Search Results - EGA European Genome-Phenome Archive

Inorganic Nitrite Delivery to Improve Exercise Capacity in Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction (INDIE-HFpEF): Heart Failure Network (HFN INDIE-Imaging)

Data Access NOTE: Please refer to the "Authorized Access" section below for information about how access to the data from this accession differs from many other dbGaP accessions. Objective: To determine the effect of inhaled, nebulized inorganic nitrite on exercise capacity in patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction.Background: Approximately half of patients with heart failure have a preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). However, there are no proven effective medical treatments for this syndrome. Evidence suggests that impairments in nitric oxide availability have a potentially important role in the pathophysiology of HFpEF.Unlike organic nitrates, inorganic nitrite is converted to nitric oxide in the presence of hypoxia and acidosis, conditions that develop during exercise. Because the cardiac, vascular, and skeletal muscle abnormalities that limit physical capacity and contribute to symptoms in patients with HFpEF characteristically develop during exercise, inorganic nitrite may provide the best way to target nitric oxide delivery precisely at the time of greatest need. The HFN-INDIE trial was initiated to test the hypothesis that compared to placebo, longer-term use of inhaled, nebulized inorganic nitrite would enhance peak exercise capacity in patients with HFpEF. Participants: A total of 105 participants were randomized. 53 were randomized to receive nitrite first and 52 were randomized to receive placebo first.Design: HFN-INDIE was a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study. After enrollment, patients underwent baseline studies to determine eligibility. All patients were required to display objective exercise limitation, evidenced by reduced peak oxygen consumption (V̇o2) on cardiopulmonary exercise testing of less than 75% predicted, with a respiratory exchange ratio indicative of maximal effort (≥1.0). Following qualifying exercise testing, eligible participants received an open-label, single-dose run-in of inhaled, nebulized sodium nitrite (80 mg) to assess tolerability, symptoms, and orthostatic vital signs. Patients developing hypotension (systolic blood pressure The prespecified primary end point was peak V̇o2, measured as the highest 30-second average during upright cycle ergometry, during the 4-week period in which patients were receiving inorganic nitrite as compared with placebo. Accelerometry, health-related quality-of-life scores on the self-administered Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire (score range, 0-100, with higher scores indicating better quality of life), echocardiographic indicators of cardiac filling pressures measured at trough drug levels (E/e′ ratio, estimated pulmonary artery systolic pressure, and left atrial volume index; lower scores indicate better health for all), ventilatory efficiency (VE/V̇co2, lower indicating better health), exercise time (higher indicating better health), and NT-proBNP levels (lower indicating better health) were also collected.Data Availability: Data available from this study includes transthoracic echocardiogram images from multiple timepoints. There are 199 echocardiographic exams available, totaling over 13,100 individual echocardiogram images. Conclusions: Among patients with HFpEF, administration of inhaled inorganic nitrite for 4 weeks, compared with placebo, did not result in significant improvement in exercise capacity.Reference: Borlaug et al., 2018, PMID: 30398602.

Study phs003804

Weighing Risks and Benefits of Laparoscopic Anti-Reflux Surgery in Patients With Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (WRAP-IPF-BioLINCC)

Data Access NOTE: Please refer to the "Authorized Access" section below for information about how access to the data from this accession differs from many other dbGaP accessions. Objectives: To determine if the reduction of abnormal gastro-esophageal reflux (GER) with laparoscopic anti-reflux surgery will slow the progression of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) as measured by forced vital capacity (FVC).Background: Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic progressive lung disease of unknown cause and increasing prevalence in the United States. Aside from lung transplantation, which approximately only 1% of participants will receive, there is no FDA-approved therapy. Abnormal acid gastro-esophageal reflux (GER) has been well described in participants with IPF and is thought to play a role in the progression of the disease. The several retrospective cohort studies that have assessed the association of anti-acid therapies for GER with clinical outcomes in IPF have had inconsistent results.Participants: A total of 58 participants were enrolled.Design: The WRAP-IPF trial was a multicenter, unblinded randomized clinical trial with participants randomized to either laparoscopic anti-reflux surgery or no surgery. Participants in the no-surgery group had the option of receiving laparoscopic anti-reflux surgery from 24 weeks after randomization if their clinician deemed it medically necessary. Medications for acid GER were allowed in both groups if the clinician felt it was necessary.Participants were followed up from time of randomization to 52 weeks. All participants had study visits at baseline, 12, 24, 36, and 48 weeks, during which spirometry, 6-min walk testing, and participant-related outcome assessments were done. Participants in the surgery group had clinical visits for preoperative evaluation, laparoscopic anti-reflux surgery, and postoperative management as clinically indicated. Surgery participants additionally underwent repeat 24-hour pH testing at 24 weeks to assess the efficacy of the surgery. All participants were contacted by telephone for safety assessments at weeks 4, 8, 16, 20, 28, 32, 40, 44, and 52. All participants completed an exploratory questionnaire on reflux symptoms at baseline and 48 weeks. The primary endpoint was change in FVC from randomization (baseline) to 48 weeks. Secondary endpoints included acute exacerbation, non-elective hospitalization (both all-cause and respiratory-related), death, change in cough severity, change in dyspnea severity, change in health-related quality of life, change in 6-min walk distance, and time to selected event-driven composite endpoints of disease progression. Conclusions: In participants with IPF and abnormal acid GER, laparoscopic anti-reflux surgery is safe and well tolerated but did not significantly slow the rate of FVC decline. Further research is needed, particularly with a larger study in order to achieve sufficient statistical power, regarding the possible benefits of anti-reflux surgery in this population.Raghu G, Pellegrini CA, Yow E, et al. Laparoscopic anti-reflux surgery for the treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (WRAP-IPF): a multicentre, randomised, controlled phase 2 trial. Reference: Raghu, et al., 2018; PMID: 30100404.

