Past Coordinator

Prof. Dr. Karen Sermon

Department of Embryology and Genetics

Vrije Universiteit Brussel

Laarbeeklaan 101

1090 Brussels

Tel 32 2 477 60 73

Fax 32 2 477 68 60

Email Karen.sermon@uzbrussel.be

Born February 1, 1964 in Halle, Belgium

Formal education  

• High school: Scientific B (VSO), Royal Atheneum Halle.

• University Training:

1. Title of the thesis: "Karakterisering van een complementair DNA voor pyruvaat dehydrogenase E1 en vergelijking met de menselijke clone voor PDH-E1." ("Characterization of a complementary DNA for pyruvate dehydrogenase E1and comparison with the human clone for PDH- E1") Dutch-speaking Brussels Free University,1988, Great Distinction.

2. Master Degree in Medical and Pharmaceutical Research. Title of the thesis: "-N-acetylhexosaminidase activity in mouse oocytes and preimplantation embryos." Dutch-speaking Brussels Free University, 1991.

3. Doctor in Medical Sciences Title of the thesis: "Preimplantation genetics and diagnosis of Tay-Sachs disease." Dutch-speaking Brussels Free University, 30 January 1996

Current career

Oktober '88- September '91: Assistant at the Centre for Medical Genetics, Dutch-speaking Brussels Free University.

September '91- January '96: Assistant at the department of Reproductive Biology, Dutch-speaking Brussels Free University.

Januari '96 - September 97: Postdoc researcher (NFWO) at the Centre for Medical Genetics, Dutch-speaking Brussels Free University.

September 97-October 2006: Postdoctoral fellow of the Fund for Scientific Research Flanders at the Centre for Medical Genetics, Dutch-speaking Brussels Free University.

September 2003-July 2004: Guest professor at the Brussels Free University (Vrije Universiteit Brussel-VUB) in the Masters Programme for Medical Research, course in human embryonic stem cells.

July 2004-currently: Professor at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel-VUB in Human and experimental genetics, embryology and developmental biology.

Research interests

Preimplantation genetic diagnosis for monogenic diseases

Derivation of human embryonic stem cell (HESC) lines carrying monogenic diseases

Study of the behaviour of dynamic mutations (myotonic dystrophy, Huntington’s disease, fragile X syndrome) in gametes, embryos and hESC

Professional activities 

Chair of the ESHRE PGD Consortium 1999-2007

Deputy of the ESHRE SIG Reproductive Genetics 1999-2005

Co-ordinator of the ESHRE SIG Reproductive Genetics 2005-currently

Editor of Prenatal Diagnosis Reviewer for Molecular Human Reproduction and Human Reproduction

Member of ESHRE, European Society of Human Genetics (ESHG), member of the PGD International Society (PGDIS)

Publications

As first author: 19 publications between 1990 and 2006

As last author: 6 publications between 1990 and 2006

As co-author: 31 publications

Presentations at international conferences

As first author: 42

Awards

Price Dr. José Daels from the Royal Academy for Medicine of Belgium, 2005.