ARVIN, Calif — Despite being a first-generation student growing up in Arvin, Dr. Antonio Gomez attended some of the top universities in California and is now transforming cancer research.
- Dr. Antonio Gomez discovered his passion for Chemistry and Biology while working at the vineyards in Arvin.
- With the help of his mentors, he was admitted into UC Berkeley where he studied Chemical Biology, and later went on to obtain a PhD from Stanford, where he studied Microbiology and Immunology.
- Through his research there, he characterized a new gene involved in viral infections like Valley Fever and another one that when activated, can slow cancer cell replication.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Dr. Antonio Gomez says his experience growing up in Arvin and working in the fields fueled him to become a first-generation college graduate. Three degrees later, Gomez attended some of the top universities in the state and discovered multiple genes through his research.
Though he now lives in Santa Monica and is an Assistant Professor of Biology at Pepperdine University, Gomez often visits the town that watched him grow up.
He told 23ABC that he and his family moved from Mexico to Arvin when he was 9.
At the time, he enrolled at Arvin High School and was part of their migrant program and during the summer he would work alongside his mother in the fields picking grapes.
"When I was a high school student both my mom developed a more severe form of valley fever and one of my uncles had to be hospitalized as a result of acquiring valley fever," said Gomez.
An experience that made him question why DNA makes some people more susceptible and others more resistant to diseases or infections—a hypothesis that would lead him to pursue a career in science.
With the help of his mentors, he was admitted into UC Berkeley, where he studied Chemical Biology. Although he was passionate about the subject, there were times when he doubted himself.
"The first time I walked into a lab, no one looked like me, no one who had a similar last name as I did, no one that had grown up in a rural area," said Gomez.
Despite his doubts, he was determined to make a social impact, so he went on to obtain a PhD from Stanford, where he studied Microbiology and Immunology.
Through his research there, he characterized a new gene involved in viral infections like Valley Fever and another one that when activated, can slow cancer cell replication.
Most recently, in his post-doctoral studies at UC Davis, Gomez says he characterized another gene involved in neurodevelopment.
While he continues to study this gene, he says he hopes to inspire young minds who, like him, want to pursue science.
"One of my goals, while I'm at Pepperdine is fostering students who enter college with a desire to major in biology maybe because they want to become a physician or because they want to become a research scientist and help them—retain them in the biology field," stated Gomez.
Stay in Touch with Us Anytime, Anywhere:
