March 3, 2008
William Zamboni, PharmD, PhD, an expert in translational studies of anticancer agents, has joined the UNC School of Pharmacy and the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Zamboni, who came to UNC from the University of Pittsburgh, is an associate professor in the School’s Division of Pharmacotherapy and Experimental Therapeutics. He is also a member of the School’s Institute for Pharmacogenomics and Individualized Therapy and an associate member at Lineberger.
“Dr. Zamboni brings an international reputation in cancer clinical pharmacology and will make a big impact on the development of new therapies for the patients of North Carolina,” says Howard McLeod, the director of IPIT.
Zamboni earned his PharmD and PhD at the University of Pittsburgh. Before coming to UNC, he was an assistant professor at his alma mater’s School of Pharmacy and School of Medicine.
He will direct a drug development and clinical pharmacology lab focusing on the translational development of drugs, anticancer agents, and nanoparticles. The lab will have the capacity to support all pharmacologic studies required in translational drug development. He also will establish a Good Laboratory Practice Analytical Facility at UNC.
“Dr. Zamboni is one of the first scientists recruited with help from the University Cancer Research Fund and is a true investment in clinical research excellence,” said Shelton Earp, director of the Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center. “He is not only a terrific scientist, but also brings analytical capabilities to our Early Phase Clinical Trials Program that will place UNC in the top rank of cancer centers.”
Zamboni will work directly with the Early Phase Clinical Trials Program as part of his research, which focuses on applying pharmacokinetic, pharmacodynamic, and pharmacogenetic principles to optimize the chemotherapeutic treatment of cancer.
“The information we obtain from preclinical and clinical translational studies can greatly enhance our understanding of the pharmacology of anticancer agents,” Zamboni says. “It also enables us to tailor chemotherapeutic treatment to the individual patient based on pharmacokinetic, pharmacodynamic, and pharmacogenetic principles. In addition, it allows for the rational design of therapeutic regimens.”
Zamboni’s research also focuses on the development of liposomal and nanoparticle anticancer agents and evaluating the relationship between the disposition of these agents and the reticuloendothelial system. He has developed methods and technologies to differentiate between the inactive-encapsulate and active-released forms of liposomal and nanoparticle drugs in blood and tumors, which is vital for understanding the pharmacology of these agents.
In addition, Zamboni has identified patient-related and tumor-specific factors that are associated with the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic variability of liposomal agents. He is currently evaluating potential phenotypic probes for these factors in preclinical models and in patients. “
“These studies are clinically relevant because of the need to treat solid tumors with anticancer agents that have high tumor penetration,” Zamboni says. “We also need to develop methods to increase the tumor delivery of liposomal and nanoparticle agents, generate administration schedules to enhance selective tumor uptake, and to individualize therapy using nanoparticles based on patient-specific factors.”
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