14308 results for ""Pennsylvania+German"+ACS+study+'Socius'+open+access"

in 48.01 milliseconds.

• Genomics of pediatric myeloid neoplasms

  Genomic profiling of pediatric myeloid tumors (AML, therapy-related myeloid neoplasms, MDS and others) has shown significant differences when compared adult myeloid neoplasms. This includes the recognition of pediatric-enriched entities including UBTF-TD and NUP98 rearranged leukemias. Collectively we have described over 23 unique molecular subtypes of pediatric AML with unique expression signatures, driver mutations, patterns of cooperating mutations and distinct outcomes. Some of the subtypes (KMT2A and NUP98, for example) have remarkable heterogeneity in fusions partners, cellular phenotypes and molecular signatures.

  Study EGAS00001005760

• ALPI deficiency and inflammatory bowel disease

  Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs) are complex and severe disorders ascribed to alterations in the dialogue between the microbiota and the host immune system (Bouma & Strober, 2003; Maloy & Powrie, 2011). By using whole‐exome sequencing (WES), we report the identification of compound heterozygous ALPI mutations in two unrelated patients displaying severe intestinal inflammation and autoimmunity. ALPI encodes the Intestinal alkaline phosphatase, a brush border metalloenzyme that catalyses phosphate hydrolysis of the lipid moiety of LPS and thereby drastically reduces LPS pro‐inflammatory activity (Schromm et al, 1998; Goldberg et al, 2008).

  Study EGAS00001002847

• iNeuron_ChIPseq

  Characterisation of the chromatin status of induced neurons (iNeurons) generated by overexpression of the Ngn2 transcription factor transgenically in BOB iPS cells at the excitatory cortical neuron and iPSC stages. The aim is to understand the differentiation trajectory and characterise the chromatin status so that we can understand the impact of chromatin on gene expression during this transition. 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/

  Study EGAS00001003165

• Circulating tumour DNA abundance and potential utility in de novo metastatic prostate cancer

  Several systemic therapeutic options exist for metastatic castration sensitive prostate cancer (mCSPC). Circulating tumour DNA can profile metastatic castration resistant prostate cancer and influence treatment decisions, but remains untested in mCSPC. We set out to determine ctDNA abundance at de novo mCSPC diagnosis and whether ctDNA provides complementary clinically relevant information to a prostate biopsy. We collected and sequenced 77 plasma cell-free DNA samples from 53 newly diagnosed patients with mCSPC. Targeted sequencing was also performed on DNA from 48 diagnostic prostate tissue samples.

  Study EGAS00001003351

• The_Causes_of_Clonal_Blood_Cell_Disorders_Study___SCOR_Custom

  We took a bone marrow aspirate and peripheral blood samples from a healthy patient aged around 60, and use flow cytometry to isolate 100 HSCs, 50 MEPs, and 50 GMPs. We grew these up into colonies, then whole genome sequenced each colony. Somatic mutations act as a unique barcode for each clone. We have designed a panel for targeted resequencing of the mutations that we find. We are now looking for these mutations in the peripheral blood, to see the dynamics of how HSCs contribute to the peripheral blood in health.

  Study EGAS00001002257

• Analysis of copy number variation landscape of glioma by shallow coverage whole genome sequencing

  We reported shallow coverage whole genome sequencing (WGS) is an economic method for identification of whole genome somatic copy number variation (SCNV). Combining with a Taqman low density array (TLDA) designed for molecular subtyping of glioma, it enabled classification of glioma into biological entities with different cellular origin and genomic alterations. Further, we also showed shallow-coverage WGS enabled systematic identification of clonal and subclonal SCNV in glioma genomes and the burden and pattern of SCNV can serve as an objective marker of tumor progression and predict risk and relapse.

  Study EGAS00001003690

• Mapping and phasing of structural variation in patient genomes using nanopore sequencing

  We whole genome sequence 2 patients with congenital abnormalities and known complex de novo chromosomal rearrangements using the Nanopore MinION. We show how we can detect most previoulsy detected de novo rearrangements as well as uncover a few new ones. Furthermore, we perform genome-wide analyses showing the accuracy of SV detection and of phasing, using long reads. The files uploaded here are the whole genome Nanopore data for each of the two patients used, as well as the corresponding whole genome illumina data, used in our comparisons.

  Study EGAS00001002333

• Metastatic Adult Pancreatoblastoma: Multimodal Treatment and Molecular Characterization of a Very Rare Disease (NCT MASTER)

  Pancreatoblastoma is a rare malignant tumor that occurs predominantly in children. We identified four adult patients with metastasizing pancreatoblastoma at a high-volume German university cancer center which were treated with multimodal therapies between 2013 and 2018. In three cases, we performed a comprehensive molecular analysis that included whole-genome sequencing (WGS) or whole-exome sequencing (WES); transcriptome sequencing was performed in two cases, respectively. Subsequent recommendations of molecularly stratified treatment options were discussed within a dedicated molecular tumor board (MTB) embedded in a precision oncology program (NCT MASTER).

  Study EGAS00001004157

• Degradation of Janus kinases in CRLF2-rearranged acute lymphoblastic leukemia

  We evaluated the efficacy of proteolysis-targeting chimeras (PROTACs) directed against Janus kinases. Solving the structure of FDA-approved type I JAK inhibitors ruxolitinib and baricitinib bound to the JAK2 JH1 tyrosine kinase domain enabled the rational design and optimization of Cereblon (CRBN)-directed JAK PROTACs utilizing multiple derivatives of JAK inhibitors, linkers and CRBN-specific molecular glues. The resulting JAK PROTACs were evaluated for target degradation by proteomic approaches, and activity tested in CRLF2-rearranged cell line and xenograft models of ALL.

  Study EGAS00001005180

• Pediatric tumor in a single child of three large nuclear families

  We identify three nuclear families in which a pediatric tumor had been diagnosed in a single child and neither parent had been diagnosed with cancer. These families had 4, 5, and 7 children, respectively. Diagnoses included Wilms tumor, low-grade astrocytoma, and Burkitt’s lymphoma, respectively. We used whole-genome sequencing to profile normal cells from each family member and a linked-read technology for genomic phasing, which enabled us to identify compound-heterozygous and de novo variants in addition to simple-heterozygous and homozygous-alternate variants.

  Study EGAS00001005321

• Risk alleles of membranous nephropathy and recurrence of the disease on the grafted kidney

  The goal of the project was to identify risk alleles that are associated with recurrence of membranous nephropathy in the graft after kidney transplantation. First, we sequenced PLA2R1 and HLA-D loci in 248 patients with primary membranous nephropathy and identified two independent single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) at risk for primary membranous nephropathy at each locus. Then we investigated whether primary membranous nephropathy at-risk variants were associated with recurrence in a retrospective cohort of 105 donor-recipient pairs and a replication cohort of 40 pairs.

  Study EGAS00001005435

• Identification of fusion transcripts by RNA-sequencing and Whole genome sequencing of a METABRIC patient sample

  Fusion transcripts and their exact breakpoints were identified in RNA-seq data (30X) of an ER-,HER2+ breast cancer. DNA-level breakpoints associated with the fusion events were determined by analyzing whole genome sequencing (WGS) data (30X) from the same donor. The RNA-seq and WGS data for this case were generated on the Illumina platform using standard protocols. The patient (MB-0152) derives from the METABRIC cohort for which array based copy number and gene expression data were previously described (EGAS00000000083).

  Study EGAS00001002475

• Genome-wide search for higher order epistasis as modifiers of treatment effects on bone mineral density in childhood cancer survivors

  Survivors of pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) exposed to curative treatments that adversely affect BMD (age- and sex-adjusted BMD Z-scores, measured via QCT). Specifically, after SNP QC and annotation, we considered 75523 autosomal SNPs mapped to putative promoter or enhancer regions to restrict our search to 3-way SNP interactions that potentially reflect gene regulation events that influence BMD. We replicated 3-SNP interactions as modifiers of treatment effects in a cohort of adult survivors of non-ALL pediatric cancers (N=1428).

  Study EGAS00001002645

• Targeted exome sequencing of pleomorphic invasive lobular carcinoma (PILC).

  Pleomorphic invasive lobular carcinoma (PILC) is an aggressive variant of invasive lobular breast cancer that is associated with poor clinical outcomes. Limited molecular data are available to explain the mechanistic basis for PILC behavior. To address this issue, we performed targeted sequencing using the Beijing Genomics Institute (BGI) TumorCare™ gene panel that includes 1053 genes that were selected based upon their association with cancer. This sequencing analysis identified genes that distinguish PILC from classic ILC (CILC) and invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC) by the incidence of their genomic changes.