Study phs003968

NHLBI TOPMed - NHGRI CCDG: The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine Atrial Fibrillation Genetics Study

Atrial fibrillation (AF), the most common sustained cardiac arrhythmia, is the primary cause of many hospital admissions, and is associated with significant secondary morbidity by increasing the risk of stroke, heart failure, and all-cause mortality. The incidence of AF is on the rise, and it is projected that by the year 2050 more than 10 million patients will be affected by AF in the United States alone. Anti-arrhythmic medications have limited success in maintaining sinus rhythm, are associated with side effects, and appear ineffective at reducing mortality compared to a strategy of rate control and anticoagulation. Given the significant morbidity associated with this common arrhythmia, surgical and catheter ablation techniques have been developed to treat AF. However, despite the incorporation of various strategies for ablation, long-term recurrence rates of AF remain higher than 25 percent after ablation. Current techniques for catheter ablation of AF include pulmonary vein isolation and complex fractionated atrial electrogram (CFAE) ablation. However, the contribution of each strategy to long-term procedural success and the relative importance of each strategy for different patients remain unknown. Recent advances in cardiac imaging have allowed detailed analysis of left atrial myocardial anatomy. Parallel advances in molecular genetics have identified several candidate genes involved in familial and non-familial AF. However, the pathophysiology of AF generation and maintenance, and the potential contribution of such genetic or anatomic substrates for patient selection, and for target identification during catheter ablation have not yet been examined. Advances in molecular genetics and imaging, coupled with techniques for endocardial and epicardial mapping in the electrophysiology laboratory present an opportunity to significantly improve our understanding of (1) The relation of paroxysmal versus persistent AF with (a) structural left atrial changes (left/right atrial scar, wall thinning, pulmonary vein anomalies, and coronary sinus dilation) and with (b) candidate genetic variants. (2) The relation of candidate genetic variants with (a) structural left atrial changes and with (b) electrophysiologic properties (atrial effective refractory period (AERP) inhomogeneity, voltage abnormalities, trigger burden and location, C FAE extent and location), (3) The relation of structural left atrial changes with (a) CFAE location as targets for catheter ablation and with (b) reversible conduction block/myocardial injury after pulmonary vein isolation, and (4) Individualized endocardial targets for AF ablation based on candidate genes and anatomic substrates. The proposed study will improve our understanding of the underlying pathophysiology of AF, and may improve current techniques for treatment of this important arrhythmia.

Study phs001598

Lung Tissue Research Consortium (LTRC-BioLINCC)

Data Access NOTE: Please refer to the "Authorized Access" section below for information about how access to the data from this accession differs from many other dbGaP accessions. Biospecimens: Access to Biospecimens is through the NHLBI Biologic Specimen and Data Repository Information Coordinating Center (BioLINCC). Biospecimens from LTRC include DNA, Plasma, Serum, Tissue - FFPE Cassettes, Tissue – RNALater Frozen, and Tissue - Snap Frozen. Please note that use of biospecimens in genetic research is subject to a tiered consent. Objectives: The LTRC was a biobank resource established by the NHLBI to collect and distribute lung tissue, blood samples, clinical data, and radiographic studies from participants with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), other related idiopathic interstitial pneumonias (IIP) and interstitial pneumonias associated with connective tissue diseases who undergo medically-indicated lung resection. All tissue and blood specimens and clinical data were banked centrally and stored for distribution to external investigators who have approved study proposals to investigate the pathogenesis or management of lung diseases. The ultimate goal of this program was to enable research that illuminates the pathobiology of lung diseases and leads to novel interventional treatments for these conditions. Background: Chronic lung diseases are a main cause of death and disability in the United States. COPD affects over 14 million individuals in the United States and represents the third leading cause of mortality. Cigarette smoking is a major risk factor. However, only one of six individuals who smoke develops COPD. This could imply either an individual susceptibility or an additional immunologic or infectious injury to lung cells. Current treatments offer symptomatic relief, but do not prevent disease progression. Better understanding of disease pathogenesis, including the potential roles of lung parenchymal cell apoptosis, immunologic injury, and inflammation may lead to therapies that improve survival and quality of life. Interstitial pneumonias, including IPF and those associated with connective tissue disease, are less common than COPD, but for many of these diseases there are poor outcomes. For example, IPF has a 50% survival rate 2-3 years following diagnosis, and currently no treatment exists which prolongs survival. The prevalence of IPF is approximately 28 cases per 100,000. The underlying histology of IPF is usual interstitial pneumonia (UIP), which can also occur in connective tissue diseases. The incidences of other interstitial pneumonias such as non-specific interstitial pneumonia (NSIP) or acute interstitial pneumonia (AIP) are less frequent but also occur as an expression of interstitial lung disease in the connective tissue diseases. Moreover, there is significant crossover of these three interstitial pneumonias so that cases of IPF/UIP may also reveal fibrotic NSIP and be complicated by episodes of AIP. This implies common injuries but dissimilar histological responses. All of these processes are characterized by epithelial injury, uncontrolled fibroproliferation and the deposition of collagen, irrespective of the histology. It is clear that a better understanding of the genesis of the interstitial pneumonias is required before effective interventions can be developed. Participants: A total of 4,486 participants were enrolled, and lung tissue was obtained from 3,333 of these participants.Design: Written informed consent of each participant was required before any LTRC procedure was performed. Phenotypic data were then obtained that included recording of relevant medical information, a limited exposure history, radiological evaluation, and pulmonary physiological and lung function testing. Questionnaires were administered to determine the extent of symptoms, associated medical illnesses, smoking, environmental and occupational exposures, and quality of life. Laboratory testing included pulmonary function testing, a six-minute walk test, and chest x-ray CT. Blood specimens were collected both for defining the clinical phenotype of donors and to obtain serum, plasma, and DNA for later investigative purposes. At the time of surgery, lung tissues were collected and processed for long-term storage. The LTRC collected only the 'non-tumorous' portions of lung tissue from surgical procedures performed for primary or metastatic lung tumors and received those specimens only after the local pathologist had procured all tissue required for clinical care. Samples of appropriate size were cut and placed in formalin, RNAlater, glutaraldehyde, or liquid nitrogen within 30 minutes of excision (approximately 5% of cases exceeded this target time). Blood and tissue specimens were subsequently shipped to a central Tissue Repository for further processing and long-term storage. A Radiology Center provided quality control and quality assessment of CT data. A Data Coordinating Center managed study operations and maintained a repository of study data. Conclusions: LTRC established a biospecimen collection that is unique in its size, diseases included, standardization of methods, and extent of phenotypic data, serving as a valuable resource to facilitate research on the pathobiology of lung diseases.

Study phs003913

Rare Disease Susceptibility Variant Study in Children with Crohn's Disease and Their Parents Using Targeted Gene Sequencing.

We performed targeted, massively-parallel sequencing of 101 genes in 205 children with Crohn's disease, including 179 parent-child trios and 200 controls, both of European ancestry. We identified three genes with nominally significant p-values: NOD2, RTKN2, and MGAT3. Only NOD2 was significant after correcting for multiple comparisons. We identified eight novel rare variants in NOD2 that are likely disease-associated. Incorporation of rare variation and compound heterozygosity nominally increased the proportion of variance explained from 0.074 to 0.089. We estimated the population attributable risk and total heritability of variation in NOD2 to be 32.9% and 3.4%, respectively, with 3.7% and 0.25% accounted for by rare putatively functional variants. Sequencing probands (as opposed to genotyping) to identify rare variants and incorporating phase by sequencing parents can recover a portion of the missing heritability of Crohn's disease. (Reprinted from G3 2018;8(9): 2881-2888; PMID: 30166421. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ ), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.)

