Roman Zubarev

Roman A. Zubarev
Born	1963 (age 61–62) Stavropol, Russia
Nationality	Russian
Alma mater	Moscow Engineering Physics Institute; Uppsala University
Known for	Electron-capture dissociation; Isotopic resonance hypothesis; Proteomics; Alzheimer’s disease research; Origin of life studies
Awards	Curt Brunnée Award (2006); Biemann Medal (2007); Gold Medal, Russian Mass Spectrometry Society (2013); Berzelius Medal in Gold (2024)
Scientific career
Fields	Chemistry; Physics; Biochemistry; Proteomics
Institutions	Cornell University; University of Southern Denmark; Uppsala University; Karolinska Institutet
Doctoral advisor	Bo Sundqvist

Roman A. Zubarev (born 1963) is a Russian-Swedish chemist and professor of medical proteomics in the Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics at Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden. His research spans mass spectrometry, proteomics, origin-of-life chemistry, disease biomarker discovery, and related fields. ^[1]

Education and career

Zubarev earned a Master of Science in Applied Physics at Moscow Engineering Physics Institute in 1986. He obtained a PhD in ion physics from Uppsala University in 1997, supervised by Bo Sundqvist. ^[2]

After his doctorate, he worked at Cornell University, where in 1997 he co-discovered electron-capture dissociation (ECD) of polypeptides with Fred McLafferty. ^[3] He later held posts at the University of Southern Denmark and Uppsala University, before becoming professor of medicinal proteomics at Karolinska Institutet. ^[1]

Research

Zubarev’s contributions include:

• Electron-capture dissociation (ECD) — A mass spectrometry fragmentation technique for sequencing proteins and peptides. ^[4]
• Isotopic resonance hypothesis — Proposes that specific isotopic compositions can accelerate biochemical reactions. Experimental studies on Escherichia coli growth have supported aspects of the hypothesis. ^[5]
• Proteomics and biomarkers — Discovery of proteomic signatures in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease, along with developments in immunoproteomics and molecular biometry. ^[6]
• Origin of life experiments — Research showing that abiotically synthesized mixtures, such as those produced in Miller–Urey type experiments, can sustain bacterial growth. ^[7]

Awards

Zubarev has received several international awards:

• Curt Brunnée Award (2006) ^[8]
• Biemann Medal, American Society for Mass Spectrometry (2007) ^[9]
• Gold Medal, Russian Mass Spectrometry Society (2013) ^[10]
• Berzelius Medal in Gold, Swedish Chemical Society (2024) ^[11]

Selected publications

• Zubarev, R. A.; Kelleher, N. L.; McLafferty, F. W. (1998). "Electron Capture Dissociation of Multiply Charged Protein Cations. A Non-ergodic Process". Journal of the American Chemical Society. 120 (13): 3265–3266. Bibcode:1998JAChS.120.3265Z. doi:10.1021/ja973478k.
• Xie, X.; Zubarev, R. A. (2015). "Isotopic resonance hypothesis: experimental verification by Escherichia coli growth measurements". Scientific Reports. 5 9215: 9210. arXiv: 1407.4847 . Bibcode:2015NatSR...5.9215X. doi: 10.1038/srep09215 . PMID   25782666.
• Yang, H.; Lyutvinskiy, Y.; Herukka, S.-K.; Soininen, H.; Rutishauser, D.; Zubarev, R. A. (2014). "Prognostic polypeptide blood plasma biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease progression". Journal of Alzheimer's Disease. 40 (3): 659–666. doi: 10.3233/JAD-132102 . PMID   24503613.
• Xie, X.; Backman, D.; Lebedev, A. T.; Artaev, V. B.; Jiang, L.; Ilag, L. L.; Zubarev, R. A. (2015). "Primordial soup was edible: abiotically produced Miller–Urey mixture supports bacterial growth". Scientific Reports. 5 14338. Bibcode:2015NatSR...514338X. doi: 10.1038/srep14338 . PMID   26412575.

References

1. "Roman Zubarev – Karolinska Institutet". Karolinska Institutet. Retrieved 18 September 2025.
2. Ilag, L. L.; Zubarev, R. A. (2010). "The role of mass spectrometry in the postgenomic era". Mass Spectrometry Reviews. doi:10.1002/mas.20282. PMID   20661940.
3. Zubarev, R. A.; Kelleher, N. L.; McLafferty, F. W. (1998). "Electron Capture Dissociation of Multiply Charged Protein Cations. A Non-ergodic Process". Journal of the American Chemical Society. 120 (13): 3265–3266. Bibcode:1998JAChS.120.3265Z. doi:10.1021/ja973478k.
4. Zubarev, R. A.; Horn, D. M.; Fridriksson, E. K.; Kelleher, N. L.; Kruger, N. A.; Lewis, M. A.; Carpenter, B. K.; McLafferty, F. W. (2000). "Electron capture dissociation for structural characterization of multiply charged protein cations". Analytical Chemistry. 72 (3): 563–573. doi:10.1021/ac990811p.
5. Xie, X.; Zubarev, R. A. (2015). "Isotopic resonance hypothesis: experimental verification by Escherichia coli growth measurements". Scientific Reports. 5: 9210. doi:10.1038/srep09210. PMC   4366856 . PMID   25790763.
6. Yang, H.; Lyutvinskiy, Y.; Herukka, S. K.; Soininen, H.; Rutishauser, D.; Zubarev, R. A. (2014). "Prognostic polypeptide blood plasma biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease progression". Journal of Alzheimer's Disease. 40 (3): 659–666. doi:10.3233/JAD-131847. PMID   24577456.
7. Xie, X.; Backman, D.; Lebedev, A. T.; Artaev, V. B.; Jiang, L.; Ilag, L. L.; Zubarev, R. A. (2015). "Primordial soup was edible: abiotically produced Miller–Urey mixture supports bacterial growth". Scientific Reports. 5 14338. Bibcode:2015NatSR...514338X. doi:10.1038/srep14338. PMC   4585927 . PMID   26354806.
8. "Curt Brunnée Award". International Mass Spectrometry Conference. Retrieved 18 September 2025.
9. "Biemann Medal Recipients". American Society for Mass Spectrometry. Retrieved 18 September 2025.
10. "Roman Zubarev". ISOREA. Retrieved 18 September 2025.
11. "KI researcher Roman Zubarev awarded the Berzelius Medal in Gold". Karolinska Institutet News. 21 March 2024. Retrieved 18 September 2025.

External links

• Karolinska Institutet profile
• ISOREA AB – team page