Gert Matthijs

Gert MATTHIJS, PhD (°1963) is a molecular geneticist and the Head of the Laboratory for Molecular Diagnostics at the Center for Human Genetics in Leuven, Belgium. The Center is the largest genetic department in Belgium, and the DNA laboratory is analysing more than 6000 samples per year. The laboratory is offering molecular tests for the many inherited diseases, including some rare diseases, and for familial cancer syndromes. Gert Matthijs is a professor at the Faculty of Medicine. His research is in the field of Congenital Disorders of Glycosylation (CDG), an emerging group of rare inborn errors of metabolism. At the national level, Gert Matthijs has been a thriving force for a revision of the reimbursement system for genetic tests. He is also actively involved in the European opposition procedure against the patents on BRCA1 and BRCA2. He is a Board Member of the European Society of Human Genetics (ESHG).