Sunny Hartwig, Ph.D.

Award: KRESCENT New Investigator Award
Institution: University of Prince Edward Island
Year: 2010-2013

Lay Summary

Dr. Sunny Hartwig is a new investigator at the University of Prince Edward Island. She obtained her Ph.D. from the University of Toronto and completed her Post-Doctoral Fellowship with Dr. Jordan Kreidberg at the Children’s Hospital Boston, Harvard University. Dr. Hartwig will study the Role of Sox Proteins in Kidney Stem Cells, specifically the SoxC gene family of nuclear proteins – Sox4, Sox11 and Sox12, which are co-expressed with WT1 (Wilms’ Tumor Suppressor) in kidney stem cells during early kidney development, and which are regulated by WT1. Sox family members are critical developmental genes that have been shown to coordinately control stem cell self-renewal, stem cell specification and stem cell differentiation in several non-renal tissues, including the developing nervous system, limbs, heart and skeleton. However, Sox genes have not been previously identified in the developing kidney, and their function in the kidney is unknown. Her work will define the function of a critical pathway during early kidney development and will provide novel insights into the pathogenesis of Wilms' tumour. Results should reveal the mechanisms by which kidney stem cell self-renewal and differentiation are controlled, laying a foundation for new therapeutic stem cell-based strategies that will treat, reverse, and ultimately prevent kidney disease.