Ignatia B. Van den Veyver, MD
- Maternal Fetal Medicine
Director for Prenatal Genetics, Maternal Fetal Medicine/Genetics, Texas Children's Pavilion for Women
Phone:
832-826-4636
Languages: English
Office location:
6620 Main St
Ste. 1450
Houston, TX 77030
Get to know Ignatia B. Van den Veyver, MD
As a physician-scientist, my research includes translational and basic research on the molecular genetics and epigenetics of human developmental and reproductive disorders with the ultimate goal of improving the diagnosis and treatment for these conditions. Integrating clinical research with experiments in cell lines and mouse models, my lab studies maternal effect gene mutations that cause a range of health issues from infertility to pregnancy loss with multi-locus imprinting abnormalities, including molar pregnancies, and offspring with an array of birth defects.
We also do genetic research towards finding the cause of Aicardi syndrome, a rare neurodevelopmental disorder in girls that affects development of eyes and brain, causing severe seizures, and intellectual and developmental disability.
My clinical role as Director of Prenatal and Reproductive Genetics gives a unique perspective on my translational research that focuses on exploring novel methods for reproductive and prenatal genetic screening and testing, and the complexities of their integration into preconception and prenatal and perinatal care. I participated in the development and early implementation of chromosomal microarray analysis (CMA) for prenatal diagnosis and in the earliest studies on exome sequencing for prenatal diagnosis. I now serve as a co-PI on the large multicenter PrenatalSEQ study that evaluates different aspects of whole genome sequencing for prenatal diagnosis, including detection rates, outcomes, and psychosocial impacts of obtaining a genetic diagnosis using this new test. We are also studying new approaches for non-invasive screening for fetal chromosomal and single gene disorders, including development and validation of methods for non-invasive prenatal diagnosis using circulating fetal cells, cell-free DNA and other non-invasive markers of fetal health.
As an active translational research educator, I am passionate about mentoring the research of postdoctoral researchers, clinical fellows, junior faculty and graduate students. After being co-director for more than 10 years of a graduate program in translational research, I launched a new Clinical Translational Research Certificate of Added Qualification (CTR-CAQ) program that aims to integrate translational research training into the graduate school curriculum and is funded in part by a Ruth L. Kirschstein Institutional National Research Service Award (T32).
My roles as researcher, clinician and educator positively impact my leadership in the field of prenatal genetics. I served as president of the International Society for Prenatal Diagnosis (2016-2018), and I am currently an associate editor of Prenatal Diagnosis, and co-chair of the ClinGen Prenatal Gene Curation Expert Panel, focused on better understanding the gene variants impacting non-immune hydrops, other severe prenatal conditions, and stillbirth.
Education
School | Education | Degree | Year |
---|---|---|---|
University Institute of Antwerp | Medical School | Doctor of Medicine | 1986 |
University Institute of Antwerp | Residency | Obstetrics & Gynecology | 1990 |
University of Pretoria | Residency | Obstetrics & Gynecology | 1991 |
Baylor College of Medicine | Fellowship | Maternal Fetal Medicine | 1993 |
Baylor College of Medicine | Fellowship | Genetics | 1996 |
Organizations
Organization Name | Role |
---|---|
American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecology | Member |
American Society of Human Genetics | Member |
International Society for Prenatal Diagnosis | President 2016-2018 |
Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine | Member |
American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics | Fellow |
* Texas Children’s Hospital physicians’ licenses and credentials are reviewed prior to practicing at any of our facilities. Sections titled From the Doctor, Professional Organizations and Publications were provided by the physician’s office and were not verified by Texas Children’s Hospital.
Zemet R, Krispin E, Johnson RM, Kumar NR, Westerfield LE, Stover S, Mann DG, Castillo J, Castillo HA, Nassr AA, Sanz Cortes M, Donepudi R, Espinoza J, Whitehead WE, Belfort MA, Shamshirsaz AA, Van den Veyver IB. Implication of chromosomal microarray analysis prior to in-utero repair of fetal open neural tube defect. Ultrasound Obstet Gynecol. 2023 Jun;61(6):719-727. doi:10.1002/uog.26152. PMID: 36610024; PMCID: PMC10238557.
Anvar Z, Chakchouk I, Sharif M, Mahadevan S, Nasiotis ET, Su L, Liu Z, Wan YW, Van den Veyver IB. Loss of the Maternal Effect Gene Nlrp2 Alters the Transcriptome of Ovulated Mouse Oocytes and Impacts Expression of Histone Demethylase KDM1B. Reprod Sci. 2023 Sep;30(9):2780-2793. doi: 10.1007/s43032-023-01218-8. Epub 2023 Mar 28. PMID: 36976514; PMCID: PMC10524210.
Madala D, Maktabi MA, Sabbagh R, Erfani H, Moon A, Van den Veyver IB. Lower fetal fraction in clinical cell-free DNA screening results is associated with increased risk of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. Prenat Diagn. 2022Sep;42(10):1253-1261. doi: 10.1002/pd.6221. Epub 2022 Aug 22. PMID: 35943975; PMCID: PMC9655187.
Crovetti B, Maktabi MA, Erfani H, Panchalee T, Wang Q, Vossaert L, Van den Veyver I. Circulating trophoblast numbers as a potential marker for pregnancy complications. Prenat Diagn. 2022 Aug;42(9):1182-1189. doi: 10.1002/pd.6202.Epub 2022 Jul 2. PMID: 35765264; PMCID: PMC9710861.
Van den Veyver IB. Prenatal exomes and genomes - so much new and so much more to learn. Prenat Diagn. 2022 May;42(6):659-661. doi: 10.1002/pd.6152. PMID:35583086.