NURUL NADIA MOHAMAD ZAMBERI

@ucsiuniversity.edu.my

Lecturer/Department of Pharmaceutical Biology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences
UCSI UNIVERSITY

NURUL NADIA MOHAMAD ZAMBERI


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https://researchid.co/nadiajz

EDUCATION

• Ph.D in Molecular Genetics, UKM Medical Molecular Biology Institute (UMBI), 2021-2025
• Master of Science (Biomedicine), Universiti Sains Malaysia, 2020-2021
• Bachelor of Science (Honours) Biology, Universiti Teknologi MARA, 2015-2018

RESEARCH, TEACHING, or OTHER INTERESTS

Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology, Cancer Research, Molecular Biology, Genetics
4

Scopus Publications

50

Scholar Citations

4

Scholar h-index

1

Scholar i10-index

Scopus Publications

  • dCas9 Tells Tales: Probing Gene Function and Transcription Regulation in Cancer
    Nurul Nadia Mohamad Zamberi, Asmaa Y. Abuhamad, Teck Yew Low, M. Aiman Mohtar, Saiful Effendi Syafruddin
    Crispr Journal, 2024
    Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)-based genome editing is evolving into an essential tool in the field of biological and medical research. Notably, the development of catalytically deactivated Cas9 (dCas9) enzyme has substantially broadened its traditional boundaries in gene editing or perturbation. The conjugation of dCas9 with various molecular effectors allows precise control over transcriptional processes, epigenetic modifications, visualization of chromosomal dynamics, and several other applications. This expanded repertoire of CRISPR-Cas9 applications has emerged as an invaluable molecular tool kit that empowers researchers to comprehensively interrogate and gain insights into health and diseases. This review delves into the advancements in Cas9 protein engineering, specifically on the generation of various dCas9 tools that have significantly enhanced the CRISPR-based technology capability and versatility. We subsequently discuss the multifaceted applications of dCas9, especially in interrogating the regulation and function of genes that involve in supporting cancer pathogenesis. In addition, we also delineate the designing and utilization of dCas9-based tools as well as highlighting its current constraints and transformative potentials in cancer research.
  • The Promises and Pitfalls of CRISPR-Mediated Base Editing in Stem Cells
    Poh Kuan Wong, Nurul Nadia Mohamad Zamberi, Saiful Effendi Syafruddin, Fook Choe Cheah, Norazrina Azmi, Jia Xian Law, Eng Wee Chua
    Crispr Journal, 2023
    Stem cells such as induced pluripotent stem cells, embryonic stem cells, and hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells are growing in importance in disease modeling and regenerative medicine. The applications of CRISPR-based gene editing to create a mélange of disease and nondisease stem cell lines have further enhanced the utility of this innately versatile group of cells in the studies of human genetic disorders. Precise base edits can be achieved using a variety of CRISPR-centric approaches, particularly homology-directed repair and the recently developed base editors and prime editors. Despite its much-touted potential, editing single DNA bases is technically challenging. In this review, we discuss the strategies for achieving exact base edits in the creation of various stem cell-based models for use in elucidating disease mechanisms and assessing drug efficacy, and the unique characteristics of stem cells that warrant special considerations.
  • Cancer Cell-Derived PDGFB Stimulates mTORC1 Activation in Renal Carcinoma
    Asmaa Y. Abuhamad, Nurul Nadia Mohamad Zamberi, Sakari Vanharanta, Siti Nur Hasanah Mohd Yusuf, M. Aiman Mohtar, Saiful Effendi Syafruddin
    International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 2023
    Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is a hypervascular tumor that is characterized by bi-allelic inactivation of the VHL tumor suppressor gene and mTOR signalling pathway hyperactivation. The pro-angiogenic factor PDGFB, a transcriptional target of super enhancer-driven KLF6, can activate the mTORC1 signalling pathway in ccRCC. However, the detailed mechanisms of PDGFB-mediated mTORC1 activation in ccRCC have remained elusive. Here, we investigated whether ccRCC cells are able to secrete PDGFB into the extracellular milieu and stimulate mTORC1 signalling activity. We found that ccRCC cells secreted PDGFB extracellularly, and by utilizing KLF6- and PDGFB-engineered ccRCC cells, we showed that the level of PDGFB secretion was positively correlated with the expression of intracellular KLF6 and PDGFB. Moreover, the reintroduction of either KLF6 or PDGFB was able to sustain mTORC1 signalling activity in KLF6-targeted ccRCC cells. We further demonstrated that conditioned media of PDGFB-overexpressing ccRCC cells was able to re-activate mTORC1 activity in KLF6-targeted cells. In conclusion, cancer cell-derived PDGFB can mediate mTORC1 signalling pathway activation in ccRCC, further consolidating the link between the KLF6-PDGFB axis and the mTORC1 signalling pathway activity in ccRCC.
  • Reverting TP53 Mutation in Breast Cancer Cells: Prime Editing Workflow and Technical Considerations
    Asmaa Y. Abuhamad, Nurul Nadia Mohamad Zamberi, Ling Sheen, Safaa M. Naes, Siti Nur Hasanah Mohd Yusuf, Asilah Ahmad Tajudin, M. Aiman Mohtar, Amir Syahir Amir Hamzah, Saiful Effendi Syafruddin
    Cells, 2022
    Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in women. The aggressive breast cancer subtype is commonly linked to the genetic alterations in the TP53 tumor suppressor gene, predominantly the missense mutations. Robust experimental models are needed to gain better insights into these mutations’ molecular properties and implications in tumorigenesis. The generation of such models harboring the alterations is feasible with the CRISPR-based gene editing technology. Moreover, the development of new CRISPR applications, particularly DNA base and prime editing, has considerably improved the precision and versatility of gene editing. Here, we employed the prime editing tool to revert a TP53 missense C > T mutation (L194F) in a T47D luminal A breast cancer cell line. In parallel, this prime editing tool was also utilized to introduce the L194F mutation in HEK293T cells. To assess the prime editing efficiency in both cell lines, we first performed Sanger sequencing in the prime-edited cells pool and single cell-derived clones. However, the Sanger sequencing approach did not detect any base substitution in these cell lines. Next, by employing the more sensitive amplicon target sequencing, we managed to identify the expected substitution in these T47D and HEK293T cells, albeit the editing efficiency was low. In light of these findings, we discussed the technical aspects and provided suggestions for improve the prime editing workflow and efficiency for future experiments.

