Fernando Doñate proves there’s something valid in the adage about high school and college students who excel in class and are voted “most likely to succeed.” For Doñate, the 2005 Alumni Achievement Award winner for the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, excellence in the classroom and in research was the beginning of his journey to a promising profession as a scientist.

            When he was about 15, Doñate had a teacher who engaged his class in a discussion about the Principle of Uncertainty by Heisenberg, a German physicist. He was fascinated and since then has focused on science and complex problems.

            “I think I have always been attracted to complex problems that would give others headaches,” said Doñate. “I have fun attempting to solve problems and have always been fascinated by biochemistry, by proteins and cells,” said Doñate. “If you put those two together, that explains why I wanted to pursue a Ph.D. in biology and biochemistry.”

            Doñate spent several years working on a protein that triggers coagulation. The goal was to modify the protein and to selectively target it to the tumor vasculature. Once the protein reaches the tumor, it induces coagulation, blocks the tumor vasculature and deprives the tumor of the needed nutrients, causing the death of tumor cells.

            “While at UMKC, Doñate distinguished himself as an outstanding student academically, as well as in the laboratory,” said Lawrence Dreyfus, dean of the School of Biological Sciences.

According to Dreyfus, Doñate received a Young Investigator Award from the prestigious Molecular Medicine Foundation for his research on the molecular mechanisms of tumor angiogenesis. This is a critical element in tumor biology, and his studies have led to a possible new approach to cancer therapy.

            For the last five years, Doñate has worked to stop the process of angiogenesis, the process by which tumors recruit new vessels to get nutrients for their growth.

Currently working at an oncology company with the focus in cancer research, Doñate and his team have two compounds in clinical trials. Doñate said one likely affects the new vessels within the tumor. The second compound affects both the angiogenic vessels within the tumor, as well as the tumor cells, per se.

“The ultimate goal is to have a drug approved to help cancer patients,” said Doñate.

Whether the compounds are approved in their current form or require more research, Doñate will continue to research on angiogenesis and cancer biology, hoping to make an impact in cancer therapeutics.

Doñate has authored a number of scientific reports on vascular biology, oncology and protein chemistry and is author or co-author of five pending patents primarily in the area of cancer therapeutics. He is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Helen Kemper Fellowship Award and Investigator Award from the Molecular Medicine Foundation. Doñate is a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Protein Science and the American Association of Cancer Research.

The School of Biological Sciences is pleased to add an Alumni Achievement Award to Doñate’s list of achievements.

 The University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC), one of four University of Missouri campuses, is a public university serving more than 14,000 undergraduate, graduate and professional students.  UMKC engages with the community and economy based on a three-part mission: visual and performing arts, health sciences, and urban affairs.

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