Rate My Professor Cherie Stayner

Dr. Cherie Stayner serves as a Research Fellow in the Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine within the Dunedin School of Medicine at the University of Otago. She earned her BSc (Hons) from Massey University and PhD from the University of Otago. Her primary research focuses on the molecular basis of Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease (ADPKD), a genetic disorder affecting approximately 1 in 500 people and representing a major cause of end-stage renal failure. Stayner investigates the molecular pathways responsible for cyst formation and disease progression, including epigenetic modifications such as DNA methylation variations between cysts, and explores targeted therapies to halt or slow cyst growth. Her work encompasses studies on PAX gene expression, non-coding RNAs as biomarkers, and inhibitors like EG1 for related conditions such as renal cell carcinoma. Affiliated with the Developmental Genetics Group and the Kidney in Health and Disease Network, she contributes to advancing understanding of ciliopathies and kidney development.

In addition to her research role, Stayner is the Research Manager at the Edgar Diabetes and Obesity Research (EDOR) centre in the Department of Medicine, where she coordinates research activities, grant applications, publication efforts, public events, media responses, and collaborations. This position leverages her expertise in renal disease to support broader initiatives on diabetes prevention, obesity policy, and health equity through co-design approaches in Aotearoa New Zealand. Key publications include 'Recent Discoveries in Epigenetic Modifications of Polycystic Kidney Disease' (International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 2021), 'Chemical Synthesis of the PAX Protein Inhibitor EG1 and Its Ability to Slow the Growth of Human Colorectal Carcinoma Cells' (Frontiers in Oncology, 2021), 'Extensive Inter-Cyst DNA Methylation Variation in Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease Revealed by Genome Scale Sequencing' (Frontiers in Genetics, 2020), 'Targeted Therapies for Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease' (Current Medicinal Chemistry, 2019), and 'Rapamycin-Mediated Suppression of Renal Cyst Expansion in an Orthologous Polycystic Kidney Disease Model' (Human Molecular Genetics, 2012). With approximately 464 citations across 29 publications, her contributions influence therapeutic strategies for polycystic kidney diseases.