Study phs001751

A Study of the Genetic Causes of Complex Pediatric Disorders

The Center for Applied Genomics (CAG) at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) is a high-throughput, highly automated genotyping and sequencing facility equipped with state-of-the-art genotyping and sequencing platforms. Children who are treated at the Children's Hospital Healthcare Network and their parents may be eligible to take part in a major initiative to collect more than 100,000 blood samples, covering a wide range of pediatric diseases. A large majority of participants consenting to prospective genomic analyses also consent to analysis of their de-identified electronic medical records (EMRs). EMRs are longitudinal, with a mean duration of 6.5 years. CAG has committed to releasing genotype and phenotype data for 4000 individuals diagnosed with asthma, ADHD, atopic dermatitis, GERD (1000 for each), and 1000 individuals on the upper and lower ranges of Low-Density Lipoprotein (LDL) levels to dbGaP. We will also release genotype/phenotype of 3000 controls. Relevant phenotype data includes primary diagnoses (ICD9 codes), secondary diagnoses (ICD9 codes), medical procedures/tests conducted in relation to the phenotype, and a listing of relevant medications. Further details of CAG's research programs and capacity are available at: http://www.caglab.org

Study phs000490

Determination_of_cell_specific_regulatory_enhancers_in_hematopoetic_models

The BLUEPRINT project is a large-scale project investigating epigenetic mechanisms involved in blood formation, in health and disease. The human variation workpackage (WP10) of the project seeks to characterize the effect of common sequence variation on the epigenome status of a cell. To do this, the project will use highly purified blood cells to minimise “experimental noise” and therefore enhance the power to discover modest effects. Two peripheral blood cell types, the CD14+CD16- monocyte (an important central orchestrator of adaptive immunity and a bridge between innate and adaptive immunity) and the CD65+CD9- neutrophilic granulocyte (the frontline cell for innate immunity) have been selected for this purpose. The two types of cells will be obtained at high purity from adult blood (AB) of 200 healthy males and females, respectively. Cells will be purified by using already validated and fully operational protocols that are based on density gradient centrifugation of the buffy coat obtained from whole blood, followed by magnetic bead-based purification using monoclonal antibodies against Cluster of Differentiation (CD) lineage-specific cell surface markers. This data set contains functional genomics data for gene expression and chromatin state.

Study EGAS00001000586

The Ovarian Cancer Association Consortium OncoArray genome-wide association study

A custom Illumina genotyping array, the OncoArray. The array includes a genome-wide backbone, comprising 230,000 SNPs tagging most common genetic variants, together with dense mapping of known susceptibility regions, rare variants from sequencing experiments, pharmacogenetic markers, and cancer-related traits. A total of 494,763 SNPs passed quality control steps with a sample success rate of 97% of the samples. Participating sites performed ancestry analysis using a common set of markers and a scoring algorithm based on principal components analysis as described in PMID:27697780.The array was used to genotype ovarian cancer cases and controls from multiple studies participating in the Ovarian Cancer Association Consortium, of which 54,747 passes QC.An initial principal components analysis was carried out using a method described in PMID:27697780 to assign subject to intercontinental ancestry groups: “European”, “African”, “Asian” and "Other". Within ancestry principal components analysis was carried using a set of ~33k unlinked markers. Subsequent analyses were adjusted for the ancestry specific PCs: 9 Eur, 10 Asian, 1 African and 6 Mixed. These PCs are included in the imputed dataset phenotypes file

Study EGAS00001002305

Thymic epithelial transplantation for complete DiGeorge syndrome: RNA (2025-07-22)

Single cell transcriptomics study of thymic transplant biopsies Allogeneic thymus transplantation is the only curative therapy for complete DiGeorge Syndrome (cDGS), a rare severe primary immunodeficiency characterised by athymia. GOSH is one of only two centres worldwide to offer this treatment. Despite a lack of major histocompatibility complex (MHC)-matching between donor and host, transplanted thymus becomes repopulated by recipient bone marrow derived precursor cells and supports development of functional T-cells. The mechanisms underlying thymopoiesis in this context are poorly understood, but over time we observe reconstitution of T-cell immunity, with the ability to produce host naïve T-cells showing a broad T-cell receptor (TCR) repertoire and to generate MHC-restricted T-cell proliferative responses. Although lifesaving, the achieved immunological reconstitution is typically not complete with circulating T-cell numbers usually remaining below the age related normal ranges. Additionally, we observe persistence of donor-derived T-cells of unknown clinical significance. To gain more insight into the mechanisms by which MHC-mismatched transplanted thymus supports T-cell development with self-tolerance, as well as into the basis of suboptimal T-cell immunity, we now aim to investigate immune reconstitution after thymus transplantation in further detail by using single-cell transcriptomics, applied to thymic transplant biopsies and peripheral blood samples collected during standard post-transplant patient care. By identifying which lineages of host- derived cells repopulate the thymic tissue after transplantation, we will be able to address the role of MHC in positive and negative T-cell selection during T-cell differentiation. We will also be able to clarify the exact ontogeny of the persistent donor T-cells, as well as their possible role. Understanding the mechanisms of action of HLA-mismatched transplanted thymus will contribute to treatment optimisation. Additionally, our research provides a unique opportunity to further investigate key immunological concepts, such as tolerance and autoimmunity, challenging existing paradigms in thymus immunology. This data is part of a pre-publication release. For information on the proper use of pre-publication data shared by the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute (including details of any publication moratoria), please see http://www.sanger.ac.uk/datasharing/ . This dataset contains all the data available for this study on 2025-07-22.

Dataset EGAD00001015648

Data Quality Control

Data Quality Control High-throughput sequencing techniques have become the leading method to study, decode and discover the genomic origins of biological phenomenons. EGA provides a secure archival of such identifiable genomics data with the purpose of data-upcycling, i.e. to re-use these data for research. High-quality data standards are essential to ensure the quality and credibility of the research. Moreover, a quality check report can assure a researcher beforehand about the data that they will request access, therefore saving time and effort. The EGA has developed a File Quality Control Report (QC Report) to provide generic quality control reports for Fastq, SAM/BAM/CRAM, and VCF files deposited at EGA. This QC Report will allow users to get information regarding the files submitted within a specific dataset. The data requesters will obtain information such as the quality of reads, mapped reads, number of variants, and other features before starting the requesting process, which will save the efforts and time.Accessing file quality control reportsIn each dataset page, the user can explore the files that it contains by clicking the "files" tab. The Quality Control report of a file has two sections. The first one, contains general information about the file, such as the inferred assembly, total reads, the dataset or study where it comes from, etc. The second section contains plots that summarise interesting information about the file, for example, the base coverage distribution, base quality or mapped reads. The description of each plot is accessible by clicking the "i" button at the top-right corner of each plot box. Technical Description For analysing the fastq, SAM/BAM/CRAM and VCF files, the EGA applies a set of tools widely used in the bioinformatics community. FASTQ: FastQC, recognised as the gold standard tool by the community.Per base sequence quality, per sequence quality scores, per base sequence content, per sequence GC content, sequence duplication levels, etc.SAM/BAM/CRAM: samtools, also the gold standard, generates results plots useful to get an overall idea of the quality of the file.base coverage distribution, base quality, % of mapped reads, % of both mates mapped, singletons, duplicates, etc.VCF: vcftools and bcftools, combined with a custom script to infer the genome assembly.site frequency distribution, Ts/Tv, base changes, indel distribution, etc.

