Photo: Hallie Leo
PhD student Claire Shamber has been awarded a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship to fund her research redefining the mammalian metabolome and investigating metabolic adaptations in mammalian disease states. Shamber, a student in the Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in the Morningside Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at UMass Chan Medical School, will receive three years of funding support over a five-year fellowship period.
“It's an incredible feeling to know that leaders in my field see my ability to make significant contributions to scientific research,” Shamber said. “This sets a good tone for my confidence as I begin the next stage of my career as a doctoral candidate.”
Shamber, originally from Pequannock, New Jersey, recalled that her love for science began in AP biology class.
“I still vividly remember doing my first experiment and feeling like I entered into a world of magic,” she said.
A biology major who minored in mathematics at Stonehill College, Shamber started her journey in academic research in a genetics lab. She developed gene therapies for rare metabolic diseases as a research technician and clinical research coordinator at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) before enrolling at UMass Chan. This inspired her to study metabolic adaptations in disease for her PhD thesis research.
Shamber is investigating undefined mammalian metabolites utilizing novel metabolomics pipelines in the lab of Jessica Spinelli, PhD, assistant professor of molecular medicine, while continuing her research on metabolic diseases at MGH. Shamber is passionate about molybdenum cofactor deficiency type A (MOCODA), a fatal metabolic disorder that leads to sulfur intoxication and early mortality in infants.
“Because of a genetic mutation, children with MOCODA have altered sulfur metabolism, which leads to an accumulation of toxins that ultimately leads to premature death,” said Shamber. “I’m curious what metabolic adaptations happen in the disease, and I want to piece together what’s required metabolically to restore function with the gene therapy treatment.”
Shamber will also investigate unknown mammalian metabolites, utilizing unique and innovative tools pioneered in Dr. Spinelli’s lab.
“Claire is a one-of-a-kind trainee,” said Spinelli. “She walked into my office oozing with enthusiasm and pride over her past research and with strong ambitions to learn metabolism and mass spectrometry. Her enthusiasm is contagious, and she’s displayed remarkable bravery, tackling challenging scientific questions like redefining the mammalian metabolome. I’m incredibly proud of her and honored to be her mentor!”
“Despite decades of human metabolism research, most of the molecules in our bodies remain a mystery,” Spinelli added. “Claire’s thesis work uses an innovative mass spectrometry pipeline to de-orphan previously unknown mammalian metabolites. Her work is going to ignite an entire field of future research studying the physiological and disease relevance of these mysterious molecules, and she’s going to redefine our textbook understanding of the mammalian metabolome.”
When not in the lab, Shamber likes to spend time outside in nature, and prioritizes her partner, family and friends—recently returning home to New Jersey to celebrate her grandmother’s 93rd birthday.