  Study EGAS00001002871

• RUNX1 mutated families show phenotype heterogeneity and a somatic mutation profile unique to germline predisposed AML

  We present the clinical phenotypes and genetic mutations detected in 10 novel RUNX1 mutated FPD-MM families. Genomic analyses on these families detected two partial gene deletions, three novel mutations and five recurrent mutations as the germline RUNX1 alterations leading to FPD-MM. On 15 individuals, across the 10 families, we performed additional whole exome or myeloid panel sequencing on blood or bone marrow to determine somatic mutations that co-exist with the germline RUNX1 mutation in tumour and pre-leukaemic states.

  Study EGAS00001004273

• Targeted sequencing of breast cancers with germline BRCA1/2 mutations

  Breast cancer is the most prevalent cancer in women, where a germline predisposition plays a substantial role. However, the effects of pathogenic germline variants on accompanying breast cancers have not been fully characterized in terms of somatic alterations. We obtained tumor samples from 30 patients with pathogenic germline variants in BRCA2 (n = 25) and BRCA1 (n = 5), as well as an additional 30 patients without pathogenic germline mutations, in which somatic mutations in common breast cancer drivers and CNAs were analyzed using targeted panel sequencing.

  Study EGAS00001004182

• Single cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq) of the human hematopoietic stem cell compartment (CD34+CD38-CD45RA-)

  To identify a trajectory of human hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) activation single cell gene expression profiling of RNA from human HSC was performed by flow cytometry-based single cell deposition of CD34+CD38—CD45RA—cells from G-CSF-mobilized peripheral blood from 3 individual donors and 1 bone marrow donor in concert with single cell index-sorting (signals indexed: CD34, CD38, CD45RA, CD90, CD49f) and followed by SMARTseq2 based protocol. We show that INKA1 and CDK6/PAK4 expressing single cells segregate across alternative states of quiescence.

  Study EGAS00001004769

• RNASeq of PDX and CDX tumours treated with ADC

  Enapotamab vedotin (EnaV), an antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) targeting AXL, effectively targets tumors that display insensitivity to immunotherapy and/or tumor-specific T cells in several melanoma and lung cancer models. Mechanistically, EnaV treatment induced an inflammatory response and immunogenic cell death in tumor cells, and promoted induction of a memory-like phenotype in cytotoxic T cells. Combining EnaV with tumor-specific T cells proved superior to any treatment alone in models of melanoma and lung cancer, and increased ICB benefit in models otherwise insensitive to anti-PD-1 treatment.

  Study EGAS00001004562

• HYPERMUTATION AND MALIGNANT PROGRESSION IN LOW-GRADE GLIOMA PATIENTS

  While patients with primary glioblastoma (GBM) have benefited from increased overall survival due to treatment with the alkylating chemotherapy temozolomide (TMZ), the benefit ofTMZ for patients with diffuse low-grade gliomas (LGG) remains unknown. To further explore the relationships among TMZ treatment, hypermutation and malignant progression, we studied tumor evolution in an expanded cohort of untreated and TMZ-treated patients by exome-sequencing of paired IDH1/2-mutant LGGs and their post-TMZ recurrences. Together, these findings further our understanding of the molecular features and clinical behavior of hypermutated clones.

  Study EGAS00001002368

• Genomic Landscape of Pediatric Myelodysplastic Syndromes

  Pediatric myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) are a rare disease and unlike their adult counterpart, very little is known about their genomic landscape. We characterized a cohort of patients from a single institution by whole exome sequencing, as well as a subset of patients by whole genome sequencing, RNA-sequencing and targeted deep sequencing. We found a spectrum of mutations, both somatic and germline, that are distinct from those observed in adult MDS. In turn, we observed mutations commonly observed in other pediatric myeloid tumors.

  Study EGAS00001002202

• Transcriptional_analysis_of_cells_from_lungs

  To capture the full heterogeneity of the cellular types and states during HSPCs differentiation, haematopoietic progenitors will be obtained through column-enrichment of cells expressing CD34, a pan-progenitor marker for HSPCs. The samples from tumour and non-tumour lung tissue from different patients will be processed using the 10x Genomics platform. 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/

  Study EGAS00001002649

• Identification_of_immune_mechanisms_associated_with_the_high_rate_of_relapse_in_patient_with_visceral_leishmaniasis_and_HIV_co_infection

  RNA-seq transcriptomics of whole blood samples from longitudinal follow-up of a cohort of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) patients with and without HIV coinfection, from active disease through apparent cure and potential relapse. Analysis will identify potential correlates of relapse to identify immune mechanisms underlying the high rate of relapse in HIV/VL coinfection. 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/

  Study EGAS00001003465

• ChIP-seq of GOF p53 mutants

  Gain-of-function TP53 mutations were detected in 41.3% of cases, in which co-occurring del(17p) underscored a dominant effect in >25%. Missense mutations of TP53 clustered within the core DNA-binding domain, where R249S was most common. To explore the transcriptional effect of mutant p53(R249S), we performed chromatin immunoprecipitation-sequencing in the HCC cell line HKCI-11, which has a p53(R249S) mutation, and the human hepatocyte line MIHA, which is p53(WT). The results revealed distinct binding profiles between wildtype p53 and p53 mutant.

  Study EGAS00001002463

• RNA-sequencing of gluten-reactive and non-reactive T-cells from blood samples of treated CeD patients during a gluten-challenge

  Gluten-specific CD4+ T cells are drivers of celiac disease (CeD). Here we aimed to characterize such cells in blood of treated CeD patients during gluten challenge with comparison to similar cells of untreated disease. Treated CeD patients underwent a 3-day gluten-challenge with blood sampling at baseline and day 6 (d6). Blood cells were stained with HLA-DQ:gluten tetramers (Tetramer). CD4+, gut-homing Tetramer+ and Tetramer- effector-memory T (TEM) cells at d6 were subjected to bulk RNA-seq (n=7).

  Study EGAS00001004988

• Germline alterations of acute myeloid leukemia

  Germline variants may increase the risk of cancer. A systematic analysis was conducted of a consecutive series of primary and secondary adult acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients. Exome sequencing was performed on leukemic blasts (somatic) and a skin biopsy (germline) followed by analysis on 35 acute myeloid leukemia or cancer predisposition candidate genes. Exome data were available from 68/80 (85%) patients, and full clinical history was available from all patients. The analysis revealed 34 rare single-nucleotide variants or short indels in 16 genes to be functionally adverse in silico.

  Study EGAS00001002760

• H3Africa - Collaborative African Genomics Network

  Genomic studies have become one of the potential tools that could aid in the understanding of disease. HIV disease progression and active TB infection have been studied using these genomic methods to interrogate host factors associated with these diseases and their progression. Prior work has focused on adult populations and limited African cohorts. The Collaborative African Genomics Network aims to fill this gap by conducting HIV and TB disease mapping studies in African children to understand how genetic variation impacts disease progression through the use of genomic technologies.

  Study EGAS00001002656

• Osteosarcoma mate-pair and RNA-sequencing

  DNA mate pair and RNA sequencing data of conventional osteosarcomas. Mate pair libraries, with average insert sizes of 2-4 kb, were prepared for sequencing using the Nextera Mate Pair Library Preparation Kit. Paired-end 76 base pair reads were generated using an Illumina NextSeq 500 sequencing instrument. Total RNA was enriched for polyadenylated RNA using magnetic oligo(dT) beads. Enriched RNA was prepared for sequencing using the TruSeq RNA Sample Preparation Kit v2 and paired-end 151 base pair reads were generated from the cDNA libraries using an Illumina NextSeq 500 instrument.

  Study EGAS00001003842

• The mutational landscape of primary central nervous system lymphoma (Hipo H050, A050, XD013)

  ]Primary lymphomas of the central nervous system (PCNSL) are diffuse large B-cell lymphomas (DLBCLs) which are confined to the central nervous system (CNS). Despite extensive research, the molecular alterations leading to PCNSL have not been fully elucidated. In order to provide a comprehensive description of the mutational landscape in PCNSL, we here performed integrative whole genome and transcriptome sequencing analysis of 51 lymphomas presenting in the CNS, including 42 EBV-negative PCNSL, 6 secondary CNS lymphomas (SCNSL) and 3 EBV+ CNSL.

  Study EGAS00001005339

• Genetics causes of male infertility in 185 patient-parent trios from Netherlands and UK

  In this, whole exome sequencing was performed on 185 patients suffering from Azoospermia or severe oligozoospermia and on their respective fertile parents in order to investigate de novo and inherited genetic variants likely to be the cause of infertility in these men. After bioinformatic analysis and comprehensive variant interpretation several de novo point mutations and copy number variations were identified as well as multiple homozygous and compound heterozygous mutations in recessive genes that are likely influencing the infertility phenotypes observed in the patients.

