Sergi Clotet-Freixas
Assistant Professor, Medicine

Dr. Sergi Clotet-Freixas has been appointed Assistant Professor in the Department of Medicine, Division of Nephrology, effective August 1st, 2023.

Dr. Clotet-Freixas is a scientist with training in nephrology and diabetes research who is passionate about the study of cell metabolism and biological sex differences. Dr. Clotet-Freixas completed a PhD in basic nephrology at Universitat Autònoma of Barcelona. His PhD work uncovered a novel link between androgens and the metabolism of human kidney cells. Following his PhD, Dr. Clotet-Freixas became a postdoctoral researcher at the University Health Network of Toronto, where he gained expertise in proteomics methods and in the metabolic profiling of animal and clinical specimens.

Dr. Clotet-Freixas aims to deepen the understanding of biological differences between male and female kidney cells and tissue, thus guiding the development of more personalized therapies for kidney diseases. He has a special interest in the crosstalk between metabolism and epigenetics, and his research has two primary focus areas: (1) understanding the mechanisms mediating progression of diabetic kidney disease in males and females; and (2) understanding the mechanisms of acute kidney injury leading to allograft rejection in male and female kidney transplant recipients.

Clotet-Freixas’ laboratory will couple ‘omics’ methods with cell biology and biochemistry approaches to identify novel injury mechanisms and therapeutic targets. Dr. Clotet-Freixas is always open to new collaborative initiatives that enhance our ability to understand the impact of sex in a broader range of diseases. The lab is currently seeking master’s thesis students with interest in the molecular study of sex differences in the kidney. Interested students and potential collaborators can reach out to him directly at clotetfs@mcmaster.ca.