Carolyn Kapron

Associate Professor

Carolyn Kapron standing in front of a river on a sunny day with buildings in the background, wearing glasses and a blue shirt, smiling at the camera.

B.Sc. (Waterloo)
M.Sc. (McGill)
Ph.D. (McGill)

Office: LHS D241

Lab: LHS D240 (phone ext 7731)

Phone: 705-748-1011 ext 7641

Email: ckapron@trentu.ca

Research

Developmental biology and toxicology
Cellular and molecular basis of abnormal embryonic development
Stress-activated signal transduction pathways
Vascular development

Between 3 and 7 per cent of newborn infants have a developmental malformation. While in some cases the cause of the malformation can be traced to a particular environmental agent or a particular mutated gene, in the vast majority of cases no particular cause can be pinpointed. It is thought that in many cases the cause is a multifactorial one. In other words, several elements have brought about the malformation, and in the end a malformation occurred because of a combination of genetic and environmental factors. While only a few environmental factors have been positively identified as ones that cause birth defects, many chemicals and drugs are suspected of doing so. In almost all cases, it is not known how the particular environmental factor has damaged the embryo's cells to lead to a malformation. Neither is it known why some embryos are susceptible and others are not. Using mice as a model system, my research attempts to identify the damage that is done at the level of the embryonic cells and to determine whether there are means by which the embryo naturally protects itself from harm. At the same time as having a practical application of possibly reducing the risk of birth defects in susceptible individuals, a more theoretical aspect of biology can also be explored--that is the ways in which an embryo can respond to a changing environment at the level of its cells.

Teaching

BIOL 2070H: Cell Biology
BIOL 4080H: Developmental Biology
BIOL 3040H: Histology

Journal Articles

Langer SV, Kapron CM, Davy CM. 2020. Abnormal persistence of the chorioallantoic membrane is associated with severe developmental abnormalities in freshwater turtles. Canadian Journal of Zoology, 98:229-235. https://doi.org/10.1139/cjz-2019-0169

Shang T, Liang J, Kapron CM, Liu J. 2019. Pathophysiology of aged lymphatic vessels. Aging 11: 6602-6613. https://doi.org/10.18632/aging.102213

Chen X, Li L, Liu F, Hoh J, Kapron CM, Liu J. 2019. Cadmium induces glomerular endothelial cell–specific expression of complement factor H via the 21635 AP-1 binding site. The Journal of Immunology 202: 1210-1218. https://doi.org/10.4049/jimmunol.1800081

Associated Organizations

The Society for Birth Defects Research and Prevention

Biology