  Study EGAS00001005417

• KIR gene content imputation from single-nucleotide polymorphisms in the Finnish population

  The killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptor (KIR) gene cluster on chromosome 19 encodes cell surface glycoproteins that bind class I human leukocyte antigen (HLA) molecules as well as some other ligands. KIR gene gene copy number variation associates with the outcome of transplantations and susceptibility to immune-mediated diseases. Here we describe a stand-alone and freely available gene content imputation for 12 KIR genes. The models were trained using 818 Finnish biobank samples genotyped for 5774 KIR-region SNPs and analysed for KIR gene content with targeted sequencing.

  Study EGAS00001005457

• Copy number analysis by SNP array

  Hybridization-based genomic profiling arrays were performed using Genome-Wide Human SNP Array 6.0 or the CytoScan HD array, according to the manufacturer’s instructions (Affymetrix, Santa Clara, CA, USA) now part of Thermo Fisher Scientific (Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc.) Following the procedures of sample preparation, hybridization, and scanning, the CEL file of Genome-Wide Human SNP Array 6.0 was analyzed as previously described (Magrangeas et al. 2012) and the CEL file of CytoScan HD array was analyzed using the Chromosome Analysis Suite (ChAS) software (Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc).

  Study EGAS00001005125

• ImmunoAgeing_Longitudinal

  The objective is to establish whether immunosenescence is associated with the development of clonal haematopoiesis in a healthy ageing population. This will be addressed in collaboration with the European consortium running the ImmunoAgeing project (www.immunoageing.eu). Genomic DNA derived from the peripheral blood of 394 individuals at 3-5 time-points over a 20-year period will be analysed. RNA bait pulldown (Agilent) will be used to perform targeted sequencing of genes known to be recurrently mutated in myeloid malignancies The presence, size and nature of clonal haematopoiesis will be correlated with quantitative measures of immunosenescence.

  Study EGAS00001003183

• scRNA-seq data of BALF and blood cells from COPD and control

  Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is ranked the third leading cause of death worldwide and hence constitutes a significant burden, both medically and financially. To date, the cellular mechanism underlying COPD is poorly understood and thus no effective therapy is currently available. To broaden the current knowledge of the immune landscape in the alveolar space, we performed scRNA-Seq of CD45-enriched bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) cells and isolated blood leukocytes obtained from COPD patients and healthy controls using both the Seq-Well and the Chromium (10x Genomics) technology.

  Study EGAS00001004369

• Whole genome sequencing based on short and long reads from GM09237 cell line with and without folate depletion

  To asess changes in the DNA-sequence occurring as a result of folate deprivation, DNA extracted from the GM09237 cell line grown with and without folate was sequenced using short read and long read sequencing. The DNA was extracted from cells cultured with either normal medium or medium with no folic acid for 5 days, and then sequenced by BGI PE100 platform (100 bp paired-end sequencing 60x coverage; performed by BGI), or PacBio Sequel system (SMARTbell; performed by BGI) respectively.

  Study EGAS00001005345

• A transcriptome atlas of human skeletal muscles

  We generated a large transcriptome atlas of human skeletal muscles by collecting biopsies from 6 different muscles to determine molecular signatures that may be distinct between leg muscles. The biopsies were collected from gracilis (GR), semitendinosus (ST), vastus lateralis (VL), vastus medialis (VM), rectus femoris (RF), and gastrocnemius lateralis (GL) muscles. We also investigated molecular differences within the muscle by including two biopsies from the middle and distal sides of the semitendinosus muscle (STM and STD, respectively). In total, 128 samples from 20 individuals (aged 25 ± 3.6 yr) were analyzed.

  Study EGAS00001005904

• Cancer and germline exomes, and cancer RNA-seq consisiting of FASTQ paired-end reads from melanoma, lung and colon cancer samples

  Discovery of patient-specific tumor antigens usually requires in vitro-expanded autologous tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), among which tumor antigen-specific T cells are however often rare, thus limiting sensitivity. We designed in vitro culture conditions to improve the identification of rare tumor antigen-specific CD8 TILs. This innovative yet accessible pipeline allows highly-sensitive identification of tumor antigens and cognate T cell receptors (TCRs), greatly improving the selection of candidates for personalized cancer vaccines and TCR-based cellular immunotherapies.

  Study EGAS00001005513

• Genomic profiling of Follicular thyroid adenomas and carcinomas using exome-sequencing analyses

  While thyroid nodules per se are frequent (4%–50%), thyroid cancer is rare (∼5% of all thyroid nodules). The minimally invasive Fine Needle Aspiration Cytology (FNAC) is the current gold standard for the diagnosis thyroid nodule malignancy. However, proper discrimination of follicular neoplasias often require more invasive diagnostic techniques. To develop a novel molecular classification system for thyroid cancer malignancy, we performed an genomic profiling of 54 fresh frozen Follicular like thyroid samples using a whole exome sequencing approach (SureSelect V6 Target enrichment protocol and the Illumina Novaseq 6000 platform)

  Study EGAS00001005561

• Multi-region whole-exome sequencing of 10 neuroblastoma cases

  To investigate intratumour heterogeneity and to better understand tumour evolution in neuroblastoma, we have performed a multi-region whole-exome sequencing on a total of 51 spatially separated tumor samples from 9 primary neuroblastomas (2 low-risk, 1 intermediate-risk and 6 high-risk) and 1 relapsed neuroblastoma. We also assessed the impact of chemotherapy on the clonal expansion by sequencing tumour regions from one medium risk and one high-risk tumour for which we had matched samples obtained at diagnosis and after chemotherapy.

  Study EGAS00001004735

• Human and rat skeletal muscle multi-omic profiling

  Skeletal muscle accounts for the largest proportion of human body mass, on average, and is a key tissue in complex diseases and mobility. It is composed of several different cell and muscle fiber types. Here, we optimize single-nucleus ATAC-seq (snATAC-seq) to map skeletal muscle cell-specific chromatin accessibility landscapes in frozen human and rat samples, and single-nucleus RNA-seq (snRNA-seq) to map cell-specific transcriptomes in human. We additionally perform multi-omics profiling (gene expression and chromatin accessibility) on human and rat muscle samples.

  Study EGAS00001005730

• CUT&RUN of AML1-ETO binding occupancy following miR-130a KD in Kasumi-1 cells

  We performed CUT&RUN assay with control Ig , anti-Flag and anti-ETO antibodies in Flag-tag AML1-ETO Kasumi-1 cells to determine binding occupancy of AML1-ETO following miR-130a KD. Kasumi-1 cells were transduced in 3 independent replicates for control and miR-130a KD samples with lentiviruses containing GFP reporter gene. GFP+ cells were sorted 3 days post-transduction and the cells were used in the CUT&RUN assay. Three antibodies were used for each biological sample.

  Study EGAS00001005867

• Gene_regulation_of_human_CD4__Treg_cells_

  This dataset maps gene expression regulation in human primary regulatory CD4+ T cells (Tregs). It includes whole genome sequence data for ChM-seq (118 H3K4me3, 118 H3K27ac and 6 inputs), ATAC-seq (114 samples) and whole transcriptome (141 samples). All individuals were genotyped (130 samples) using coreExome Illumina SNP chip array. The final quality filtered set included 123 individuals with RNA-seq data, 73 with ATAC-seq, 91 with H3K27ac ChM-seq and 88 with H3K4me3 ChM-seq data. A total of 62 individuals had QCed data for all the assays.

  Study EGAS00001003516

• Placebo-only arm transcriptomic analysis of the phase 3 PROTECT clinical trial

  It is poorly understood how the tumor immune microenvironment influences disease recurrence in localized clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC). Here we perform whole-transcriptomic profiling of 236 tumors from patients assigned to the placebo-only arm of a randomized, adjuvant clinical trial for high-risk localized ccRCC. Unbiased pathway analysis identifies myeloid-derived interleukin-6 (IL-6) as a key mediator. Furthermore, a novel myeloid gene signature strongly correlates with disease recurrence and overall survival on uni- and multivariate analysis and is linked to TP53 inactivation across multiple datasets.

  Study EGAS00001006344

• Chromatin accessibility changes in hiPSC-derived neurons after BDNF and KCl stimulations

  Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) is crucial for neuronal survival, differentiation, synaptic plasticity, memory formation, and neurocognitive health. Molecular mechanisms of BDNF promoting cellular survival and synaptic plasticity have been intensely studied, yet its role in genome regulation is obscure. Using human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-derived neurons via lentiviral delivery of the neuronal transcription factor Ngn2, we performed a temporal profiling (1h, 6h and 10h) of chromatin accessibility upon BDNF treatment or depolarization (KCl) to identify BDNF-specific chromatin-to-gene expression programs.

