Focusing on the molecular mechanisms of the DNA damage response

Since 2013, Björn Schumacher is full professor and director of the Institute for Genome Stability in Ageing and Diseases (IGSAD) at CECAD Research Centre of the University of Cologne. He received his PhD at the Max Planck Institute for Biochemistry in Munich and conducted his postdoctoral research as EMBO and Marie Curie fellow at the Erasmus Medical Centre in Rotterdam. B.S. received the innovation prize of the State of Northrhine-Westphalia, the European Research Council (ERC) starting grant, and coordinated the FP7 Marie Curie initial training network on chronic DNA damage in ageing (CodeAge). Professor Schumacher is President of the German Society for Ageing Research (DGfA), Vice President of the German Society for DNA Repair (DGDR) and serves on several editorial boards. His research interest focuses on the molecular mechanisms through which DNA damage contributes to cancer development and ageing-associated diseases. Employing the C. elegans system and mammalian disease models, his group uncovered cell-autonomous and systemic responses through which the organism adapts to accumulating DNA damage with ageing. Through the understanding of the basic mechanisms of genome instability-driven ageing, Schumacher aims to contribute to the development of future strategies to prevent ageing-associated diseases.