Marian Aitchison Packham (December 13, 1927 – September 20, 2020) was Professor Emerita in

biochemistry Biochemistry or biological chemistry is the study of chemical processes within and relating to living organisms. A sub-discipline of both chemistry and biology, biochemistry may be divided into three fields: structural biology, enzymology and ...

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution ...

. She researched biochemical and physiological activities of

blood Blood is a body fluid in the circulatory system of humans and other vertebrates that delivers necessary substances such as nutrients and oxygen to the cells, and transports metabolic waste products away from those same cells. Blood in the c ...

platelets Platelets, also called thrombocytes (from Greek θρόμβος, "clot" and κύτος, "cell"), are a component of blood whose function (along with the coagulation factors) is to react to bleeding from blood vessel injury by clumping, thereby ini ...

Education

Packham studied Biochemistry at the University of Toronto, obtaining her BA in 1949 and completing her doctorate in 1954.

Career

Packham worked part-time in the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Toronto for eleven years, while raising her children. Packham began her research on blood

Ontario Veterinary College The Ontario Veterinary College (OVC) is the oldest veterinary school in Canada. It is located on the campus of the University of Guelph in Guelph, Ontario. The OVC is one of five veterinary schools that offer the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, DV ...

in 1963. This was the beginning of her long collaboration with Dr.

Fraser Mustard James Fraser Mustard (October 16, 1927 – November 16, 2011) was a Canadian doctor and renowned researcher in early childhood development. Born, raised and educated in Toronto, Ontario, Mustard began his career as a research fellow at the Unive ...

. She continued to work with him in 1965 and 1966 at the Blood and Vascular Disease Research Unit at the University of Toronto, where they collaborated on some early investigations of the effect of

aspirin Aspirin, also known as acetylsalicylic acid (ASA), is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) used to reduce pain, fever, and/or inflammation, and as an antithrombotic. Specific inflammatory conditions which aspirin is used to treat inc ...

to inhibit platelet aggregation. In 1966, Packham rejoined the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Toronto, where she remained for the rest of her career. She became a full professor in 1989. From 1966 to 2003, she held a visiting Professorship in Pathology at McMaster University, where she continued to work with Mustard’s team. Her research examined the biochemistry and physiology of blood platelets and their role in

hemostasis In biology, hemostasis or haemostasis is a process to prevent and stop bleeding, meaning to keep blood within a damaged blood vessel (the opposite of hemostasis is hemorrhage). It is the first stage of wound healing. This involves coagulation, whi ...

and arterial

thrombosis Thrombosis (from Ancient Greek "clotting") is the formation of a blood clot inside a blood vessel, obstructing the flow of blood through the circulatory system. When a blood vessel (a vein or an artery) is injured, the body uses platelets (thro ...

Retirement

After retiring, Packham continued active research as Professor Emerita for six years. She also wrote a history of Biochemistry at the University of Toronto and a brief biography of Fraser Mustard. Packham, ''J. Fraser Mustard : Connections & Careers'', 2010.

Awards

In 1988, Packham shared the

J. Allyn Taylor International Prize in Medicine The Robarts Research Institute at the University of Western Ontario awards the annual J. Allyn Taylor International Prize in Medicine to an individual or individuals who have made significant contributions to a field of basic or clinical research ...

with Fraser Mustard. She was elected a

Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada Fellowship of the Royal Society of Canada (FRSC) is an award granted to individuals that the Royal Society of Canada judges to have "made remarkable contributions in the arts, the humanities and the sciences, as well as in Canadian public life ...

in 1991, and was awarded an honorary doctorate by

Ryerson Polytechnic University Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU or Toronto Met) is a public research university located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The university's core campus is situated within the Garden District, although it also operates facilities elsewhere in Toro ...

in 1997. She received an Arbor Award from the University of Toronto in 2008.

References

Bibliography

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Packham, Marian Canadian biochemists Fellows of the Royal Society of Canada 1927 births 2020 deaths Canadian women scientists