  Study EGAS00001006394

• Chromatin activation profiling of stereotyped chronic lymphocytic leukemias reveals a subset #8 specific signature

  The chromatin activation landscape of major subsets of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) with stereotyped B-cell receptor immunoglobulin is currently unknown. Here, we report the results of a whole-genome chromatin profiling of histone 3 lysine 27 acetylation of 18 CLLs from subsets #1, #2, #4, and #8 which were compared against non-stereotyped CLLs and normal B cell subpopulations. Although subsets #1, #2, and #4 were similar to their non-stereotyped CLL counterparts with concordant somatic hypermutation status, subset #8 displayed a remarkably different chromatin activation profile.

  Study EGAS00001006457

• High-resolution lung adenocarcinoma expression subtypes identify tumors with dependencies on MET, CDK4, CDK6, and PD-L1

  Lung adenocarcinoma is one of the most common cancer types with various treatment modalities. However, better biomarkers to predict therapeutic response are still needed to improve precision medicine. We utilized a consensus hierarchical clustering approach on 509 LUAD cases from TCGA to identify five robust LUAD expression subtypes. We then integrated genomic (patient and cell line) and proteomic data to help define biomarkers of response to targeted therapies and immunotherapies. This approach defined subtypes with unique proteogenomic and dependency profiles.

  Study EGAS00001006461

• Human adipose tissue immune cells

  We describe a novel and conserved Trem2+ lipid-associated macrophage (LAM) subset and identify markers, spatial localization, origin, and functional pathways associated with these cells. Genetic ablation of Trem2 in mice globally inhibits the downstream molecular LAM program, leading to adipocyte hypertrophy as well as systemic hypercholesterolemia, body fat accumulation, and glucose intolerance. These findings identify Trem2 signaling as a major pathway by which macrophages respond to loss of tissue-level lipid homeostasis, highlighting Trem2 as a key sensor of metabolic pathologies across multiple tissues and a potential therapeutic target in metabolic diseases.

  Study EGAS00001003725

• cfDNA in Hereditary And High-Risk Malignancies (CHARM)

  Our goal is to improve early cancer detection by developing a blood test to predict cancer development in carriers using circulating DNA. As carriers develop cancer, they may have pre-cancerous cells which release this DNA into the blood (cell-free DNA; cfDNA), which can be detected with novel genetic technologies. We propose to use three complementary cfDNA assays:shallow whole genome sequencing (sWGS), Liquid-Biopsy Sequencing (LB-Seq) and Cell-free Methylated DNA Immunoprecipitation and High-throughput Sequencing (cfMeDip-Seq) for early cancer detection.

  Study EGAS00001006539

• Y90 radioembolization followed by intravenous Nivolumab for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma

  To evaluate the efficacy of combination therapy with ICI and RT in patients, a Phase II trial (CA209-678) was conducted to investigate the efficacy and safety of Y90-RE followed by nivolumab in patients with advanced HCC (NCT03033446, n = 36). Interestingly, the ORR was found to be 30.6% in all patients and 43.5% when restricted to patients with only intrahepatic tumors, suggesting possible synergism between Y90-RE and ICI. Here we present whole exome sequencing (WES) and RNA-seq data for 33 patients treated with Y90 radioembolization followed with Nivolumab.

  Study EGAS00001006834

• Pharmacogenomic profiling reveals molecular features of chemotherapy resistance in IDH wild type primary glioblastoma

  We stratified 69 primary IDH-wt GBM patients into TMZ-resistant (n = 29) and sensitive (n = 40) groups, using TMZ screening of the corresponding patient-derived glioma stem-like cells (GSCs). Genomic and transcriptomic features were then examined to identify TMZ-associated molecular alterations. Subsequently, we developed a machine learning (ML) model to predict TMZ response from combined signatures. Moreover, TMZ response in multisector samples (52 tumor sectors from 18 cases) was evaluated to validate findings and investigate the impact of intra-tumoral heterogeneity on TMZ efficacy.

  Study EGAS00001006989

• Timing chromosomal amplification events using patterns of somatic mutations in high hyperdiploid acute lymphoblastic leukemia

  This dataset included samples with high hyperdiploid acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) collected from the Division of Clinical Genetics, Lund University, Sweden. All samples were subjected to whole genome sequencing using the Illumina HiSeqX platform. Paired-end sequencing (2x150bp) was done to ~60x coverage for diagnostic samples and ~30x coverage for remission samples. The paired-end reads were aligned to the human reference genome GRCh37 (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/assembly/GCF_000001405.25/) by the Burrows-Wheeler Aligner tool (version 0.7.17). Duplicate reads marking and local realignment were performed by GATK (version 4.0.11.0).

  Study EGAS00001007052

• Accuracy and repeatability of epigenome-based signatures trained on Illumina MethylationEPIC BeadChip data

  Illumina DNA methylation microarrays are popular tools for discovering methylation patterns that enable epigenome-based trait prediction. To ensure reliable and accurate predictions, the robustness of the methylation assay is critical. This dataset comprises technical quadruplicate llumina MethylationEPIC (v1.0) data from matched cervical and blood samples, derived from four individuals, to evaluate the precision of methylation values and the repeatability of epigenome-based models trained to predict disease and aging. Fresh, and frozen blood were treated as separate tissue types, so the data stems from 4 * 4 * 3 = 48 microarrays.

  Study EGAS00001007184

• scRNA-seq and scTCR-seq data IMCISION

  We performed single cell RNA and TCR sequencing (10x Genomics) on immune infiltrates (CD45+ cells) from 18 HNSCC patients enrolled in the IMCISION trial (Vos et al. 2021). Viable immune cells were isolated from pre-treatment and on-treatment primary tumor biopsies of 10 patients responding (1 partial pathological response and 9 major pathological responses) and 7 patients non-responding to anti-PD-1 and anti-CTLA4 combination immunotherapy. One patient treated with anti-PD-1 monotherapy (1 major pathological response) was included in the dataset.

  Study EGAS00001007368

• Whole Genome sequencing of Angolan and Mozambican individuals

  To support the continued discovery and cataloguing of genomic variation in human populations and to further our understanding of the Bantu Expansion, we sequenced the genomes of 291 individuals from Cabinda, a northern exclave of Angola, and 49 individuals from Maputo, the capital of Mozambique. Utilising the power and flexibility of these whole-genome sequencing datasets, we discover rare variation, fine-scale population structure, and perform analyses using haplotype-based inference tools and our own model-based simulation framework to reconstruct complex dispersals of Bantu speak-ing populations across sub-Saharan Africa.

  Study EGAS00001007458

• Korea4K: whole genome sequences of 4,157 Koreans with 107 phenotypes derived from extensive health check-ups

  Here, we present 4,157 whole-genome sequences (Korea4K) coupled with 107 health check-up parameters as the largest genomic resource of the Korean Genome Project. Collectively, Korea4K provides not only the largest Korean genome data but also corresponding health check-up parameters and novel genome-phenome associations. The large-scale pathological whole-genome-wide omics data will become a powerful set for genome-phenome level association studies to discover causal markers for the prediction and diagnosis of health conditions in future studies.

  Study EGAS00001007580

• The polarity and specificity of antiviral T lymphocyte responses determine susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 infection in cancer patients and healthy individuals

  We monitored patient's anti SARS-CoV-2 immune responses using an in vitro cross presentation assay. The goal of this study was to identify immune correlates of clinical protection against SARS-CoV-2 infection. Briefly, peripheral blood mononuclear cells of patient were divided into a monocyte and lymphocyte. Monocyte were differentiated into monocyte derived dendritic (mo-DC)cells using GM-CSF and Interferon alpha. Mo-DC were then loaded with SARS-CoV-2 culture lysates , or VeroE86 lysates. SARS-CoV-2 loaded mo-DC were then used to stimulates their autologous lymphocytes and T cell cytokine secretion was monitored in the supernatant. We discriminated patients producing IL-2 and patients producing IL-5. RNA sequencing was performed for 18 patients, to identify gene profile associated with IL-2 or IL-5 production.

  Dataset EGAD00001008538

• Somatic mutation in edited cholangiocyte organoids

  Primary human cells cultured in organoid format have great promise as potential regenerative cellular therapies. However, their immunogenicity and mutagenic profile remain unresolved, impeding effective long-term translation to the clinic. In this study we report, for the first time, the generation of human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-I and HLA-II knock-out human expandable primary cholangiocyte organoids (PCOs) using CRISPR-Cas9 as a potential ‘universal’ low-immunogenic therapy for bile duct disorders. HLA-edited PCOs (ePCOs) displayed the same phenotypic and functional characteristics as parental unedited PCOs. Despite minimal off-target edits, duplex sequencing approaches demonstrated that ePCOs and PCOs acquire mutations in culture at similar rates, but without evident selection for cancer-driver mutations. ePCOs induced reduced T cell-mediated immunity and donor-dependent NK cell cytotoxicity in vitro and evaded cytotoxic responses with increased graft survival in humanized mice in vivo. Our findings have important implications for assessment of safety and immunogenicity of primary cell-derived organoid cellular therapies.