Documentation access/request-data/quality-control-reports

Molecular Genetic Studies of Developmental Brain Disorders

Study 1 2R01-NS050375 (PI: DOBYNS, William B.) The genetic basis of mid-hindbrain malformations Our general goal for this project is to advance our understanding of human developmental disorders that involve the brainstem and cerebellum - brain structures derived from the embryonic midbrain and hindbrain - that affect a minimum of 2.4 per 1000 resident births based on data from the CDC. Importantly, this large class of disorders co-occurs with more common developmental disorders such as autism, mental retardation and some forms of infantile epilepsy, and shares some of the same causes. With this renewal, we propose to expand the scope of our work beyond single phenotypes and genes to focus on delineating the critical phenotype spectra to which the most common MHM belong, and defining the underlying biological networks that are disrupted. To pursue these goals, we will use our large and growing cohort of human subjects to map additional MHM loci using SNP microarrays that provide both high-resolution autozygosity and linkage data in informative families as well as detect critical copy number variants in sporadic subjects. The causative genes will be identified using traditional Sanger or new high-throughput sequencing methods as appropriate abased on size of the critical region. We will use these and other known MHM causative genes to construct and revise model biological networks of genes and proteins, and test these genes and networks in additional patients as a candidate gene or more accurately a candidate network approach. These approaches need to be supported by ongoing active subject recruitment, as studies of comparable disorders such as mental retardation and autism have benefited from even larger numbers of subjects that we have so far collected. We need to use new high-throughput sequencing methods to more efficiently test larger critical regions, and to test entire gene networks rather than individual genes in matched cohorts of subjects. At every step; phenotype analysis, CNV analysis, model network construction and high-throughput sequencing, we will need expanded bioinformatics capabilities. Finally, we need to test the biological function of new genes and networks to support our gene identification studies. We expect that these studies will contribute immediately to more accurate diagnosis and counseling, and over time will lead to development of specific treatments for a subset of these disorders. We further expect that studies of mid-hindbrain development will have broad significance for human developmental disorders generally, providing compelling evidence for a connection between cerebellar development and other classes of developmental disorders such as autism, mental retardation and epilepsy. Study 2 R01-NS058721 (PI: DOBYNS, William B.) De novo copy number variation and gene discovery in human brain malformations Project Summary/Abstract The number of recognized brain malformations and syndromes has grown rapidly during the past several decades, yet relatively few causative genes have been identified, especially for three common malformations that have been associated with numerous cytogenetically visible chromosome deletions and duplications, and that often occur together: agenesis of the corpus callosum (ACC), cerebellar vermis hypoplasia (CVH) including Dandy-Walker malformation (DWM), and polymicrogyria (PMG). We propose to perform high-resolution array comparative genome hybridization (aCGH), emerging technology able to detect small copy number variants (CNV), in 700 probands with one or more of these three malformations. Our central hypothesis states that more than 10% of patients with ACC, CVH or PMG will have de novo CNV below the resolution of routine cytogenetic analysis, but detectable by current array platforms. We therefore expect to identify 70-100 patients with small CNV. We will distinguish CNV found in normal individuals from potentially disease-associated changes, and will confirm CNV using fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and microsatellite (STRP) analysis. We will give highest priority to CNV that are de novo and involve 2 or more BACs, and secondary priority to familial and smaller CNV excluding known polymorphisms. After that, we will evaluate and rank candidate genes in the critical regions using information from public databases and our own expression studies, and perform mutation analysis of the best candidate genes from well-defined critical regions by sequencing in a large panel of subjects with phenotypes that match the phenotypes of the patients whose CNV define the critical regions. Here, we will use more refined criteria to supplement our clinical classification, such as the developmental level and presence of epilepsy or other birth defects. Any abnormalities found will be analyzed using existing data regarding polymorphisms (i.e. dbSNP), cross-species comparisons, and functional assays appropriate for the specific sequence change. Study 2A In 1995, we described a novel multiple congenital anomaly syndrome associated with facial dysmorphism (congenital ptosis, high arched eyebrows, shallow orbits, trigonocephaly), colobomas of the eyes, neuronal migration malformation (frontal predominant lissencephaly) and variable hearing loss. We hypothesized from de novo mutations and used trio-based exome sequencing to identify de novo mutations in the ACTB and ACTG1 genes. Study 2B In 1997 and 2004, we and others defined two novel developmental syndromes associated with markedly enlarged brain size, or megalencephaly, and other highly recognizable features. The megalencephaly-capillary malformation syndrome (MCAP) consists of megalencephaly and associated growth dysregulation with variable asymmetry, developmental vascular anomalies, distal limb malformations, variable cortical malformation, and a mild connective tissue dysplasia. The megalencephaly-polymicrogyria-polydactyly-hydrocephalus syndrome (MPPH) resembles MCAP but lacks vascular malformations and syndactyly. We hypothesized that MCAP and MPPH result from mutations - including postzygotic events - in the same pathway, and studied them together. Using a combination of exome sequencing, Sanger sequencing, restriction-enzyme assays, and targeted ultra-deep sequencing in 50 families with MCAP or MPPH, we identified de novo germline or postzygotic mutations in three core components of the phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase/AKT pathway. These include two mutations in AKT3, a recurrent mutation in PIK3R2, and multiple mostly postzygotic mutations in PIK3CA (Rivière JB, Mirzaa GM, O'Roak BJ, Beddaoui M, Alcantara D, Conway RL, St-Onge J, Schwartzentruber JA, Gripp KW, Nikkel SM, Worthylake T, Sullivan CT, Ward TR, Butler HE, Kramer NA, Albrecht B, Armour CM, Armstrong L, Caluseriu O, Cytrynbaum C, Drolet BA, Innes AM, Lauzon JL, Lin AE, Mancini GMS, Meschino WS, Reggin JD, Saggar AK, Lerman-Sagie T, Uyanik G, Weksberg R, Zirn B, Beaulieu CL, FORGE Canada Consortium, Majewski J, Bulman DE, O'Driscoll M, Shendure J, Graham Jr. JM, Boycott KM, Dobyns WB. De novo germline and postzygotic mutations in AKT3, PIK3R2 and PIK3CA cause a spectrum of related megalencephaly syndromes. Nat. Genet. In press). Study 3 2R01-NS046616 (PI: GOLDEN, Jeffrey A) The role of ARX in normal and abnormal brain development This subcontract from the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia to the University of Chicago (UC) is intended to support research studies of the ARX and functionally related genes in human subjects with any one of several specific developmental disorders. The Co-investigator at UC (W.B. Dobyns) will identify a series of patients with mental retardation and severe infantile epilepsy, some of whom will have specific brain malformations and others who will have normal brain structure by brain imaging studies, and collect research samples from these subjects with informed consent. The studies to be performed will include mutation analysis of ARX, mutation analysis of specific downstream target genes, X inactivation studies in humans and X inactivation studies in mutant mice. The results will be analyzed to determine the significance of any changes found in the gene.

Study phs000455

Identification of intronic sequences promoting natural skipping of ABCA4 exon 15 using long-read transcriptomics and midigene assays

Stargardt disease is an inherited retinal disease that leads to progressive loss of vision, and is caused by biallelic variants in the ABCA4 gene. A significant proportion of ABCA4 variants of variable penetrance affect pre-mRNA splicing. Previously, we observed the exclusion of certain ABCA4 exons into the final transcript in the absence of any disease-causing variants. In this study, we explored this phenomenon that we coined natural exon skipping (NES) for the entire ABCA4 transcript, using targeted RT-PCR analysis as well as long-read transcriptome sequencing of control retina samples. For the most abundant NES event, which is skipping of ABCA4 exon 15, overlapping ABCA4 deletion constructs were employed to identify responsible cis-regulatory sequence motifs. Subsequently, antisense oligonucleotides (AONs) were designed and tested to reverse NES and restore fully-spliced ABCA4 mRNA. We identified intronic regions on each side of exon 15 that, when deleted, increased the inclusion of exon 15 in the final transcripts. Interestingly, these motifs appear to work in a synergistic manner. Further fine-mapping of these regions revealed several cis-regulatory motifs that may be responsible for inducing NES, on each side of the exon. AONs targeting these motifs unfortunately did not decrease the skipping of exon 15. In conclusion, we discovered an intriguing phenomenon that, in the absence of disease-causing variants, results in the skipping of one or more exons in the ABCA4 transcript. These NES events appear to be regulated by cis-regulatory motifs within the flanking introns. This work captured the extend of NES throughout ABCA4 transcript and the role of cis-regulatory motifs in pre-mRNA splicing.. The use of AONs targeting cis-regulatory motifs is an innovative strategy for splicing modulation, suitable for complementing future variant-specific splicing modulation therapies in ABCA4 retinopathies.

Study EGAS50000000071

Whole Exome Sequencing of Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia Patients and Trios

Congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) is a common and severe birth defect characterized by structural defects of the diaphragm and by pulmonary hypoplasia. Congenital diaphragmatic hernia patient may present either as an isolated phenotype or together with other congenital anomalies in a complex phenotype. Despite the clinical significance of CDH, the underlying genetic and developmental pathways are incompletely understood. In order to establish a catalog of human genetic variation for this condition, we performed whole exome sequencing (WES) on 275 carefully phenotyped individuals with CDH in the Pediatric Surgical Research Laboratories at the Massachusetts General Hospital (Boston, MA, USA) and Boston Children's Hospital (Boston, MA, USA). The exome data generated are valuable for comparison of candidate genes derived from WES of other CDH cohorts or affected kindreds, and to provide ideal candidates for further functional studies with the ultimate goal of enhancing our understanding of the heterogeneous and, possibly, oligogenic molecular etiology of CDH. While familial clustering has been reported in rare kindreds, the majority of probands with CDH have no family history of CDH leading to the hypothesis that de novo variants are an important and relatively frequent etiological mechanism. In the second version of the study, we performed WES analysis on 87 trios, to assess the contribution of de novo mutations in the etiology of diaphragmatic and pulmonary defects and to identify previously unknown candidate genes. This dbGaP submission includes WES data on: (a) 20 new probands, (b) 9 probands also reported in the previous version (dbGaP accession no. phs000783.v1.p1), (c) 174 unaffected parents, including the parents of 67 previously reported probands. Combined analysis with other available cohorts of congenital diaphragmatic hernia revealed a genome-wide enrichment of likely gene-disrupting de novo variants (i.e., nonsense, frameshift or splice site), and missense de novo variants predicted in silico to be damaging.

Study phs000783

Combined Tumor and Immune Signals From Genomes or Transcriptomes Predict Outcomes of Checkpoint Inhibition in Melanoma

Cancer immunotherapy with checkpoint blockade (CPB) leads to improved outcomes in melanoma and other tumor types, but a majority of patients do not respond. High tumor mutation burden (TMB) and high levels of tumor-infiltrating T cells have been associated with response to immunotherapy, and integrative models using DNA and RNA have improved predictions of clinical benefit. However, identification of immune and tumor-intrinsic features in models using DNA or RNA alone have not been comprehensively explored in melanoma. In this study, we sequenced DNA and RNA of tumors from 67 melanoma patients receiving CPB, and aggregated this cohort with previously published data, yielding whole exome sequencing (WES) data for 189 patients and bulk RNA sequencing data for 178 patients. Using these datasets, we derived genomic and transcriptomic factors that predict overall survival (OS) and response to immunotherapy. Using whole exome DNA data alone, we calculated T cell burden (TCB) and B cell burden (BCB) based on rearranged TCR/Ig DNA sequences, and found that melanoma patients with high TMB and either high TCB or high BCB survived longer and had higher response rates, as compared to patients with low TMB and either low TCB or low BCB. Next, using bulk RNA-Seq data, differential expression analysis identified 83 genes which are associated with high or low OS. By combining pairs of immune-expressed genes with tumor-expressed genes, we identified three gene pairs which are associated with response and survival (Bonferroni P<0.05). All three gene pair models were validated in an independent cohort (n=180) (Bonferroni P<0.05). The best performing gene pair model included the lymphocyte-expressed MAP4K1 (Gene ID: 11184) and the transcription factor TBX3 (Gene ID: 6926) which is overexpressed in poorly differentiated melanomas. We concluded that RNA-based (MAP4K1 and TBX3) or DNA-based (TCB and TMB) models combining with immune and tumor measures improve predictions of outcome after checkpoint blockade in melanoma.