RECENT SCHOLAR PUBLICATIONS

  • APLIKASI TEKNOLOGI CRISPR/CAS9 DAN PENYUNTINGAN PERDANA DALAM KAJIAN BIOLOGI MOLEKUL DAN KEFUNGSIAN GEN.
    NN Mohamad Zamberi, MR Alias, MA Mohtar, SE Syafruddin
    Malaysian Journal of Health Sciences/Jurnal Sains Kesihatan Malaysia 23 (2) , 2025
    2025
  • Dcas9 tells tales: probing gene function and transcription regulation in cancer
    NN Mohamad Zamberi, AY Abuhamad, TY Low, MA Mohtar, ...
    The CRISPR Journal 7 (2), 73-87 , 2024
    2024
    Citations: 7
  • The promises and pitfalls of CRISPR-mediated base editing in stem cells
    PK Wong, NN Mohamad Zamberi, SE Syafruddin, FC Cheah, N Azmi, ...
    The CRISPR Journal 6 (3), 196-215 , 2023
    2023
    Citations: 9
  • Cancer cell-derived PDGFB stimulates mTORC1 activation in renal carcinoma
    AY Abuhamad, NN Mohamad Zamberi, S Vanharanta, SNH Mohd Yusuf, ...
    International Journal of Molecular Sciences 24 (7), 6447 , 2023
    2023
    Citations: 9
  • Reverting TP53 Mutation in Breast Cancer Cells: Prime Editing Workflow and Technical Considerations
    AY Abuhamad, NN Mohamad Zamberi, L Sheen, SM Naes, ...
    Cells 11 (10), 1612 , 2022
    2022
    Citations: 25

MOST CITED SCHOLAR PUBLICATIONS

  • Reverting TP53 Mutation in Breast Cancer Cells: Prime Editing Workflow and Technical Considerations
    AY Abuhamad, NN Mohamad Zamberi, L Sheen, SM Naes, ...
    Cells 11 (10), 1612 , 2022
    2022
    Citations: 25
  • The promises and pitfalls of CRISPR-mediated base editing in stem cells
    PK Wong, NN Mohamad Zamberi, SE Syafruddin, FC Cheah, N Azmi, ...
    The CRISPR Journal 6 (3), 196-215 , 2023
    2023
    Citations: 9
  • Cancer cell-derived PDGFB stimulates mTORC1 activation in renal carcinoma
    AY Abuhamad, NN Mohamad Zamberi, S Vanharanta, SNH Mohd Yusuf, ...
    International Journal of Molecular Sciences 24 (7), 6447 , 2023
    2023
    Citations: 9
  • Dcas9 tells tales: probing gene function and transcription regulation in cancer
    NN Mohamad Zamberi, AY Abuhamad, TY Low, MA Mohtar, ...
    The CRISPR Journal 7 (2), 73-87 , 2024
    2024
    Citations: 7
  • APLIKASI TEKNOLOGI CRISPR/CAS9 DAN PENYUNTINGAN PERDANA DALAM KAJIAN BIOLOGI MOLEKUL DAN KEFUNGSIAN GEN.
    NN Mohamad Zamberi, MR Alias, MA Mohtar, SE Syafruddin
    Malaysian Journal of Health Sciences/Jurnal Sains Kesihatan Malaysia 23 (2) , 2025
    2025