose to conduct research at St. John’s University?
I could have done my research anywhere, but I was drawn to St. John’s because of the professors — they were doing very impressive research. I knew that if I could study and work in their labs, I’d have the opportunity to do great things, too. [Department of Biological Sciences Chair and Professor of Biochemistry] Dr. Ales Vancura is open to new ideas, and he encouraged me to come up with my own findings.

What is the focus of your research?
My research relates to cell metabolism and the control of DNA. DNA function depends on its environment — which means that DNA function might be affected by hormone levels and the availability of nutrients.

Through epigenetic events [reversible alterations in the DNA and associated proteins], DNA senses how the metabolism of a cell works. We’re trying to learn how the metabolism relates to DNA functionality.

The metabolism of cancer cells closely resembles the metabolism of yeast cells — that’s why yeast is such a good model for cancer research. We are attempting to modify the metabolism in yeast cells to determine if we can find a way to similarly change the metabolism of cancer cells. We study histone acetylation, which is one of the many epigenetic alterations. By tweaking the metabolism of yeast cells, we hope to see a change in their histone acetylation. Then, we will try to mimic the same approach in cancer cells.

What is the real-world application of your work?
We hope to generate new insights on how to fight cancer. We’re looking at different targets for cancer treatment that haven’t been explored yet — maybe there is a drug out there that has not been offered for cancer treatment, one that could be used to alter the metabolism of cancer cells, change their histone acetylation and ultimately kill them.

What is the inspiration behind your research?
I’ve always loved biology. In high school, I had a professor who loved it, too. He taught me that if I was passionate about something, I should pursue it. I’ve always thought of human beings as complicated puzzles. As scientists, we get to work and interact with each other to fit all the different pieces of the puzzle together. Facing new challenges every day in the lab is what really drives me.

What is the greatest satisfaction you find in your work?
It’s nice to have your work recognized by your peers. It’s a huge accomplishment. But what’s truly gratifying is when a student learns from your research and you inspire them to do great work.

Who is your principal mentor in your research?
Dr. Ales Vancura — not only is he my mentor, but he has become a good friend, too. He helps me conduct research as well as think about the future and what my next steps will be. He encourages me to continue to set goals.

Who is your role model outside of the laboratory?
My father is a management consultant who has always been very passionate about his job, yet he makes sure he finds time for his family. I really admire the way he’s always balanced his personal and work life. He’s almost 70 years old, and he still has plenty of goals. He told me he’ll never retire because he loves what he does. I hope to reflect the same qualities in my lifetime.

What does it mean to you to publish your work in The Journal of Biological Chemistry (JBC)?
My paper, “Acetyl-CoA Carboxylase Regulates Global Histone Acetylation,” appeared in the May issue of JBC [a publication of the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB)].  Ever since I began my master’s degree in Brazil, it’s been my dream to publish there. Our work was also highlighted as the paper of the week, so it was great to see that others thought highly of our research, too. In Brazil, it was very difficult to publish in the JBC, unless you’re in a big lab. When I came to St. John’s, Dr. Vancura had just published [in JBC], so I knew it was a great place to be.

What’s the biggest challenge in your research and how have you overcome it?
In general, it is a big challenge for researchers to publish. All good articles are peer reviewed, so you always have three or four people reading and critiquing your paper. Usually they say no, so you have to learn to deal with rejection. They also can suggest new experiments, giving you the opportunity to reshape and improve your research — that’s one way to overcome challenges. Having a lot of good, reliable data helps, too.

What do you do in your free time?
In my free time outside of the lab, I change diapers. My wife and I have a five-month-old daughter and a son who is five years old, so 100 percent of my time outside the lab is spent with them.

What’s your next step?
In the long term, I want to learn more here as a post-doc. Ultimately, I’d like to have my own lab and my own students working on research in metabolism and epigenetics.

What advice would you give to novice (or prospective) researchers?
You have to be passionate about what you do. You won’t get rich conducting research, so you have to love it. The real reward is the results of your research and the feeling that you do useful and meaningful work.