Study phs002683

Acquired Copy Number Alterations in Adult Acute Myeloid Leukemia Genomes

We performed genome-wide copy number analysis with paired normal and tumor DNA obtained from 86 adult patients with de novo AML using the Affymetrix Genome-Wide Human SNP array 6.0 containing 1.85 million features. Acquired copy number alterations (CNA) were confirmed using an independent, higher resolution, custom array comparative genomic hybridization platform. A total of 201 somatic CNA were found in the 86 AML genomes (mean 2.34 CNA/genome), with FAB M6 and M7 AML genomes containing the most changes (10-29 CNA/genome). Twenty-four percent of AML patients with normal cytogenetics had CNA, while 40% of patients with an abnormal karyotype had additional CNA detected by SNP array, and several regions contained CNA in multiple AML genomes. The mRNA expression levels of 57 genes were significantly altered in 27 of 50 recurrent CNA regions <5 megabases in size. Array data are available online at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/geo/ as GEO accession #GSE10358. A total of 8 uniparental disomy (UPD) segments were identified in the 86 genomes and 6/8 UPD regions occurred in samples with a normal karyotype. Collectively, 40% of AML genomes contained alterations not found with cytogenetics, and 96% of these regions contained known or novel AML associated genes. 43/86 AML genomes had no CNA or UPD at this level of resolution. The number of CNA per genome was not associated with overall survival, independent of cytogenetic classification. In this study of 86 adult AML genomes, subcytogenetic CNAs or UPD did not add prognostic information to standard cytogenetics. However, arrays identified many somatically mutated oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes, and also genes not previously implicated in AML that may be relevant for pathogenesis. AML CNA segments from 86 adult AML patients are available through dbVar at ftp://ftp.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pub/dbVar/data/Homo_sapiens/nstd11_Walter_et_al_2009.

Study phs000201

Metagenomic Analysis to Identify Novel Infectious Agents in Systemic Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma

Anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL) is a rare T-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). Risk of systemic ALCL is markedly increased among immunosuppressed people, such as those with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection or solid organ transplant recipients. This increased risk in immunosuppressed populations suggests a viral etiology, given similar elevations for diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), Burkitt lymphoma, and Hodgkin lymphoma (caused by Epstein-Barr virus [EBV]) and other virus-related cancers in immunosuppressed individuals. EBV might be a plausible candidate, but most reported ALCL tumors are EBV-negative. Therefore, we conducted a metagenomic analysis of microbial associations with ALCL to determine whether a known or novel pathogen is associated with the tumor. We obtained archived formal fixed paraffin embedded (FFPE) ALCL tumor tissue from the Iowa cancer registry and an additional case from an immunosuppressed individual infected with human immunodeficiency virus. Controls included 3 diffuse large B-cell lymphomas (DLBCLs) in transplant recipients (shown to be related to Epstein-Barr virus [EBV] by in situ hybridization) and 3 breast cancers (no known viral etiology). RNA was extracted from FFPE specimens, and total RNA libraries were prepared using the KAPA RNA HyperPrep Kit (Roche). Five samples (IA01, IA53, IA57, IA07, and IA17) were sequenced on a NextSeq 500 (Illumina) and the remainder on a NovSeq 6000 (Illumina). Using novel computational approaches, we eliminated human reads and aligned residual non-human reads to known microbial references using GATK-PathSeq or conducted de novo assembly of unassigned reads using virID pipeline. Although EBV was detected in the 3 DLBCL controls, we did not detect EBV or any novel pathogen in ALCL tumors or in the breast cancers. Our study had a modest sample size and only one case arising in HIV-infected individual. Therefore, further studies are required to characterize the metagenome of systemic ALCLs, especially cases arising in immunosuppressed people.

Study phs002064

Clonal Evolution and Heterogeneity of Osimertinib Acquired Resistance Mechanisms in EGFR Mutant Lung Cancer

Current understanding of acquired resistance to osimertinib in EGFR-mutant lung cancer is largely based on the use of targeted sequencing platforms and cell-free DNA. In this study we examined the clonal evolution and heterogeneity of acquired resistance mechanisms to osimertinib through whole exome and RNA-sequencing of prospectively collected pre-and post-osimertinib resistant tumors and metastases at rapid autopsy. We enrolled 34 patients with histologically confirmed EGFR mutant advanced lung adenocarcinoma in a prospective Phase II clinical trial to evaluate osimertinib treatment and the use of local ablative therapy (LAT) for oligoprogressive disease (NCT02759835) in EGFR mutant NSCLC from April 2016 until data cutoff in September 2019. Patients were not selected based on oligometastatic status, rather 32/34 patients had multiple organ involvement, including lung, liver, adrenal, brain and bone. Biopsies or surgeries were performed pre-osimertinib treatment and at first progression on osimertinib. A subset of patients also underwent biopsies at second progression on osimertinib, and following end of life in-patient hospice and rapid autopsy upon death. 63% (n=15/24) of first-line osimertinib and 50% (n=5/10) of second-line osimertinib treated patients had RECIST defined partial response. Overall, 21 patients had RECIST defined first progression on osimertinib. Two patients on this trial discontinued treatment and were lost to follow up. Of the 21 patients who had RECIST defined progression, 14 patients underwent LAT (8 first-line and 6 second-line). Twelve patients had paired pre- and post-osimertinib resistant tumors and three had post-osimertinib resistant tumors available for analysis. Four patients (LAT002, LAT006, LAT014 and LAT021) consented for a rapid autopsy protocol and underwent rapid autopsy after deatH. To elucidate acquired osimertinib resistance mechanisms, we performed whole-exome (WES), targeted sequencing and RNA-seq on 66 tumors and matched germline DNA from tumor tissue obtained from a total of 15 patients.

Study phs002001

National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) Human Genetic Cell Repository Human Variation Panels including 100 African-Americans (HD100AA), 100 Caucasians (HD100CAU), 100 Han People of Los Angeles (HD100CHI) and 100 Mexican American Community of Los Angeles (HD100MEX)

The Human Genetic Cell Repository is sponsored by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) with the mission of supplying scientists with the materials for accelerating disease gene discovery and functional studies. The resources available include highly-characterized, contaminant-free cell cultures and high quality, well-characterized DNA samples derived from these cultures, both subjected to rigorous quality control. The Repository was established in 1972 at Coriell and contains more than 9,500 cell lines, primarily fibroblasts and transformed lymphoblasts. The Repository has a major emphasis on inherited diseases and chromosomally aberrant cell lines. In addition, it contains a large collection dedicated to understanding human variation that includes samples from populations around the world, the CEPH collection, the Polymorphism Discovery Resource, Human Variation and many apparently healthy controls. The Human Variation collection provides cell lines and DNA samples from a variety of populations. The panels of African-Americans (HD100AA) and Caucasians (100CAU) used for this study are comprised of samples present in the Repository that were originally collected over the years from apparently healthy people to be used as "controls", for example, unaffected family members of persons with identified mono-genetic diseases. The samples for the Han people of Los Angeles (HD100CHI) and the Mexican American Community of Los Angeles (HD100MEX), however, were collected relatively recently from volunteers, identified as member of these communities, specifically for use in these panels. The Coriell Genotyping and Microarray Center in conjunction with the NIGMS repository used the Affymetrix Genome-Wide Human SNP 6.0 platform to genotype 400 samples from the NIGMS human variation panels. The populations genotyped included Americans of African, Caucasian, Mexican, and Han Chinese ancestry. The Affymetrix SNP 6.0 array detects approximately 940,000 SNPs and provides copy number information for more than 900,000 additional locations across the genome.

