Professor Angela Xuereb Anastasi, B.Sc., M.Sc., Ph.D.
Professor Angela Xuereb Anastasi graduated B.Sc. in Biology and Chemistry from
the University of Malta and then proceeded to read for a Masters degree in
Biochemistry. Subsequently, she undertook research studies which led to the award of
a Ph.D.
Before taking up her position as Coordinator of the Division of Medical Laboratory
Science at the Institute of Health Care (IHC) in 1995, Professor Xuereb Anastasi
spent 15 years in the UK where she held various positions at universities and research
institutes in Cambridge, London and Exeter. At the time of her IHC appointment, the
Division of Medical Laboratory Science was still in its infancy. Under her leadership,
the Division developed and culminated in the degree receiving accreditation by the
Institute of Biomedical Science, UK, in 2001, which has been retained ever since.
Over the years, there have been over 180 graduates in Medical Laboratory Science.
The Division, now the Department of Applied Biomedical Science within the new
Faculty of Health Sciences, currently has 4 full-time academic members of staff, with
another 10 part-time members.
Professor Xuereb Anastasi lectures in Biochemistry and Research Methods. She is
responsible for the running of a DNA Research Laboratory, where she supervises
projects at both undergraduate and postgraduate level. Her research interests concern
mainly the Genetics of Complex Diseases, in particular the Genetics of Osteoporosis.
Professor Xuereb Anastasi’s work has been extensively published, with about 40
articles appearing in international peer-reviewed journals and several chapters in
books. She has presented her research findings at many international conferences,
which have also been published as refereed proceedings.
Professor Xuereb Anastasi became the first elected Dean of the new Faculty of Health
Sciences in July 2010 and occupies this office to date. Over the years, she has held
several administrative positions within the University and apart from Senate, also sits
on a number of Senate and Joint Senate and Council Committees. Since 2007,
Professor Xuereb Anastasi has held the post of Rector’s Delegate for Research Policy.
She has also been appointed as an Expert Evaluator for the EU for FP7 and Erasmus
Mundus programmes.
Selected Publications
Vidal, C., Formosa, R. & Xuereb-Anastasi, A.:
Functional polymorphisms within the TNFRSF11B (osteoprotegerin) gene increase
the risk for low bone mineral density. Journal of Molecular Endocrinology, 47, 327 –
333 (2011).
Vidal, C. and Xuereb-Anastasi, A:
(2011) Family Based Studies in Complex Disorders: The Use of Bioinformatics
Software for Data Analysis in Studies on Osteoporosis, Selected Works in
Bioinformatics, Xuhua Xia (Ed.), ISBN: 978-953-307-281-4, InTech, Available
from:http://www.intechopen.com/articles/show/title/family-based-studies-in-complexdisorders-the-use-of-bioinformatics-software-for-data-analysis-in-st
Vidal, C. and Xuereb-Anastasi, A:
The Genetics of Osteoporosis in the Maltese Population: A Review. Malta Medical Journal,
21 (4), 6 – 10 (2009).
Vidal, C., Cachia, A. & Xuereb-Anastasi, A.:
Effects of a synonymous variant in exon 9 of the CD44 gene on pre-mRNA splicing in a
family with osteoporosis. Bone, 45, 736 - 742 (2009).
Vidal, C. and Xuereb-Anastasi, A.:
Frequency of the CCR5- delta32 polymorphism in the Maltese population at birth.
International Journal of Immunogenetics, 36, 301 - 304 (2009).
Xuereb-Anastasi, A. and Vidal, C.:
The vitamin D receptor gene and osteoporosis. Clinical Dermatology, Retinoids and Other
Treatments 23, 18 - 21 (2007).
Vidal, C., Galea, R., Brincat, M. & Xuereb Anastasi, A.:
Linkage to a region on chromosome 11p12 in two Maltese families with severe osteoporosis.
European Journal of Human Genetics 15, 800 - 809 (2007).
Vidal C., Brincat, M.P. & Xuereb Anastasi A.:
Effect of SNPs in the COL1A1 and MTHFR genes on BMD in postmenopausal women in
Malta. Balkan Journal of Medical Genetics 10, 9 - 18 (2007).
Vidal, C., Brincat, M. & Xuereb Anastasi, A.:
Osteoprotegerin (TNFRSF11B) gene variants increase the risk for low bone mineral density
in postmenopausal women in Malta. Maturitas 53, 386 – 395 (2006).
Vidal, C., Grima, C., Brincat, M., Megally, N. & Xuereb Anastasi, A.:
Associations of polymorphisms in the vitamin D receptor gene (BsmI and FokI) with bone
mineral density in Maltese postmenopausal women. Osteoporosis International 14, 923 – 928
(2003).
Xuereb Anastasi A., Buhagiar A., Camilleri F., Cauchi M.N. & Mallia C.:
Pyridinium crosslinks excretion in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis. In Rheumaderm:
Current Issues in Rheumatology and Arthritis, (Eds. C.Mallia & J.Uitto), p 227-233, Kluwer
Academic/Plenum Publishers, New York (1999).
Brincat M., Galea R., Muscat Baron Y. & Xuereb Anastasi A.:
Changes in bone collagen markers and in bone density in hormone treated and untreated
postmenopausal women. Maturitas 27, 171-177 (1997).