Lionel Bercovitch, MD

Scientific and Medical Chair, PXE International
Clinical Professor of Dermatology, Brown Medical School, Providence, RI

Dr. Lionel Bercovitch, the founding medical director of PXE International, is uniquely qualified as an advocate, clinician, and researcher for PXE. He became intensely involved in PXE following his diagnosis of Elizabeth and Ian Terry with the disorder in 1994. Over the last 15 years, he has authored many papers on PXE, examined hundreds of people affected by PXE, and given much of his spare time to research on the condition. He does comprehensive clinical evaluations of PXEers, is actively involved in many clinical research projects and is a clinical resource for healthcare professionals and lay, alike.

Dr. Bercovitch is Clinical Professor of Dermatology at Brown Medical School, Providence, RI where he is a full-time pediatric dermatologist at Hasbro Children's Hospital and Rhode Island Hospital. He is also a Dermatologist at Brown University Health Service, Director of the Brown Contact Dermatitis and Occupational Dermatology Unit, and faculty leader of an innovative seminar course in biomedical ethics in the Department of Dermatology.

He is a graduate of the University of Manitoba Medical School in Canada, is board certified (US) in Dermatology, Pediatric Dermatology and Internal Medicine, and is a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Canada in Ophthalmology.

Webinars

• "Women's Health Issues in PXE" (April 2011)
• "General Overview of PXE, Parts I and II" (March/April 2009)

Presentations at the 2010 Biennial Conference and Prior 

• "Plenary Address"
• "Women's Issues in PXE"
• "General Q & A"

Areas of Interest

Genetics of PXE, PXE and the Metabolism, Clinical Manifestations, Epidemiology of PXE, Clinical Trials

Publications

Wang AR, Fonder MA, Telang GH, Bercovitch L, Robinson-Bostom L. Late-onset focal dermal elastosis: An uncommon mimicker of pseudoxanthoma elasticum. Journal of Cutaneous Pathology. 2012 Oct;39(10):957-61.

Uitto J, Bercovitch L, Terry SF, Terry PF. Pseudoxanthoma elasticum: Progress in diagnostics and research towards treatment: Summary of the 2010 PXE International Research Meeting. Am J Med Genet A. 2011 Jul;155(7):1517-26. Patient summary. Free article in PubMed

L. Bercovitch, L. Martin, N. Chassaing, T.W. Heffron, D. Bessis, O. Vanakker, S.F. Terry. Acquired pseudoxanthoma elasticum presenting after liver transplantation. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2011 May;64(5):873-8. Free article in PubMed.

Ramsay M, Greenberg T, Lombard Z, Labrum R, Lubbe S, Aron S, Marais AS, Terry S, Bercovitch L, Viljoen D: Spectrum of genetic variation at the ABCC6 locus in South Africans: Pseudoxanthoma elasticum patients and healthy individuals. J Dermatol Sci. 2009 Jun;(54)3:198-204.

Garcia-Fernandez MI, Gheduzzi D, Boraldi F, Paolinelli CD, Sanchez P, Valdivielso P, Morilla MJ, Quaglino D, Guerra D, Casolari S, Bercovitch L, Pasquali-Ronchetti I. Parameters of oxidative stress are present in the circulation of PXE patients. Biochim Biophys Acta. 2008 Jul-Aug;1782(7-8):474-81.

Vanakker OM, Leroy BP, Coucke P, Bercovitch LG, Uitto J, Viljoen D, Terry SF, Van Acker P, Matthys D, Loeys B, De Paepe A. Novel clinico-molecular insights in pseudoxanthoma elasticum provide an efficient molecular screening method and a comprehensive diagnostic flowchart. Hum Mutat. 2008 Jan;29(1):205. Free article at Journal Website

Pfendner EG, Vanakker OM, Terry SF, Vourthis S, McAndrew PE, McClain MR, Fratta S, Marais AS, Hariri S, Coucke PJ, Ramsay M, Viljoen D, Terry PF, De Paepe A, Uitto J, Bercovitch LG. Mutation detection in the ABCC6 gene and genotype-phenotype analysis in a large international case series affected by pseudoxanthoma elasticum. J Med Genet. 2007 Oct;44(10):621-8. Free article in PubMed, Patient Summary

Shi Y, Terry SF, Terry PF, Bercovitch LG, Gerard GF. Development of a rapid, reliable genetic test for pseudoxanthoma elasticum. J Mol Diagn. 2007 Feb;9(1):105-12. Free article in PubMed

Terry SF, Terry PF, Rauen KA, Uitto J, Bercovitch LG. Advocacy groups as research organizations: the PXE International example. Nat Rev Genet. 2007 Feb;8(2):157-64.