  Dataset EGAD00001015455

• Pediatric Patient-Derived-Xenograft development in MAPPYACTS – international pediatric cancer precision medicine trial in relapsed and refractory tumors

  Pediatric patients with recurrent and refractory cancers are in most need for new treatments. This study developed patient-derived-xenograft (PDX) models within the European MAPPYACTS cancer precision medicine trial (NCT02613962). To date, 131 PDX models were established following heterotopical and/or orthotopical implantation in immunocompromised mice: 76 sarcomas, 25 other solid tumors, 12 central nervous system tumors, 15 acute leukemias, and 3 lymphomas. PDX establishment rate was 43%. Histology, whole exome and RNA sequencing revealed a high concordance with the primary patient’s tumor profile, human leukocyte-antigen characteristics and specific metabolic pathway signatures. A detailed patient molecular characterization, including specific mutations prioritized in the clinical molecular tumor boards are provided. Ninety models were shared with the IMI2 ITCC Paediatric Preclinical Proof-of-concept Platform (IMI2 ITCC-P4) for further exploitation. This new PDX biobank of unique recurrent childhood cancers provides an essential support for basic and translational research and new treatments development in advanced pediatric malignancies.

  Dataset EGAD00001011048

• Genomic Advances in Sepsis (GAinS) genotyping

  This cohort comprises a subset of patients enrolled in the Genomic Advances in Sepsis (GAinS) study, an established biobank of adult sepsis patients. Sepsis is defined as life-threatening organ dysfunction caused by a dysregulated host response to infection. Patients with sepsis due to community acquired pneumonia or faecal peritonitis were recruited from 35 hospitals across the UK from 2005-2018, with samples for functional genomics and detailed clinical information collected over the first five days of ICU admission to investigate how host genetics affects the individual repsonse to sepsis. DNA was extracted from buffy coat or whole blood samples using the Qiagen DNA extraction protocol, the automated Maxwell Blood purification kit (Promega), or the QIAamp Blood Midi kit protocol (Qiagen). Genotyping data were generated using the Illumina HumanOmniExpress BeadChip (295 patients), the Infinium CoreExome BeadChip (655 patients), and the Infinium Global Screening Array BeadChip (307 patients). Genotyping QC and imputation into the Haplotype Reference Consortium was perfomed within each batch. The datasets were combined and following post-imputation filtering data were available on 1168 samples.

  Dataset EGAD00001015369

• Genomics of acral lentiginous melanoma

  Melanoma is the most aggressive type of skin cancer, causing about 75% of dermatological cancer deaths. Acral lentiginous melanoma (ALM) is the most common subtype of melanoma in admixed Latin American populations, but very few tumour genomes and exomes, all from European-descent individuals, have been analysed across several studies. Because of this, the genomic landscape of ALM is mostly unknown. Our aim in this project is to define this landscape and identify driver somatic alterations by whole-exome sequencing a collection of ALM germline/tumour paired FFPE samples from the National Cancer Institute of Mexico. . This dataset contains all the data available for this study on 2023-03-09.

  Dataset EGAD00001010126

• Somatic mutation in edited cholangiocyte organoids

  Primary human cells cultured in organoid format have great promise as potential regenerative cellular therapies. However, their immunogenicity and mutagenic profile remain unresolved, impeding effective long-term translation to the clinic. In this study we report, for the first time, the generation of human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-I and HLA-II knock-out human expandable primary cholangiocyte organoids (PCOs) using CRISPR-Cas9 as a potential ‘universal’ low-immunogenic therapy for bile duct disorders. HLA-edited PCOs (ePCOs) displayed the same phenotypic and functional characteristics as parental unedited PCOs. Despite minimal off-target edits, duplex sequencing approaches demonstrated that ePCOs and PCOs acquire mutations in culture at similar rates, but without evident selection for cancer-driver mutations. ePCOs induced reduced T cell-mediated immunity and donor-dependent NK cell cytotoxicity in vitro and evaded cytotoxic responses with increased graft survival in humanized mice in vivo. Our findings have important implications for assessment of safety and immunogenicity of primary cell-derived organoid cellular therapies.

  Dataset EGAD00001015457

• Somatic mutation in edited cholangiocyte organoids

  Primary human cells cultured in organoid format have great promise as potential regenerative cellular therapies. However, their immunogenicity and mutagenic profile remain unresolved, impeding effective long-term translation to the clinic. In this study we report, for the first time, the generation of human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-I and HLA-II knock-out human expandable primary cholangiocyte organoids (PCOs) using CRISPR-Cas9 as a potential ‘universal’ low-immunogenic therapy for bile duct disorders. HLA-edited PCOs (ePCOs) displayed the same phenotypic and functional characteristics as parental unedited PCOs. Despite minimal off-target edits, duplex sequencing approaches demonstrated that ePCOs and PCOs acquire mutations in culture at similar rates, but without evident selection for cancer-driver mutations. ePCOs induced reduced T cell-mediated immunity and donor-dependent NK cell cytotoxicity in vitro and evaded cytotoxic responses with increased graft survival in humanized mice in vivo. Our findings have important implications for assessment of safety and immunogenicity of primary cell-derived organoid cellular therapies.

  Dataset EGAD00001015456

• Mapping genetic variants that underlie gene regulation in intestinal cell types to identify novel, validated, Crohn’s disease drug targets

  Biopsies from the terminal ileum and rectum of healthy individuals and terminal ileum and blood from Crohns disease patients are collected and processed single cells and processed for single-cell RNA-sequencing using 10X Genomics 3' v3 and v3.1 and Illumina sequencing. 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/

  Study EGAS00001003647

• Analyzing the expression profiles of genes in ureters with and without indwelling stents using RNAseq 

  The objective of the work is to explore the pathways and mechanisms driving inflammation and fibrosis in stented ureters. In total, 6 pigs underwent cystoscopic unilateral ureteral stent insertion for 14 days. Ureteral tissue was harvested in 3 pigs, while the remaining 3 pigs had their stents removed, and were recovered for 7 days. Three separate pigs served as controls. Stents cause significant inflammation and fibrosis of ureters. Gene set enrichment analysis confirmed fibrotic changes and tissue proliferation and suggests that epithelial-mesenchymal transition is a driver of fibrosis.

  Study EGAS00001006855

• Knoll et al.: The life-saving benefit of dexamethasone in severe COVID-19 is linked to a reversal of monocyte dysregulation

  Following the demonstration of its life-saving effect in clinical trials, dexamethasone quickly became standard-of-care in the treatment of severe COVID-19. Beneficial effects were reported for patients requiring supplemental oxygen or invasive mechanical ventilation. Yet, a substantial proportion of patients still progressed to a critical condition or succumbed to the disease, despite timely initiation of glucocorticoid treatment. No molecular or cellular correlate of this beneficial treatment response has been defined. Here, we identify distinct cellular and molecular changes in circulating immune cells in patients with COVID-19 elicited in response to dexamethasone treatment. The most profound transcriptional changes in response to dexamethasone treatment were noted in monocytes and in B cells. In monocytes, we observed a reversal of hallmark signatures previously associated with COVID-19 severity, and the induction of a specific monocyte substate enriched in glucocorticoid response gene expression which we here refer to as dexamethasone response cluster. Molecular responses to dexamethasone treatment were directly linked to clinical outcome, since the reversal of pathogenic signatures and induction of glucocorticoid response genes were enriched in patients who survived the disease in response to dexamethasone treatment. Cellular responsiveness of circulating monocytes was thus identified as a correlate of clinical response to dexamethasone treatment. Changes in monocyte transcriptomes could also be linked to epigenetic alterations highlighting early differences in monocytes of dexamethasone responders and non-responders. Further, monocyte single-cell transcriptome-derived signatures were enriched in whole blood transcriptomes from patients with fatal outcome in two independent cohorts, highlighting the potential clinical value for early identification of non-responders who are refractory to dexamethasone treatment. Overall, our findings indicate that the life-saving effects of dexamethasone in COVID-19 patients are linked to a specific immunomodulatory effect based on the reversion of monocyte dysregulation. Our study elucidates the potential mechanism of action of one of the most efficient and cost-effective drugs for the treatment of COVID-19. It further highlights the potential of single-cell omics for monitoring target engagement of immunomodulatory drugs and for the stratification of patients for precision medicine approaches.

