Craig Cameron Mello was born on October 18, 1960. He is an American biologist and professor at the RNA Therapeutics Institute and Program for Molecular Medicine at the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School in Worcester, Massachusetts. In 2006, he received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, along with Andrew Z. Fire, for discovering RNA interference. This research was completed at the Carnegie Institution of Washington and published in 1998. Since 2000, Mello has been a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator.

Early life

Mello was born in New Haven, Connecticut on October 18, 1960. He was the third child of James and Sally Mello. His father, James Mello, was a paleontologist, and his mother, Sally Mello, was an artist. His father’s parents, who were from the Portuguese islands of Azores, moved to the United States. James and Sally met while attending Brown University, and they were the first in their families to go to college. Both of their parents left school as teenagers to work for their families. James Mello earned his Ph.D. in paleontology from Yale University in 1962. The Mello family moved to Falls Church, Virginia, so that James could work for the United States Geological Survey (USGS) in Washington, D.C. Mello was raised as a Roman Catholic.

After a short time in Falls Church, the family moved to Fairfax, Virginia, when James changed jobs to become an assistant director at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History. Among Craig’s favorite early memories were trips with his father and family to Colorado and Wyoming, as well as more frequent visits to the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia.

The Mello family had a strong tradition of having discussions during dinner, which helped shape young Mello’s ability to argue, listen, and admit when he was wrong. During a time when Mello was struggling in school, these conversations helped build his confidence. Mello had difficulty in school during his early years. He began first grade at age five in a private school because he was too young to join first grade in the public school system. He is unsure if he was a slow learner or simply not interested, but he did not do well in school until seventh grade. In second grade, he pretended to be able to read and felt embarrassed when called on in class. He preferred spending time outdoors in the woods and creeks to being in the classroom. His older siblings were excellent students, which made teachers expect more from him. During these years, Mello was certain he would become a scientist when he grew up. He is now the father of two daughters, a stepdaughter, and a stepson.

Education

Mello attended Fairfax High School in Fairfax, Virginia. After earning his high school diploma, he studied biochemistry and molecular biology at Brown University. Kenneth Miller, his cell biology teacher, said Mello did not always get the highest grades in his class but was very curious. He often asked many questions and required additional information, which made him a challenge to teach. Mello earned his Bachelor of Science degree from Brown University in 1982.

He then pursued graduate studies in molecular, cellular, and developmental biology at the University of Colorado, Boulder, working with David Hirsh. When Hirsh left academia for industry, Mello moved to Harvard University to continue his research with Dan Stinchcomb. He completed his Ph.D. at Harvard in 1990. Afterward, Mello worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in the laboratory of James Priess.

Nobel prize

In 2006, Mello and Fire received the Nobel Prize for work they started in 1998. At that time, Mello, Fire, and their colleagues (SiQun Xu, Mary Montgomery, Stephen Kostas, and Sam Driver) published a paper in the journal Nature. The paper explained how small pieces of RNA trick the cell into destroying a gene's messenger RNA (mRNA) before it can make a protein. This process stops specific genes from working.

During the Howard Hughes Medical Institute Scientific Meeting on November 13, 2006, in Ashburn, Virginia, Mello shared the story of receiving a phone call about winning the prize. He said the call came shortly after 4:30 a.m., after he had checked on his daughter and returned to his bedroom. His wife saw a blinking green light on the phone and told him not to answer, thinking it was a prank call. She explained that someone had been joking by saying he had won the Nobel Prize. When Mello told her that the Nobel Prize winners were being announced that day, she was surprised. He answered the phone, and the person on the other end told him to get dressed, saying his life was about to change in half an hour.

The Nobel citation, given by Sweden’s Karolinska Institute, stated: “This year’s Nobel Laureates have discovered a fundamental mechanism for controlling the flow of genetic information.”

Mello and Fire’s research, done at the Carnegie Institution for Science (Fire) and the University of Massachusetts Medical School (Mello), showed that RNA plays a key role in controlling genes. Professor Nick Hastie, director of the Medical Research Council’s Human Genetics Unit, said: “It is very unusual for a piece of work to completely change how we understand biological processes and regulation, but this has opened up a whole new field in biology.”

Philosophical outlook

Mello worked together with Stephen J. Gould and was influenced by Gould's writings about natural history and the philosophy of science.

Mello believes that "The debate between science and religion is finished" and that it is possible to "combine logical thinking and spiritual beliefs in a way that honors the unknown parts of life and encourages people to find meaningful goals."

In his October 2015 speech when he received the China Friendship Award from Premier Li Keqiang, Mello said:

— Craig Mello 2006 China Friendship Award

Involvement in RNAi biotechnology industry

Mello is involved in multiple companies that use RNAi technology. He is a co-founder of RXi Pharmaceuticals and serves as chair of its Scientific Advisory Board. In June 2010, he joined the Technology Advisory Board of Beeologics, a company that develops RNAi products to improve honeybee health and for use in veterinary and agricultural fields. Mello stated, "This could very well be the first company to receive FDA approval for an RNAi therapy." In September 2011, Monsanto acquired Beeologics.

Awards and honors

(Sorted by the year the award was given)

• Shared the National Academy of Sciences Award in Molecular Biology with Andrew Fire in 2003.
• Shared the Wiley Prize in the Biomedical Sciences from Rockefeller University with Andrew Fire, Thomas Tuschl, and David Baulcombe in 2003.
• Elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 2005.
• Shared the Lewis S. Rosenstiel Award for Distinguished Work in Medical Research from Brandeis University with Victor Ambros, Andrew Fire, and Gary Ruvkun in 2005.
• Shared the Gairdner Foundation International Award with Andrew Fire in 2005.
• Shared the Massry Prize with Andrew Fire and David Baulcombe in 2005.
• Shared the Paul Ehrlich and Ludwig Darmstaedter Prize with Andrew Fire in 2006.
• First recipient of The Dr. Paul Janssen Award for Biomedical Research by Johnson & Johnson in 2006.
• Shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Andrew Fire in 2006.
• Received an honorary doctorate from Brown University in 2007. Delivered the keynote Baccalaureate Address at the university's Commencement