Study phs000211

Molecular Etiology of Early-Onset Dystonia

Primary torsin dystonias (PTD) are a group of movement disorders characterized by twisting muscle contractures, where dystonia is the only clinical sign (except for tremor) and there is no evidence of neuronal degeneration or an acquired cause. Eleven genes have been mapped for primary dystonia including DYT1 (TOR1A), DYT2, DYT4 (TUBB4A), DYT6 (THAP1), DYT7, DYT13,, DYT17, DYT21, CIZ1, DYT24 (ANO3), and DYT25 (GNAL); however, only 3 genes (TOR1A, THAP1, and GNAL) have mutations in early onset dystonia patients. Each is inherited as an autosomal dominant trait but with reduced penetrance, meaning that individuals can carry the mutation but do not show clinical symptoms. The most common form of PTD is adult onset focal accounting for about 90% of all cases of dystonia with a prevalence estimated at 30/100,000 in the general population. A small percentage of focal cases are due to mutations in CIZ1, ANO3, THAP1, TUBB4A, and GNAL, but the vast majority is unaccounted for and is most likely multigenic or multifactorial. In this grant, focusing on early onset PTD, we will uncover genes that influence the penetrance of DYT1 (TOR1A) dystonia through GWAS and exome sequencing studies. We will identify other genes for early onset PTD using exome sequencing and determine whether variants within the identified early onset PTD genes or the pathways associated with these genes contribute to susceptibility in the most prevalent form of PTD, focal dystonia, using a case:control association study. The proposed research will identify novel PTD risk factors and genes, which in turn should reveal shared and intersecting pathways leading to a better understanding of the molecular basis of PTD and provide the underpinnings for developing new treatments. Additionally, insight into the factors that modulate disease penetrance would be a first step in determine whether these could be modified leading to a reduced incidence of the disease.

Study phs001733

Functional Significance of Prostate Cancer Risk-SNPs

Prostate Cancer (PrCa), the most frequently diagnosed solid tumor in men in the U.S., results in ~192,000 new cases and ~27,000 deaths per year. Although the variation of PrCa incidence is likely to be the result of several factors, there is a large body of literature that strongly implicates a genetic etiology. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have emerged as the most widely used contemporary approach to identify genetic variants (in particular SNPs) that are associated with increased risk of human disease. For PrCa, at least five GWAS have now been performed yielding a substantial number of well-validated SNPs that are associated with an increased risk of PrCa, and that number continues to grow. A significant problem for many of the PrCa risk-SNPs identified so far, however, is that they do not lie within or near a known gene and they have no obvious functional properties. These findings suggest that many (if not most) of these risk-SNPs will be located in regulatory regions that control gene expression rather than in coding regions that may directly affect protein function. Therefore, in order to define the functional role of currently known risk-SNPs, the target genes must first be identified. A promising strategy to address this problem involves the use of expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) analysis. Unfortunately, most of the publically available SNP-Transcript eQTL datasets utilize lymphoblastoid cells with only a handful using tissue from target organs. Although useful, these datasets alone are unlikely to be sufficient. Recent studies have demonstrated that gene expression and gene regulation occur in both a tissue-specific and tissue independent fashion and suggest that a complete repertoire of regulatory SNPs can only be uncovered in the context of cell type specificity. To date, such a tissue-specific dataset for normal prostate tissue does not exist. In this study, we have constructed a normal prostate tissue specific eQTL data set.

Study phs000985

Regulatory Changes in Glioblastoma Brain Tumors and Xenografts Wave 1

Non-coding elements in our genomes that play critical roles in complex disease are frequently marked by highly unstable RNA species. Sequencing nascent RNAs attached to an actively transcribing RNA polymerase complex can identify unstable RNAs, including those templated from gene-distal enhancers (eRNAs). However, nascent RNA sequencing techniques remain challenging to apply in some cell lines and especially to intact tissues, limiting broad applications in fields such as cancer genomics and personalized medicine. Here we report the development of chromatin run-on and sequencing (ChRO-seq), a novel run-on technology that maps the location of RNA polymerase using virtually any frozen tissue sample, including samples with degraded RNA that are intractable to conventional RNA-seq. We used ChRO-seq to develop the first maps of nascent transcription in 23 human glioblastoma (GBM) brain tumors and patient derived xenografts. Remarkably, >90,000 distal enhancers discovered using the signature of eRNA biogenesis within primary GBMs closely resemble those found in the normal human brain, and diverge substantially from GBM cell models. Despite extensive overall similarity, 12% of enhancers in each GBM distinguish normal and malignant brain tissue. These enhancers drive regulatory programs similar to the developing nervous system and are enriched for transcription factor binding sites that specify a stem-like cell fate. These results demonstrate that GBMs largely retain the enhancer landscape associated with their tissue of origin, but selectively adopt regulatory programs that are responsible for driving stem-like cell properties. We also identified enhancers and their associated transcription factors that regulate genes characteristic of each known GBM subtype, and discovered a core group of transcription factors that control the expression of genes associated with clinical outcomes. This study uncovers new insights into the molecular etiology of GBM and introduces ChRO-seq which can now be used to map regulatory programs contributing to a variety of complex diseases.