  Study EGAS00001007461

• Development and Validation of a Disability Severity Index for Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease (CMT)

  In Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease (CMT) or inherited neuropathy research studies, it is the researcher who has selected what they believe to be important markers of impairment in function in patients. For example, it has been inferred that the wearing of ankle-foot-orthosis (AFOs), the use of walking aids such as canes, or the use of wheelchairs, are appropriate markers for “mild”, “moderate” or “severe” disability, respectively. Whether patients agree with this classification is unknown. By understanding what patients classify as mild, moderate and severe disability in CMT, we will know what our treatments need to target, to have a meaningful impact on the patients' functional status. Primary objective: The purpose of this study is to compare patient and healthcare provider impressions of what constitutes mild, moderate and severe disability in CMT. Target population: 200 patients who have self-registered at the Inherited Neuropathy Consortium Contact Registry, a web-based contact registry developed and supported by the Data Management and Coordinating Center (DMCC) for the Rare Diseases Clinical Research Consortium (RDCRN), located at the University of South Florida, and 200 health care professionals attending conferences about CMT, such as the 4th International CMT Consortium to be held in Potomac, Maryland, June 29-July 1, 2011 and the MDA Clinic Directors meeting in Las Vegas, NV March 4-7, 2012. Methods: A brief, anonymous, 20-item survey, in which we measure what the physician and the patient think are important indicators of disability in CMT, will be distributed by paper to 200 health care professionals, and via an online link to 200 patients self-registered with the RDCRN contact registry. Out of the 200 patients, approximately 25 patients will be requested to take the survey twice in a 2 to 4 week period. Analysis: We will measure the agreement between items in the physician and patient groups, and use items with high agreement in a Disability Severity Index.

  Study phs001295

• NICHD Genomic and Proteomic Network for Preterm Birth Research (GPN)

  We performed genome-wide association studies (GWAS) to study the Spontaneous Preterm birth (SPTB). Maternal and neonatal DNA from 743 SPTB (20 to and less than 34 weeks), and 752 controls (39 to and less than 42 weeks) who fully consented for public research usage were collected from participants in several clinical centers in Alabama, Illinois, New York, North Carolina, Rhode Island, Texas, and Utah. Cases were 1:1-matched with controls according to race/ethnicity (White, Hispanics, African Americans, and Others), maternal age (<20, 20-29, 30-39, 40+), and parity (yes or no). To determine the case-control status for each participant, a Gestational Age (GA) was determined. DNA samples were taken from blood or saliva if blood was not available. Automated DNA extractions were performed on the Qiagen M48 robot, and samples were organized in 96-well plates with barcoding and sample tracking systems. Subsequent manipulations were performed on the Biomek FX liquid handling workstation with 96-channel pipetting. DNA quantitation was performed by dye-based assay on a Molecular Devices SpectraMax Plus plate reader. Samples were genotyped using Affymetrix Genome-Wide Human SNP Array 6.0. This work was conducted at the Microarray Facility at the University of Pennsylvania. Patient data were collected through chart reviews and patient interviews, which included Demographic information (parental age, race, ethnicity, etc.); Medical history (pre-pregnancy weight, height, medications, STD history, medical conditions, etc.); Social history (marital status, years of education, alcohol use and tobacco use); Obstetrical history including outcome of all prior pregnancies and dates of termination; History of preterm labor or premature rupture of membranes symptoms, evaluation or hospitalization for those symptoms in current pregnancy; Medications taken during current pregnancy; History of cervical evaluation (manually or ultrasonographically) or fetal fibronectin measurements; Pregnancy complications; Labor (type, indications, membrane status, and induction method); Delivery type and indications for cesarean section; Neonatal outcome (sex, weight, length, Apgar score, neonatal complications, admission to intensive care unit, etc.); and Maternal family history of SPTB.

  Study phs000714

• National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK): Identification of VUR genes by exome sequencing

  Primary vesicoureteric reflux (PVUR), or non-syndromic VUR, is the most common type of congenital anomaly of the kidney and the urinary tract (CAKUT). PVUR is the single most important risk factor for pyelonephritis and renal parenchymal scarring in the pediatric age group. Renal parenchymal scarring due to PVUR is referred to as reflux nephropathy and is a major cause of end stage kidney disease requiring dialysis and kidney transplantation in children. PVUR shows familial aggregation; however, the specific genetic cause(s) of PVUR is unknown despite a number of linkage studies. Reasons for this include: variable expression of the disease, difficulty with case ascertainment, genetic heterogeneity and lack of large pedigrees that can facilitate locus identification. We have ascertained a large 97 member PVUR kindred spanning five generations. We performed a genome-wide linkage study (GWLS) on this family and obtained a significant genome-wide LOD score of 3.3 on chromosome 6p. We performed exome sequencing on affected individuals in the family and identified mutations in tenascin XB (TNXB) as a cause of familial VUR. The proposed studies have the following specific objectives: a) to define the role of tenascin genes in the etiology of PVUR, and b) to identify new PVUR causative genes. Our specific aims are (1) To perform mutation analysis in TNXB and other tenascins in a cohort of 200 individuals with familial and sporadic PVUR and define genotype/phenotype correlations. (2) To perform sequential genome wide linkage studies (GWLS) and whole exome/targeted sequencing in families with PVUR. Impact on public health: Identification of PVUR genes may provide a novel non-invasive diagnostic tool for a subset of children with PVUR. Furthermore, this research will provide insights into the pathogenesis of PVUR and further elucidate the pathways involved in the development of the kidney and genitourinary tract. Future studies will define the role of the genes in the etiology of other malformations of the kidney and urinary tract and also seek to unravel the mechanisms by which the identified gene causes PVUR and other malformations of the kidney and the urinary tract.

  Study phs000778

• Metagenomics-Guided Pathogen Discovery in Travelers' Diarrhea

  Traveler's diarrhea (TD) is caused by enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC), other pathogenic gram-negative pathogens, norovirus and some parasites. Nevertheless, standard diagnostic methods fail to identify pathogens in more than 30% of TD patients, so it is predicted that new pathogens or groups of pathogens may be causative agents of disease. A comprehensive metagenomic study of the fecal microbiomes from 23 TD patients and seven healthy travelers was performed, all of which tested negative for the known etiologic agents of TD in standard tests. Metagenomic reads were assembled and the resulting contigs were subjected to semi-manual binning to assemble independent genomes from metagenomic pools. Taxonomic and functional annotations were conducted to assist identification of putative pathogens. We extracted 560 draft genomes, 320 of which were complete enough to be enough characterized as cellular genomes and 160 of which were bacteriophage genomes. We made predictions of the etiology of disease in individual subjects based on the properties and features of the recovered cellular genomes. Three subtypes of samples were observed. First were four patients with low diversity metagenomes that were predominated by one or more pathogenic E. coli strains. Annotation allowed prediction of pathogenic type in most cases. Second, five patients were co-infected with E. coli and other members of the Enterobacteriaceae, including antibiotic resistant Enterobacter, Klebsiella, and Citrobacter. Finally, several samples contained genomes that represented dark matter. In one of these samples we identified a TM7 genome that phylogenetically clustered with a strain isolated from wastewater and carries genes encoding potential virulence factors. We also observed a very high proportion of bacteriophage reads in some samples. The relative abundance of phage was significantly higher in healthy travelers when compared to TD patients. Our results highlight that assembly-based analysis revealed that diarrhea is often polymicrobial and includes members of the Enterobacteriaceae not normally associated with TD and have implicated a new member of the TM7 phylum as a potential player in diarrheal disease.

  Study phs001352

• Exome Sequencing of Statin-Induced Myopathy Cases

  Severe myopathic events occur in 0.1-0.5% of patients taking statins. Although genetic association studies have identified some possibly associated gene loci, these have not been reproducible in additional studies with independent patient cohorts. A more reasonable explanation for susceptibility to statin-induced myopathy is the presence of rare pathogenic variants in genes important for skeletal muscle structure and function. In support of this, we have previously reported an increased incidence of pathogenic variants in genes causing metabolic myopathies in patients with statin-induced myopathy (Vladutiu et al.,2006). We also reported a patient with statin myopathy who had an RYR1 variant known to be causative of malignant hyperthermia susceptibility (MHS) (Vladutiu et al., 2011). There are a number of genes associated with metabolic myopathies triggered by various factors such as extreme exercise, fasting, extremes in temperature, viral infection and exposure to volatile anesthetics. In addition, many of the genes causing congenital myopathies, myofibrillar myopathies and muscular dystrophies have overlapping phenotypes with these genes. We propose that statins act as an additional trigger inducing myopathic symptoms and many patients with severe statin-induced myopathy have causative genetic variants within similar genes associated with MHS and congenital myopathy. We have analyzed the resultant data using a disease model in which rare pathogenic variants, possibly within multiple genes, are causative of statin-induced myopathy. In this study, we have identified potentially causative genetic variants in greater than 50% of the statin-induced myopathy cases and in particular, rare and possibly pathogenic in the RYR1 and CACNA1S genes were present in 25% of the patient samples studied. Vladutiu, G. D., Simmons, Z., Isackson, P.J., Tarnopolsky, M., Peltier, W.L., Barboi, A.C., Sripathi, N., Wortmann, R.L., Phillips, P.S., (2006). "Genetic risk factors associated with lipid-lowering drug-induced myopathies." Muscle Nerve 34: 153-162. Vladutiu, G. D., Isackson, P.J., Kaufman, K., Harley, J.B., Cobb, B., Christopher-Stine, L., Wortmann, R.L, (2011). "Genetic risk for malignant hyperthermia in non-anesthesia-induced myopathies." Mol Genet Metab 104: 167-173.

