Deborah Zamble Explained

Deborah Beth Zamble
Alma Mater:	University of Toronto Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Workplaces:	Harvard Medical School University of Toronto
Birth Date:	5 October 1971
Birth Place:	Kingston, Ontario
Thesis Title:	The responses of cellular proteins to cisplatin-damaged DNA
Thesis Url:	http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582
Thesis Year:	1999
Website:	Zamble Lab

Deborah Beth Zamble (October 5, 1971 – July 6, 2020) was a Canadian chemist and Canada Research Chair in Biological Chemistry at the University of Toronto. Her research considered how bacteria processed metal nutrients.

Early life and education

Zamble was born in Kingston, Ontario. She attended the University of Toronto for her undergraduate studies, where she worked in the lab of the Bibudhendra Sarkar. Zamble was a graduate student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where she worked with Stephen J. Lippard on cisplatin, an anti-cancer drug. Her research considered the role of p53 in the cellular response to the drug. Zamble was a postdoctoral fellow at the Harvard Medical School, where she worked alongside Christopher T. Walsh. At the Harvard Medical School Zamble worked on the microcin B17 synthetase.^[1]

Research and career

Zamble returned to Canada in 2001, where she was made a Canada Research Chair in Biological Chemistry.^[2] Here she investigated how bacteria process metal nutrients, with a focus on the uptake of nickel.^[3] Transition metals are essential to the structure and function of biological systems, but can be toxic if they are allowed to accumulate. To mitigate this, cells make use of metalloproteins to regulate the use of each metal. In particular, Zamble studies the bacteria Escherichia coli and Helicobacter pylori.^[4]

Academic service

Zamble served on the executive board of the Royal Canadian Institute.^[5] She served on the editorial boards of the Journal of Biological Chemistry^[6] and Metallomics.^[7] Zamble was involved with recreating the biological chemistry curriculum at the University of Toronto, leading a second year course that incorporated her enthusiasm for cooking.^[8]

Awards and honours

• 1993 University of Toronto College Science Medal^[9]
• 2001 Canada Research Chair in Biological Chemistry
• 2002 Premier's Research and Excellence Awards^[10]
• 2007 Sloan Research Fellowship^[11]
• 2009 NSERC Discovery Accelerator Research Award^[12]
• 2012 Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Medal

Selected publications

• Zamble. Deborah B.. Lippard. Stephen J.. 1995. Cisplatin and DNA repair in cancer chemotherapy. Trends in Biochemical Sciences. en. 20. 10. 435–439. 10.1016/S0968-0004(00)89095-7. 8533159.
• Zamble. Deborah B.. Mu. David. Reardon. Joyce T.. Sancar. Aziz. Lippard. Stephen J.. 1996-01-01. Repair of Cisplatin−DNA Adducts by the Mammalian Excision Nuclease. Biochemistry. 35. 31. 10004–10013. 10.1021/bi960453+. 8756462. 0006-2960.
• Huang. J. C.. Zamble. D. B.. Reardon. J. T.. Lippard. S. J.. Sancar. A.. 1994-10-25. HMG-domain proteins specifically inhibit the repair of the major DNA adduct of the anticancer drug cisplatin by human excision nuclease. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. en. 91. 22. 10394–10398. 10.1073/pnas.91.22.10394. 0027-8424. 7937961. 45026. 1994PNAS...9110394H. free.
• Book: The Biological Chemistry of Nickel . Zamble, Deborah . Rowińska-Żyrek, Magdalena . Kozłowski, Henryk . 24 March 2017. 978-1-78801-058-0. Cambridge, U.K. . Royal Society of Chemistry . 1007052796.

Personal life

On July 6, 2020, Zamble died of an unexpected brain haemorrhage.

Notes and References

1. Zamble. Deborah B.. McClure. Craig P.. Penner-Hahn. James E.. Walsh. Christopher T.. 2000-12-01. The McbB Component of Microcin B17 Synthetase Is a Zinc Metalloprotein. Biochemistry. 39. 51. 16190–16199. 10.1021/bi001398e. 11123948. 0006-2960.
2. Web site: Canada's new government invests in research and projects to improve quality of life for Canadians Innovation.ca. 2020-07-08. www.innovation.ca. 2020-07-08. https://web.archive.org/web/20200708200436/https://www.innovation.ca/about/press-release/canadas-new-government-invests-research-and-projects-improve-quality-life. dead.
3. Web site: Deborah B. Zamble. 2020-07-08. Biochemistry, University of Toronto. 2020-07-08. https://web.archive.org/web/20200708201042/http://biochemistry.utoronto.ca/person/deborah-b-zamble/. dead.
4. Web site: Research Zamble Lab. 2020-07-08. sites.chem.utoronto.ca.
5. Web site: Executive & Board. 2020-07-08. Royal Canadian Institute for Science. en-US.
6. Web site: Journal of Biological Inorganic Chemistry. 2020-07-08. Springer. en.
7. 2014-12-24. Metallomics Editorial Board profiles. Metallomics. en. 7. 1. 12–14. 10.1039/C4MT90048K. 1756-591X.
8. Web site: News Department of Chemistry. 2020-07-08. www.chemistry.utoronto.ca. 7 July 2020.
9. Web site: Prof. Deborah B. Zamble Zamble Lab. 2020-07-08. sites.chem.utoronto.ca.
10. Web site: Newsroom : Innovative Ontario scientists receive Premier's Research Excellence Awards. 2020-07-08. news.ontario.ca.
11. Web site: Past Fellows. 2020-07-08. sloan.org.
12. Web site: 2009 Distillations. 2020-07-08. Issuu. 12 November 2010 . en.