Study phs001646

PsychENCODE Consortium: Epigenetic and Transcriptional Dysregulation in Autism Spectrum

Our current understanding of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) delineates a highly heritable, yet etiologically heterogeneous disease. Forward genetic approaches to find disease associated mutations or common variation have been successful and continue to offer considerable power. Yet, given the accumulating evidence for very significant heterogeneity and environmental influences, complementary approaches to classic forward genetics become necessary. Genetic polymorphism and mutation data to date have identified dozens of causal or contributory variants, yet our preliminary data from autism brain suggest that common molecular pathways are involved in a significant subset of cases. This convergence at the tissue level suggests that other mechanisms, specifically epigenetic changes, combined with genetic background, are contributing to such final common pathways. We further tested this hypothesis by taking a comprehensive and integrative genome-wide approach to assessing brain gene-expression, miRNA levels and the related, causal epigenetic mechanisms in ASD etiology. We performed RNA-seq analyses of four cerebral cortical regions and cerebellum from ASD cases and controls, to assess mRNA, miRNA, and splicing isoform regulation. In parallel, we identified key differences in chromatin state and DNA methylation across multiple brain regions in the same ASD and control individuals used in the expression analyses using ChIP-Seq and MeDIP. We assessed the mechanisms by which changes in DNA methylation, histone modification, and DNA sequence contribute to the observed differences in gene expression. This work, which represents an unprecedented effort to unify these often disparate data (usually produced without integration in mind), delineates potential shared molecular pathways in ASD and the underlying mechanism of these differences at the level of miRNA, the chromatin regulatory apparatus, and DNA methylation. The following substudies are part of the PsychENCODE release at dbGaP and offer additional molecular data: PsychENCODE: RNA-Sequencing - SRRM4 Splicing Study phs000872 PsychENCODE: Global Changes in Patterning, Splicing and lncRNAs phs001061 PsychENCODE: Chromatin Contact Map in Fetal Cortical Laminae phs001190 PsychENCODE: Epigenetic Dysregulation in Autism Spectrum Disorder phs001220

Study phs001022

Childhood Cancer Data Initiative (CCDI): Genomic Analysis in Pediatric Malignancies

Pediatric solid tumors are highly heterogeneous, encompassing a large number of histotypes. The genomic landscape of these diseases is characterized by few single-nucleotide variants (SNVs) compared to adult cancers. In contrast, many exhibit a high prevalence of structural or epigenetic changes that alter gene expression, underlining the need for comprehensive genomic approaches such as whole-genome sequencing (WGS). Several studies have specifically addressed the clinical utility of genomic analysis in the pediatric and AYA cancer setting. Review of these studies point to key challenges that must be addressed in order to advance the routine use of genomics in this population. We have established a large collection of solid tumor tissue samples through our biobanking efforts. Where possible, we obtain longitudinal samples from the same patient. These primary patient samples and their corresponding germline have been analyzed using whole genome and whole transcriptome sequencing methods and have been linked to clinical metadata using both manual curation and robust methods for automatic extraction from the electronic health record (EHR). Importantly, research-grade genomic analysis is performed in parallel to our CLIA-grade sequencing (“UCSF500”) efforts for some of the patients in this study cohort and have been submitted as part of the American Association for Cancer Research's project GENIE and/or the National Childhood Cancer Registry. For our sequenced tumor samples, we have retrospective clinical data and ongoing efforts to prospectively record key events throughout the patient's cancer journey. In our solid tumor program, we have developed many patient-derived xenograft models and a number of PDX-derived cell lines. These unique models have been evaluated using genomic and functional approaches including (in some cases) treatment with conventional chemotherapy or investigational agents. Lastly, these samples were collected from a population that is among the most diverse in the nation and includes significant numbers of Asian, Latino, Indigenous and African-American patients, groups that are traditionally underrepresented in many banking efforts.

Study phs002430

WGSPD Project 1: Whole Genome Sequencing for Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder

The Center for Genomic Psychiatry at the University of Southern California (USC) and an extensive network of academic medical centers have created the Genomic Psychiatry Cohort (GPC). The GPC consists of a large clinical cohort of patients with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and healthy controls. The pilot phase of whole genome sequencing of the GPC has been done in collaboration with the USC and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard. Whole genome sequencing (20X) and analysis of 9,033 well-phenotyped individuals from the Genomic Psychiatry Cohort (GPC), divided among schizophrenia cases, bipolar disorder cases, and psychiatrically normal controls, and comprised of European-Ancestry (EA), African-Ancestry (AA), and Latino individuals. The combination of clinically well-characterized GPC participants and whole genome sequencing with rich functional annotation aims to identify functional variants associated with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder risk. Over half of the sequenced samples are patients with a diagnosis of either schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. The majority of the study participants are of African American ancestry, increasing the diversity of sampling for these important diseases in traditionally understudied populations. This data set also contains 545 samples that have undergone 10x Genomics Linked-Read Sequencing (169 participants overlapping with the 9,033 participant WGS 20X dataset). In addition to the benefits due to disease phenotyping and ancestry selection that apply to all of the WGSPD Project 1 samples, the 10x Genomics Linked-Read samples, through the use of barcodes that can identify the long input DNA fragment that each sequencing read was generated from, can be used to 1) identify structural variants that are difficult to call with standard short read data, 2) map short reads to repetitive regions of the genome that cannot be assayed with standard short reads, and provide highly accurate phasing information about genetic variants, including rare variants that are more difficult to phase using statistical phasing techniques.

Study phs002041

Adult Eosinophilic Esophagitis Registry Atlas

Eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) arises in the setting of type 2 cytokine-driven inflammation, is characterized by the infiltration of eosinophils in the esophageal mucosa, and is associated with dysphagia and fibrostenotic complications. Disease development and progression involve complex interactions between epithelial cells, stromal cells and immune cells. Indeed, increased epithelial permeability is consistently found in EoE, potentially leading to increased antigen exposure and inflammation. Persistent inflammation can in turn lead to fibroblast activation and fibrosis, which, together with the mediators produced by eosinophils and mast cells, leads to dysmotility. To decipher the interactions between these cell types across distinct disease states, we obtained biopsies from 7 healthy controls and 15 EoE subjects, including both active disease and clinical remission, to perform single cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq).Each biopsy sample was enzymatically digested within 3 hours of collection with collagenase/dispase to generate a single cell suspension. Suspensions were then loaded on a 10x Chromium controller, and libraries were generated with the 3' Chemistry pipeline (v2 or v3) before sequencing on an Illumina sequencer. The resulting sequence data was demultiplexed and analyzed with the CellRanger pipeline to generate raw fastq files and processed gene-count matrices for each sample. Altogether, our study generated transcriptomic profiles from 421,312 individual cells after quality control and filtering.Our analyses reveal 60 cell subsets and functional alterations in cell states, compositions, and interactions that highlight previously unknown features of EoE. Active disease displayed enrichment of ALOX15+ macrophages, novel PRDM16+ dendritic cells expressing the EoE risk gene ATP10A, and cycling mast cells, with concomitant reduction of TH17 cells. Receptor–ligand expression uncovered eosinophil recruitment programs, increased fibroblast interactions in disease, and IL-9+IL-4+IL-13+TH2 and endothelial cells as potential mast cell interactors. Resolution of inflammation-associated signatures included mast and CD4+ Tissue-resident memory T (TRM) cell contraction and cell type-specific downregulation of eosinophil chemoattractant, growth, and survival factors.

Study phs003574

13384 results for ""60+mice"+"6+weeks"+diet+study+2014+2017+DOI"

in 40.10 milliseconds.