Sarah Poynter

Photo of Sarah Poynter

Assistant Professor Faculty of Science Health Sciences Waterloo, Ontario spoynter@wlu.ca

Bio/Research

I received my MSc in Integrative Biology from Laurier, and my PhD in Biology from the University of Waterloo, under the supervision of Stephanie DeWitte-Orr, and my HBSc in Molecular Biology and Genetics from McMaster University. After my PhD, I was an industrial research scientist with a local b...

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Bio/Research

I received my MSc in Integrative Biology from Laurier, and my PhD in Biology from the University of Waterloo, under the supervision of Stephanie DeWitte-Orr, and my HBSc in Molecular Biology and Genetics from McMaster University. After my PhD, I was an industrial research scientist with a local biotechnology company.

My areas of expertise lie in immunomodulation using nanotechnology, and cancer biology at the cellular level.

My research program falls into two streams. Stream (1): Non-immune cells play a role in our immune response against pathogenic attack, as nearly all cells in our body are capable of recognizing and responding to pathogens. The extent of their involvement is not well understood as these cells have not been well-studied due to their lack of responsiveness in vitro. We use nanoparticle to enhance immune stimulating pathogen associated molecular patterns in the lab to help us elucidate these pathways in healthy, noncancerous cells.

Stream (2): Despite the recognition of the role of innate immunity in clearing cancerous cells, the current body of research lacks perspective and information on the cancer cell-mediated immune response. We can determine the most optimal targets for cancer therapies by understanding the basic underlying immunological mechanisms within cancer cells. My research program explores the broad question: What immune pathways are intact in cancer cells?


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Media Relations

Aonghus Kealy
Communications and Media Relations Officer
akealy@wlu.ca
(519) 884-0710 ext. 3684

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Media Relations

Aonghus Kealy
Communications and Media Relations Officer
akealy@wlu.ca
(519) 884-0710 ext. 3684

Lori Chalmers Morrison
Director: Integrated Communications
lchalmersmorrison@wlu.ca
(519) 884-0710 ext. 3067

Deirdre Healey
Director: Communications & Issues Management
dhealey@wlu.ca
(519) 884-0710 ext. 3070

Brantford Campus:

Beth Gurney
Associate Director: Communications & Public Affairs
bgurney@wlu.ca
(519) 884-0710 ext. 5753

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