A.P. (Sasha) Zhernakova, MD, was awarded her PhD cum laude on 3 Dec 2009
Thesis entitled: The autoimmune puzzle – shared and specific genetics of immune-related diseases
Supervisor: Prof. Cisca Wijmenga
Copies of the thesis can be requested from the secretariat and in June 2010 it will be available via the Igitur website.
She has worked on the genetic aspects of coeliac disease for several years in the Complex Genetics team and extended her interests to other autoimmune diseases. She collaborated closely with the Dept. of Genetics, UMC Groningen, for this research. She will take up a post-doctoral fellowship at the Dept. of Rheumatology, LUMC, Leiden, on 1 Jan 2010.
She has published more than 30 papers since 2003. See papers in PubMed by A Zhernakova
Lodewijk Sandkuijl Award for best presentation at ESHG, Vienna, Austria:
The common and specific genetic backgrounds of rheumatoid arthritis and celiac disease. 26 May 2009.
Education
Medical study (MD) and certified paediatrician. St. Petersburg State Academy of Paediatrics, 1995, with honours.
Professional Development
• Introduction to Next-Generation Sequencing, technologies and data analysis. Leiden University Medical Centre, the Netherlands, March 2009
• Advances in Genome-Wide Association Studies (five-day course on analysis of genome-wide association studies). Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, the Netherlands, March 2008
• Medical Genetics and Hereditary Diseases course, Post-Graduate Medical Academy, Department of Medical Genetics, St. Petersburg, Russia, 1998.
• Paediatrics course, Post-Graduate Medical Academy, Department of Paediatrics, St. Petersburg, Russia, 1997-1998.
Employment History
From 1 Jan 2010: Post-doc in the Dept. of Rheumatology, LUMC, Leiden
August 2005 – present: PhD student in the Complex Genetics Group, Department of Biomedical Genetics, University Medical Centre Utrecht, the Netherlands
March 2002 – July 2005: Research analyst, Laboratory of Molecular Genetics, Department of Medical Genetics, University Medical Centre Utrecht, the Netherlands
March – September 2000: Research analyst, Laboratory of Molecular Genetics, Department of Medical Genetics, University Medical Centre Utrecht, the Netherlands
October 1998 - January 2000: Consultant Paediatrician in Medical Genetics, St. Petersburg Centre of Medical Genetics, St. Petersburg, Russia
Lectures (given)
Zhernakova, A.P., Coenen, M.J.H., Trynka, G., Heskamp, S., Franke, B., Diemen, C.C. van, Leeuwen, M van, Heel, D.A. van, Radstake, T.R.D.J., Riel, P.L.C.M. van, Barrera, P. & Wijmenga, C. (2009, May 26). The common and specific genetic backgrounds of rheumatoid arthritis and celiac disease. Vienna, European Human Genetics Conference.
Zhernakova, A.P. (2009, May 25). New GWAS versus extensive replication. ESHG Workshop on "To GWAS or not to GWAS – how to spend your money wisely": Vienna.
Zhernakova, A.P. (2009, May 23). Identification of the shared genetics of immune-related diseases. Human Genome Variation Society Meeting on “Genome-Wide Association Studies: the last mile problem”, Vienna.
Zhernakova, A.P., van Diemen, C.C., Wijmenga, C. (2009, April 24). From shared genetics to shared pathogenesis of immune-related diseases. Veldhoven, NVHG 60th jubilee meeting.
Zhernakova, A.P. (2009, April 7). Genetic make-up of coeliacs. Amsterdam, 13th International Coeliac Disease Symposium, invited speaker to clinical forum.
Zhernakova, A.P. (2009, February 19). HLA и другие гены целиакии, от науки к практике (given in Russian) [HLA and other celiac genes – from science to clinical practice]. Center of Medical Genetics, St. Petersburg, Russia, Seminar.
Zhernakova, A.P. (2009, February 14). Генетика целиакии и других воспалительных заболеваний желудочно-кишечного тракта (given in Russian) [Genetics of celiac disease and other intestinal inflammatory disorders]. Laboratory of Molecular Genetics, Institute of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, St. Petersburg, Russia, Seminar.
Zhernakova, A.P. (2008, June 9). What's new in the genetics of celiac disease. Boston, USA, FOCiS meeting.
Zhernakova, A.P., Hunt, K.A., Turner, G., Franke, L.H., Heap, G.A., Romanos, J., Takeuchi, F., Trynka, G., Mulder, C.J.J., Wapenaar, M.C., Deloukas, P., McGinnis, R., McManus, R., Heel, D.A. van & Wijmenga, C. (2008, June 2). Genome-wide association study and follow-up: identification of novel coeliac disease determinants related to the immune response. Barcelona, ESHG Conference 2008.
Zhernakova, A.P. (2008, May 5). Genetics of intestinal inflammatory disorders - from candidate gene studies to whole genome association analyses. Instituto de Parasitologia y Biomedicina "Lopez-Neyra", Granada, Spain, Seminar.
Zhernakova, A.P. (2008, March 13). Genome-wide association study in coeliac disease: identification of novel genetic risk loci (in Dutch). Veldhoven, NVGE Spring Congress.
Lectures (cooperated)
Hunt, K.A., Franke, L.H., William, R.G., Zhernakova, A.P., Inouye, M., McLaren, W., McManus, R., McGinnis, R., Cardon, L.R., Deloukas, P., Wijmenga, C. & Heel, D.A. van (2007, October 25). Large scale replication of a genome-wide association study in celiac disease. San Diego, California, ASHG 57th Annual Meeting.
Posters presented at meetings
Festen, E.A., van Diemen, C.C. van, de Jonge, G., Zhernakova, A., Trynka, G., Weersma, R,K., Wijmenga, C. Shared genetics of celiac disease, Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis (2009). 13th International Celiac Disease Symposium (2009, April 6-8).
Zhernakova, A., Coenen, M., Trynka, G., van Diemen, C.C., et al. Shared and specific genetic backgrounds for rheumatoid arthritis and coeliac disease (2009). 13th International Celiac Disease Symposium (2009, April 6-8).
Zhernakova, A., Trynka, G., Romanos, J., Franke, L. et al Extensive follow-up of genome-wide association study in celiac disease implicates two novel genes involved in NF-kB signaling: TNFAIP3 and REL (2009). 13th International Celiac Disease Symposium (2009, April 6-8).
Zhernakova, A., G. Trynka, J. Romanos, K.A. Hunt, G. Turner, L. Franke, C.C. van Diemen, M. Bruinenberg, B. Donatella, R. McManus, D.A. van Heel, C. Wijmenga. (2008) Follow up of the genome-wide association study in celiac disease – identification of two novel shared immune loci. American Society of Human Genetics, October 2008
Other
I am married with three children (two sons born in 1993 and 1995, and a daughter born in 2001). I enjoy travelling, skiing and climbing. I am interested in early-learning techniques for young children and play the violin in an orchestra.
Contact
Email, tel. 088-756-8790 / 8427