BREWER and SILVER SPRING, MD. - Patrice M. Tremble, 55, of Silver Spring, Md., died unexpectedly Tuesday, Oct. 5, 2010, at work. She was born Jan. 27, 1955, on Staten Island, N.Y., the daughter Carolyn A. (Tardiff) Tremble and the late John E. Tremble. She was a 1973 graduate of Brewer High School and received her Bachelor of Science degree in microbiology from the University of Maine, Orono. Patrice later received her doctorate in pharmacology from the University of California, San Francisco. From 1982 to 1986 she held scientific research positions at Howard Hughes Medical Institute in Boston and San Francisco. From 1995 to 1998 she worked at Baxter Healthcare, Round Lake, Ill., where she developed a therapy using implanted cells secreting therapeutic proteins. From 1998 to 2001 she was a scientist at Edwards Lifesciences, Irvine, Calif., where she evaluated product development of tissue to be used in future heart valve implants. From 2001 to 2003 she worked on a team at Medtronic AVE, Santa Rosa, Calif., that worked on the development of a drug-eluting cardiac stent. In 2003, she returned to Edwards Lifesciences where she managed the development of a plasmid therapeutic for cardiovascular applications. In 2007, she became a self-employed consultant at Tremble Bioscience Development, Santa Rosa, Calif., where she provided preclinical support for biotech projects for several biotech clients. Recently, she returned to the East Coast and worked for Medimmune, Gaithersburg, Md., where she managed Food and Drug Administration approval submissions for various new business opportunities. She has been published several times in scientific journals. Patrice was a kind, compassionate and cheerful person who was always there to support her family and friends. She always tried to stay in touch with her nieces and nephews and provided friendly advice. She will be missed by everybody who knew her. Surviving, in addition to her mother, Carolyn Tremble of Brewer, are two brothers, John Tremble of Cherry Hill, N.J., and William Tremble and his wife, Kathy, of Pittsfield, Mass.; eight nieces and nephews, several aunts, uncles, cousins and friends across the country. Family and friends may visit 4-7 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 10, at Kiley & Foley Funeral Service, 69 State St., Brewer. A Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated 11 a.m. Monday, Oct. 11, at St. Paul the Apostle Parish, St. Joseph Church, Brewer. Burial will be at Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Bangor. Contributions may be made to National MS Society, Maine Chapter, P.O. Box 798, Portland, ME 04104-0798 or www.nationalmssociety.org. Condolences may be offered at www.kileyandfoley.com.