Dr Pia Ostergaard

As a Daphne Jackson Fellow I have been supported in making a career change after a career break. The most important part of the programme is the provision of training in the new field, combined with a research project. Being a Daphne Jackson Fellow has enabled me to move from zoology to human genetics.

The research I am involved in is directed at understanding the genetic basis of inherited, primary lymphoedema because that will help us understand more about the disorder. My research is based on the strong collaboration at St. George’s between clinical and basic science.

Some of the more common forms of primary lymphoedema (i.e. Milroy Disease, Lymphoedema Distichiasis and Meige) have been clinically delineated. However, there is currently very little information on the clinical subtypes of lymphatic dysplasia (patients presenting with more extensive primary lymphoedema with systemic involvement included). The projects that I am involved in at the moment include mapping and identifying genes for some of these rarer cases of lymphoedema using linkage analysis.

Research career to date

2005 - Postdoctoral Researcher, Medical Genetics, Clinical Developmental Sciences, St. George's, University of London.

2005 - 2007 Daphne Jackson Fellow, Medical Genetics, Clinical Developmental Sciences, St. George's, University of London.

1998 - 1999 Junior Scientific Assistant, Phuket Marine Biological Center, Phuket, Thailand. Employed by University of Copenhagen & The Danish Institute of Fisheries Research on a Danish government funded project.

1992 - 1995 Technical Assistant. The Danish Institute of Fisheries Research, Charlottenlund, Denmark.

Qualifications

1999 - 2004 Ph.d. Parasitology, The Natural History Museum, and Imperial College, London. Thesis: The Family Chondracanthidae (Crustacea, Copepoda): Anatomy, Morphology and Phylogeny.

1994 - 1996 M.Sc. Biology, University of Copenhagen, Denmark.
Thesis: An anatomical and ecological study of an endoparasitic copepod Parachordeumium amphiurae living in a brittlestar.

1991 - 1994 B.Sc. Biology, University of Copenhagen, Denmark.

Recent Publications

Kumar S, Carver C, McCall S, Brice G, Ostergaard P, Mortimer P, Jeffery S, and the Lymphoedema Consortium (2007). A family with lymphoedema — distichiasis where identical twins have a discordant phenotype. Clinical Genetics, 71: 285-287.

Carver C, Brice G, Mansour S, Ostergaard P, Mortimer P, Jeffery S, & the Lymphoedema Consortium (2007). Three Children with Milroy Disease and de novo mutations in VEGFR3. Clinical Genetics, 71: 187-189.