Hector DeLuca
Hector DeLuca Floyd ( born 1930 ) is an American biochemist.
Life and work
De Luca grew up on a vegetable farm near Pueblo, Colorado, on. He earned in 1951 at the University of Colorado a bachelor's degree in chemistry and in 1955 Harry Steenbock at the University of Wisconsin -Madison a Ph.D. in biochemistry. In the same year Steenbock retired, and DeLuca took over his lab. In 1959, he received in the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Wisconsin -Madison a first professorship ( Assistant Professor ) and 1965 just there a full professorship. Since then, he has been researching there as Harry Steenbock Research Professor. From 1970 to 1986 and from 1991 to 2005, he held the local Department of Biochemistry. In 2011 he became Professor Emeritus.
DeLuca was concerned with the role of physiologically active food components, in particular the metabolism and the molecular mechanisms of action of the fat-soluble vitamins. So DeLuca could contribute significantly to the elucidation of the vitamin D metabolism. His attention was paid to the clinical application of the results of basic research ( translational medicine). He also dealt with mechanisms of cell differentiation.
Awards (selection)
Writings (selection )
- The fat - soluble vitamins. University of Wisconsin Press, 1969
- Vitamin D. Berlin, Heidelberg, New York: Springer, 1979
- Biochemistry. Berlin, Heidelberg, New York: Springer, 1979