Welcome to the Zhang lab at the University of Arizona
Here is the latest news on our research, publications, team, and job offers.
Overview
Exposure to arsenic affects 160 million people worldwide, increasing the risk of developing cancer and diabetes. Donna Zhang, Ph.D. studies how arsenic induces diseases, with the goal of identifying new pharmaceuticals to prevent or treat adverse health effects resulting from arsenic exposure. NRF2 controls key aspects of the cell’s defense system by maintaining cellular redox and metabolic balance. NRF2 activation protects against acute toxicity and disease development induced by exposure to environmental toxicants, including arsenic, which is the basis of current NRF2-based drug development. However, Dr. Zhang also discovered a “dark side” of NRF2, that constant activation of NRF2 can drive cancer progression, metastasis, and resistance to therapy, as well as promote a pro-diabetic shift in metabolism, all of which occur following chronic, low-dose arsenic exposure. The goals of her project, then, are to characterize the molecular bases of diseases associated with arsenic exposure, and to identify ways in which NRF2, as well as the other NRF protein family members (NRF1 and NRF3), can be effectively harnessed to prevent or treat arsenic-induced lung cancer and Type II diabetes.
Dr. Donna D. Zhang
Donna D. Zhang received her Ph.D. from New York University in 1997. After a brief postdoctoral fellowship at the DuPont-Haskell Laboratory, she took a Research Assistant Professor position in the Biochemistry Department at the University of Missouri-Columbia. Following her time at Missouri, she joined the University of Arizona as an Assistant Professor in 2005 where she is currently a Professor in the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy. As of 2019, she was named the Musil Family Endowed Chair in Drug Discovery.
Dr. Zhang’s research program focuses on investigating the key physiological and pathological roles of the Nrf2-Keap1-ARE signaling pathway in mediating disease. She has published over 130 well-received papers as evidenced by her total number of citations (26745) and h-index (63). Dr. Zhang has made seminal contributions to both the mechanistic understanding of Nrf2 regulation, as well as the dual role of Nrf2 in human diseases. Her work has been continuously supported by the NIH, and is both nationally and internationally recognized, including in 2012 when she received the Society of Toxicology Achievement Award.
For more information on Dr. Zhang’s research and accomplishments, check out Dr. Zhang’s CV.
