PD 1997-1998 DuPont-Haskell Laboratories Newark, DE
PhD 1991-1997 Molecular Toxicology/Oncology New York University
College of Pharmacy
The Nrf2/Keap1 signaling pathway that is activated by oxidative stress and chemopreventive compounds; Regulation of gene expression by the ubiquitination and proteasomal degradation pathway
Donna D. Zhang is a recognized leader in the field of the Nrf2-Keap1-ARE signaling pathway. Dr. Zhang has been working on this newly discovered Nrf2 signaling pathway since 2002 and has contributed to both the mechanistic understanding of Nrf2 regulation and the dual functions of Nrf2 in cancer. Dr. Zhang is the first one who identified that three cysteine residues of Keap1 (C151, C277 and C288) are important in sensing and regulating the activity of Nrf2 according to cellular redox conditions. Dr. Zhang is among the first who identified that Keap1 is an E-3 ubiquitin ligase that constantly targets Nrf2 for ubiquitination and degradation, which has been proved to be the primary regulation of Nrf2 activity. Dr. Zhang and her team were responsible for linking upregulation of Nrf2 in several types of cancer cells to their chemoresistance and providing strong evidence that inhibiting expression of Nrf2 renders cancer cells more susceptible to chemotherapeutic drugs. Dr. Zhang’s experience/knowledge of the cellular antioxidant signaling pathway made her suited to provide support for the center grant led by Dr. Lau. Dr. Zhang is currently a member of RFG3, ROS & Disease Prevention.