Rate My Professor Vanessa Lau

Dr. Vanessa Lau serves as a Senior Research Fellow in the Department of Pathology and Biomedical Science at the University of Otago, Christchurch, part of the Faculty of Medicine within the Health Sciences Division. She obtained her PhD from the University of Otago. As a prominent member of the MacKenzie Cancer Research Group, her research specializes in familial breast cancer genetics, focusing on the evaluation of BRCA1 and BRCA2 sequence variants that modulate isoform expression. This work aims to advance understanding of genetic factors contributing to breast cancer susceptibility and potential prevention strategies. She collaborates on postgraduate research opportunities in cancer genetics research, including cancer susceptibility and prevention, alongside colleagues such as Professor Logan Walker, Dr. George Wiggins, and Professor Bridget Robinson.

Dr. Lau has made significant contributions through numerous peer-reviewed publications. Key works include: Stylianou et al. (2024), 'Germline copy number variants and endometrial cancer risk,' Human Genetics, 143, 1481-1498; Lau et al. (2023), 'Evolution of sentinel lymph node biopsy for breast cancer patients in a rural setting: 10 years' experience,' New Zealand Medical Journal/Te ara tika o te hauora hapori, 136(1575), 42-49; Lattimore et al. (2021), 'Under-ascertainment of breast cancer susceptibility gene carriers in a cohort of New Zealand female breast cancer patients,' Breast Cancer Research & Treatment, 185, 583-590; Lattimore et al. (2020), 'Potential under-ascertainment of New Zealand women at high-risk of breast cancer in clinical care,' Proceedings of the Genetics Otago (GO) Zoom Symposium; and Walker et al. (2019), 'Comprehensive assessment of BARD1 messenger ribonucleic acid splicing with implications for variant classification,' Frontiers in Genetics, 10, 1139. She acts as Chief Investigator on Health Research Council-funded projects and has secured grants from the Cancer Research Trust New Zealand totaling $67,518 for research on breast cancer, ovarian cancer, and cancer genetics. Her affiliations include Genetics Otago and the Maurice Wilkins Centre as an affiliate investigator.