Bercovitch RS, Januario JA, Terry SF, Boekelheide K, Podis AD, Dupuy DE, Bercovitch LG. Testicular microlithiasis in association with pseudoxanthoma elasticum. Radiology. 2005 Nov;237(2):550-4. Free article at journal website. Patient Summary, Poster: Testicular Microlithiasis in PXE

Bercovitch L, Leroux T, Terry S, Weinstock MA. Pregnancy and obstetrical outcomes in pseudoxanthoma elasticum. Br J Dermatol. 2004 Nov;151(5):1011-8. Journal article, Patient Summary

Gheduzzi D, Sammarco R, Quaglino D, Bercovitch L, Terry S, Taylor W, Ronchetti IP. Extracutaneous ultrastructural alterations in pseudoxanthoma elasticum. Ultrastruct Pathol. 2003 Nov-Dec;27(6):375-84.

Bercovitch L, Robinson-Bostom L, Terry SF, Pasquali-Ronchetti I, Harrist T. Re: yellowish papules on flexural areas in a child. Pediatr Dermatol. 2003 Nov-Dec;20(6):543-5; author reply 545. PMID: 14651582

Lebwohl M, Lebwohl E, Bercovitch L. Prominent mental (chin) crease: a new sign of pseudoxanthoma elasticum. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2003 Apr;48(4):620-2. Patient Summary

Bercovitch L, Schepps B, Koelliker S, Magro C, Terry S, Lebwohl M. Mammographic findings in pseudoxanthoma elasticum. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2003 Mar;48(3):359-66. Patient Summary

Le Saux O, Beck K, Sachsinger C, Treiber C, Göring HH, Curry K, Johnson EW, Bercovitch L, Marais AS, Terry SF, Viljoen DL, Boyd CD. Evidence for a founder effect for pseudoxanthoma elasticum in the Afrikaner population of South Africa. Hum Genet. 2002 Oct;111(4-5):331-8.

Sherer DW, Bercovitch L, Lebwohl M. Pseudoxanthoma elasticum: significance of limited phenotypic expression in parents of affected offspring. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2001 Mar;44(3):534-7.

Le Saux O, Beck K, Sachsinger C, Silvestri C, Treiber C, Göring HH, Johnson EW, De Paepe A, Pope FM, Pasquali-Ronchetti I, Bercovitch L, Marais AS, Viljoen DL, Terry SF, Boyd CD. A spectrum of ABCC6 mutations is responsible for pseudoxanthoma elasticum. Am J Hum Genet. 2001 Oct;69(4):749-64. Free article in PubMed

Gheduzzi D, Taparelli F, Quaglino D Jr, Di Rico C, Bercovitch L, Terry S, Singer DB, Pasquali-Ronchetti I. The placenta in pseudoxanthoma elasticum: clinical, structural and immunochemical study. Placenta. 2001 Jul;22(6):580-90. Download the PDF of this article

Terry SF, Bercovitch L, Boyd C (June 2001) Pseudoxanthoma elasticum (PXE). In: GeneClinics: Clinical Genetic Information Resource [database online]. Copyright, University of Washington, Seattle. Available at http://www.geneclinics.org. PMID: 20301292

Le Saux O, Urban Z, Tschuch C, Csiszar K, Bacchelli B, Quaglino D, Pasquali-Ronchetti I, Pope FM, Richards A, Terry S, Bercovitch L, de Paepe A, Boyd CD. Mutations in a gene encoding an ABC transporter cause pseudoxanthoma elasticum. Nat Genet. 2000 Jun;25(2):223-7.

Le Saux O, Urban Z, Göring HH, Csiszar K, Pope FM, Richards A, Pasquali-Ronchetti I, Terry S, Bercovitch L, Lebwohl MG, Breuning M, van den Berg P, Kornet L, Doggett N, Ott J, de Jong PT, Bergen AA, Boyd CD. Pseudoxanthoma elasticum maps to an 820-kb region of the p13.1 region of chromosome 16. Genomics. 1999 Nov 15;62(1):1-10. PMID: 10585762