Caroline Schild-Poulter

Caroline Schild-Poulter is a Professor and Scientist at the Robarts Research Institute, affiliated with the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry at Western University in London, Ontario, Canada. She leads research in the Molecular Medicine department, specifically within the Vascular and Brain Health Group, focusing on DNA damage response mechanisms and their implications in cancer development.

Education:

• Undergraduate in Biology at the University of Lausanne, Switzerland (Major in Molecular Biology)
• Master's and PhD at the University of Lausanne (Topic: Mechanisms regulating gene expression)
• PhD training included a 2-year stage at the National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, USA

Dr. Schild-Poulter's research program centers on DNA repair/signaling pathways activated by double-stranded DNA breaks, one of the most dangerous forms of DNA damage. Her work specifically investigates how DNA gets repaired and how apoptosis is activated when repair is not completed. Her research has significant implications for understanding cancer development, stroke, and aging processes. She has made notable contributions to understanding the roles of RanBPM in controlling apoptosis in response to DNA damage and how the DNA repair factor Ku functions to repair and signal from double-stranded DNA breaks. Analysis of her publication record shows consistent focus on DNA repair mechanisms, with recent work expanding into RNA-mediated immunity and protein degradation pathways.

Scientific Awards:

• Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council Canada (NSERC) Discovery Accelerator Award (DAS)
• Post-doctoral Fellowship, Medical Research Council of Canada and the Arthritis Society
• Post-doctoral Fellowship, Association pour la Recherche sur le Cancer (France)
• Fellowship, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (France)
• Post-doctoral Fellowship, Swiss National Science Foundation (Switzerland)

Dr. Schild-Poulter has received significant research funding through competitive grants, including the prestigious NSERC Discovery Accelerator Award which supports her innovative work in DNA repair mechanisms. Her research program has led to numerous publications in high-impact journals and has contributed significantly to our understanding of genomic instability and cancer development. While specific students aren't listed in the available information, her position as a Professor suggests she mentors graduate students and postdoctoral fellows in her laboratory, contributing to the next generation of molecular biologists and cancer researchers.

Dr. Schild-Poulter is a key member of the Molecular Medicine research group at Robarts Research Institute, where she maintains an active laboratory investigating DNA damage response pathways. Her work bridges basic molecular mechanisms with potential clinical applications in cancer treatment and prevention, particularly focusing on the critical balance between DNA repair and programmed cell death that prevents malignant transformation.