|
Frank Marini was
born and raised in Hudson Mass. After high school he joined
the Army and moved to Ft. Benning GA to complete his Military
education. Four years later he returned to Massachusetts to
complete college and received his BS in biochemistry. His
first job as a research assistant at Scripps Clinic and Research
Foundation in La Jolla Ca showed him that translational research
in medicine was soon to be his chosen career path. In 1989
he moved to Houston TX to begin his graduate training in Molecular
biology at the University of Texas - Houston. He completed
his Ph.D. in 1995 where his research focused on Gene Therapy
of Cancer. Frank's expertise in gene transfer and gene delivery
into stem cells is well-recognized, and he has developed viral
vector gene delivery systems, which have been used in clinical
trials for treatment of cancers. He is currently an assistant
professor in the W.M. Keck Center for Cancer Gene Therapy
at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center.
From the start, fish and fish
tanks intrigued me. My parents setup my first tank, a 30-galonl
metal-framed tank containing seahorses when I was 12. I was
hooked from that day on. Since then, when I've had a permanent
residence, I've kept a number of different fish and have always
focused on predatory and unusual fish. I started my first
reef tank in 1986, and my first large fish-only system in
1989. I fell in love with the Banggai cardinal fish in 1995,
and after solving the sexing issues, had multiple successful
breedings. I have been credited with having the first reported
breeding of these fish and successfully raising the fry. In
1997, I scaled up my Banggai breeding and was able to supply
over 300 Banggai fry to local Houston pet stores. I continued
Banggai breeding for a few years thereafter, but again have
focused on predatory fish (mainly the scorpionfish family:
lionfish, etc). My interests are diverse and always educational.
Besides saltwater fish, I have a 125-gallon freshwater planted
tank. I raise matamata turtles, frequently play my bass guitar,
and whenever possible cruise in my 400Hp 5.8L 1986 Mustang
GT (the MXMISL).
Frank is available for questions
at the Fish
Breeding and Marine
Fish forums at Reef Central.
|