  Study phs001342

• NHLBI GO-ESP: Family Studies (Mendelian Lipid Disorders)

  The NHLBI "Grand Opportunity" Exome Sequencing Project (GO-ESP), a signature project of the NHLBI Recovery Act investment, was designed to identify genetic variants in coding regions (exons) of the human genome (the "exome") that are associated with heart, lung and blood diseases. These and related diseases that are of high impact to public health and individuals from diverse racial and ethnic groups will be studied. These data may help researchers understand the causes of disease, contributing to better ways to prevent, diagnose, and treat diseases, as well as determine whether to tailor prevention and treatments to specific populations. This could lead to more effective treatments and reduce the likelihood of side effects. GO-ESP is comprised of five collaborative components: 3 cohort consortia - HeartGO, LungGO, and WHISP - and 2 sequencing centers - BroadGO and SeattleGO. In this study, we seek to identify the genetic cause of two monogenic lipid disorders-severe hypercholesterolemia and familial hypoalphalipoproteinemia. Monogenic severe hypercholesterolemia is clinically characterized by elevated total and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels in plasma. Elevated LDL-cholesterol levels lead to excessive deposition of cholesterol in arterial walls, which eventually results in accelerated atherosclerosis and premature cardiovascular disease (CVD). Monogenic hypercholesterolemia has a prevalence of approximately one in 500 individuals, making it one of the most common inherited disorders. To date, mutations in the LDL receptor (LDLR) ligand-binding domains of APOB and PCSK9 have been shown to cause hypercholesterolemia. While mutations in these genes can explain a large percentage of clinically diagnosed patients, the underlying molecular determinant in a substantial fraction of patients remains unknown. Familial hypoalphalipoproteinemia (low HDL-C) is defined by an HDL-C below the age- and sex- specific 10th percentile. ABCA1, LCAT, and APOA1 are known to cause familial hypoalphalipoproteinemia. We hypothesize that: (1) additional novel genes responsible for Mendelian forms of low HDL-C exist; and (2) the causal gene and mutation(s) in each family may be discovered with exome analysis of just a few affected individuals in each pedigree.

  Study phs000587

• Effect of Breast Feeding on Immunologic Priming in Young Infants

  The mechanisms generating immunoglobulin heavy chain (IgH) biodiversity result in over potentially unique immunoglobulin sequences within an individual. However, over the course of B cell development, B cell receptor (BCR) selection constrains the repertoire significantly. In newborn infants compared to adults, developmental regulation of terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT) activity in the bone marrow, selective use of V, D and J gene segments in the IgH locus during fetal life, and immaturity of somatic hypermutation (SHM) and class switch recombination (CSR) mechanisms are likely to contribute to a less diverse IgH repertoire, although the extent of repertoire biodiversity in newborns has not been extensively examined. Furthermore, the fetal IgH repertoire is tightly controlled and for the most part independent of environmental antigenic influences. As a result, the neonatal repertoire, in contrast to older children and adults, is less impacted by the selective pressures of the microbiome, pathogen exposure, and environmental antigens. Evidence for developmental differences in TdT activity is seen in shorter CDR3 lengths and decreased junctional diversity in BCR in both term and preterm newborns. Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) is a sensitive approach to evaluate the neonatal IgH repertoire and assess the relative contribution of each aspect of IgH rearrangement and affinity maturation to overall IgH biodiversity prior to and following isotype class switch. NGS and bioinformatics accurately assess biodiversity by determining the number of unique sequences within the IgH repertoire. Combined with novel analytic tools, NGS provides an approach to compare the extent of somatic hypermutation (SHM), N insertions, V/D/J gene segment usage, and CDR3 length between newborns and adults. Taken together, these measures can be used to assess the earliest events in B cell development using the newborn Ig transcriptome to evaluate the IgM, IgG, and IgA IgH repertoires. The goal of this study was to define the extent of IgH biodiversity in newborns and examine the factors that contribute to the generation of biodiversity during early life. Establishment of the bioinformatics pipeline can be applied to examine the immune deficiency, response to vaccine and infection at molecular population level.

  Study phs002073

• Temporal Lobe Epilepsy and Retrotransposons

  Idiopathic (cryptogenic) epilepsy is a common, chronic group of brain disorders, affecting 1-2% of the US population, creating a significant public health problem because of the associated morbidity and mortality. One subtype of this complex group of brain disorders, temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE), is particularly burdensome, because a substantial fraction of patients do not respond to anticonvulsant medications. If the seizure focus can be localized by imaging and/or EEG, the TLE patient often elects to have a partial resection of the affected temporal lobe, because they have daily seizures, despite multiple pharmacotherapy regimens. Although genetic risk is thought to play a role in TLE, identification of common risk alleles has had limited success. In the past 5 years, data have accumulated to prove that neuronal embryogenesis is accompanied by activation of LINE1 (L1) retrotransposons (RTPs) to an unexpected degree, such that developing neurons may accumulate de novo L1 insertions. This results in a substantial mosaicism within populations of CNS neurons. While most of these somatic de novo L1s will have little effect on neuronal function (perhaps because they occur in gene deserts or in large introns or in genes not required for that cell's function), some may interfere with normal neuronal activity because they have inserted into a gene needed by that particular neuron for normal function. If one or more functional de novo L1s occur early in CNS development, all the daughter neurons that derive from that neuronal precursor will also carry the L1 insertion, perhaps leading to a dysfunctional population of neurons destined to become an epileptic focus. This study leveraged CNS tissue (obtained at craniotomy) from patients with intractable TLE, who have undergone a therapeutic partial resection of one temporal lobe. Using fluorescence-assisted cell sorting of temporal lobe neuronal nuclei, followed by high-throughput sequencing and alignment to the reference genome, detection of de novo L1s will be done. In this manner, it is expected that de-novo intragenic L1s, contributing to idiopathic TLE, will be discovered.

  Study phs002067

• Centers for Common Disease Genomics (CCDG) - Whole Genome Sequencing in Type 1 Diabetes (T1DGC)

  The Type 1 Diabetes Genetics Consortium (T1DGC) was established to collect resources (biological samples and data) and conduct research to better understand the genetic basis of type 1 diabetes (T1D). Collection was initiated by ascertaining affected sib-pair families (both parents, two affected siblings and, when available, an unaffected sibling), collected from five geographic regions through four recruitment networks (Asia-Pacific, Europe, North America, United Kingdom). In addition, the T1DGC collected trio families (both parents and affected child) and cases and controls from low-prevalence populations (African-American, with four grandparents self-reporting as African ancestry; Mexican-American, with four grandparents self-reporting as ancestry from Mexico). The T1DGC also served as a repository for contributed collections from other studies, all meeting the broad data-sharing policy of the T1DGC, for inclusion in the genetic studies. These collections include T1D case samples ascertained from the UK Genetic Resource Investigating Diabetes (UK GRID) cohort, SEARCH for Diabetes in Youth (SEARCH), The Genetics of Kidneys in Diabetes (GoKinD), and control samples obtained from the British 1958 Birth Cohort, the UK National Blood Services collection, CLEAR (Consortium for the Longitudinal Evaluation of African-Americans with Early Rheumatoid Arthritis), the New York Cancer Project (NYCP), and other cohorts. For the NHGRI-funded Centers for Common Disease Genomics (CCDG) project, participants with T1D and ancestry-matched controls were identified through the T1DGC, either through direct ascertainment or by contribution from other sources to the T1DGC. As the CCDG has focused initially on non-Caucasian populations for whole genome sequencing, T1DGC participants of African, Mexican and Asian ancestry (targeting ~1200 cases and ~1200 controls in each ancestral group) and a small group of participants of Northern European ancestry (~100 cases, ~100 controls) were to be contributed to the study. Whole genome sequencing of T1DGC samples would be conducted at Washington University McDonnell Genome Institute and based upon matching case-control status within an ancestry group and prioritization by the CCDG.

  Study phs001222

• Exploring the Genetic Variants Associated with Brain Growth in Children

  Understanding the genetic factors that control brain growth during childhood and adolescence is a priority for neuroscience. Its importance lies partly in the finding that disturbances in the course of brain development characterizes many common childhood behavioral problems. Recent advances in neuroimaging such as the use of non-invasive magnetic resonance imaging have provided a chance to define these trajectories in the living child. The intramural programs of the NIMH and NHGRI have conducted repeated neuroanatomic imaging on children along with the banking of DNA, providing a cohort which is studied for defining developmental trajectories of the brain. A central goal of this cohort is to define the disturbances in brain development that are linked with common behavioral problems, such as excessive impulsivity, hyperactivity and inattention. Studies have demonstrated that problems in these domains are distributed across the entire population and that children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) lie at the extreme end of these behavioral dimensions. We found a similar dimensionality in the development of brain regions that are associated with these behavioral problems. Specifically, we showed that the rate of change in both the lateral prefrontal cortex and interconnected striatum during childhood and adolescence was linked to the severity of symptoms of hyperactivity and impulsivity. As symptoms increased, the rate of growth of both structures decreased. The lateral prefrontal cortex and striatum are core components of richly interconnected 'loops' that support a host of cognitive processes, including attention, cognitive control and motor planning. Anomalies in these structures and their connections have been implicated in many childhood behavioral problems, including ADHD. In summary, we aim to identify the common and rare genetic variants that are associated with the developmental trajectories of the lateral-prefrontal cortex and striatum. Identifying genetic variants influencing the growth of these structures may reveal the biological mechanisms underlying dysregulated control of attention, impulse and activity level, which in the extreme constitute ADHD. The study thus could inform our understanding of neurobiology underpinning one of the most common neuropsychiatric disorders of childhood.

  Study phs000962

• Genetics and Functional Studies of Autosomal Recessive Neurological Disorders

  Neurological conditions account for over 6% of the global disease burden. There are more than 600 neurological disorders, and cognitive dysfunction, also referred to as intellectual disability (ID), occupies a prominent position in this list. Cognitive dysfunction arises from the failure of neuronal cells to organize into a complex network and remodel this network in response to learning and experience. It is manifested by deficits in adaptive behaviors in everyday social and practical skills. Due to its high prevalence and the lifetime cost of care per individual, in the range of $1-2 million in United Sates (CDC), it presents a significant health burden. Genetic and functional studies of the genes and protein determinants of ID have helped to elucidate the molecular pathways of human brain development in health and disease. However, the identity of a large number of essential molecular and cellular components still remain elusive. The objectives of our study are to expand the genetic repertoire of causal ID genes and characterize their role in neuronal structure and cognitive function. The rationale is that identification and functional elucidation of causative gene variants that lead to cognitive dysfunction will be essential for understanding brain function and for developing improved diagnostic tools and efficacious preventive and therapeutic agents for neurological disorders, including ID. There are 3 aims of our comprehensive research program: 1) Ascertain and clinically phenotype members of extended families segregating autosomal recessive intellectual disability (ARID); 2) identify new ARID genes and gene products; and 3) determine the functions of prioritized novel ARID genes using multifaceted approaches, including analysis of spatiotemporal expression patterns in mouse brain, targeting in cultured rat hippocampal neurons, effects on cell morphology and synapse abundance, synaptic transmission and plasticity in neuronal cells by electrophysiology and live-cell imaging assays. The project will advantageously combine human clinical assessment, genetic and functional analyses relevant to brain development and function. Impact: Execution of the proposed studies will generate new knowledge that is clinically relevant, with high potential to impact ID molecular diagnosis, prognoses, and identify novel therapeutic targets to slow progression, delay onset, and possibly devising precision medicine approaches for ID.

  Study phs003298

• Integrating Genomic and Transcriptomic Data to Identify Breast Cancer Susceptibility Genes

  Genetic factors play an important role in the etiology of both sporadic and familial breast cancer. Since 2007, common genetic variants in ~200 loci have been identified in genome-wide association studies (GWAS) in relation to breast cancer risk. However, it is often difficult to translate GWAS findings to disease prevention and treatment since causal genes in the large majority of GWAS-identified loci are unknown. Furthermore, a large fraction of breast cancer heritability remains unexplained. Recent studies suggest that nearly 80% of disease heritability can be explained by genetic variants regulating gene expression. Herein, we propose three well-powered transcriptome-wide association studies (TWAS) to systematically investigate the association of breast cancer risk with gene expression across the transcriptome of African, Asian and European descendants. In Aim 1, we will perform RNA sequencing and high-density genotyping assays using normal breast tissue samples, and build race-specific gene expression prediction models using data from 1000 women of African, Asian and European descent. These models will be applied to the GWAS data generated from approximately 320,000 breast cancer patients and controls to impute gene expression for association analyses of predicted gene expression with risk of breast cancer overall, and by estrogen receptor and HER2 status. In Aim 2, we will select the top 50 genes identified in Aim 1 for in vitro functional assays to assess their influence on major cell functions related to cancer biology. In Aim 3, we will evaluate whether TWAS-identified genes may express differently in normal breast tissues and breast cancer tissues collected from African, Asian, and European descendants to assess whether these genes may contribute to racial differences in breast cancer risk by molecular subtypes. With strong methodology and a large sample size, we believe that this proposed study should be able to identify and characterize a large number of novel genes related to breast cancer risk. Uncovering breast cancer susceptibility genes will greatly improve the understanding of the genetic and biological basis for breast cancer and accelerate the translation of genetic findings to disease prevention and patient care.

  Study phs003535

• Parallel Genomic Alterations of Antigen and Payload Targets Mediate Polyclonal Acquired Clinical Resistance to the Antibody Drug Conjugate Sacituzumab Govitecan

  Sacituzumab Govitecan (SG), a novel antibody drug conjugate (ADC) incorporating the anti-TROP2 antibody hRS7 conjugated to a topoisomerase-1 inhibitor (SN-38) payload, is the first ADC to be approved for advanced triple negative breast cancer (TNBC). However, mechanisms governing therapeutic resistance to SG are not known. We sought to identify mechanisms of de novo and acquired resistance to SG through unbiased whole-exome sequencing (WES) and RNA sequencing analysis of pre-treatment and multi-site post-progression (autopsy) tumor specimens. We examined three metastatic TNBC cases exhibiting (1) de novo progression, (2) stable disease, and (3) a deep response followed by progression, then mapped the temporal and spatial genomic evolution of acquired resistance in the responding patient. We then conducted additional pre-clinical experiments to validate the observed resistance mechanisms. TROP2 RNA and gene copy number were associated with de novo resistance, as case (1) was found to have absent TROP2 expression in all specimens, case (2) expressed TROP2, while case (3) exhibited both expression and focal genomic amplification of the TACSTD2/TROP2 locus. The genomic phylogeny tree inferred from case (3) post-progression specimens revealed one branch harboring an acquired canonical E418K resistance mutation in TOP1 (encoding topoisomerase 1) and a subsequent sub-clonal TOP1 inactivating frameshift mutation, while a distinct branch exhibited acquisition of a novel T256R missense mutation in TACSTD2 (encoding TROP2). Both the TOP1- and TACSTD2-mutant clones seeded multiple distinct metastatic sites. Through reconstitution experiments in TROP2 negative cells we found that TROP2 T256R is a stable protein with defective cell membrane localization and reduced cell surface binding by RS7 compared to wild-type TROP2. Collectively, these findings underscore TROP2 as a determinant of initial response to SG, and they reveal parallel and mutually exclusive polyclonal molecular mechanisms of acquired resistance involving the direct antibody target and drug payload target in distinct metastatic subclones of a single patient. While further research is needed to extend these novel findings, this study highlights the specificity of SG and illustrates how identifying such mechanisms will inform rational therapeutic strategies to overcome ADC resistance.  

  Study phs002555

• B cell receptor silencing reveals origin and dependencies of high-grade B cell lymphomas with MYC and BCL2 rearrangements

  High-grade B cell lymphomas with MYC and BCL2 rearrangements (HGBCL-DH-BCL2) represent highly aggressive Germinal center (GC) derived B cell malignancies with dismal prognosis and limited therapeutic options. In the present study, we investigated the expression of BCR complex components, including immunoglobulin (IG) heavy (H) and light (L) chains, and CD79A and CD79B signaling subunits in HGBCL-DH-BCL2, scoring 65% of cases with undetectable IGH immunoreactivity (IGHUND). Transcriptomics (bulk RNA-seq) and genetic (whole exome/genome sequencing) analyses indicated that IGHUND and IGH+ HGBCL-DH-BCL2 lymphomas represent distinct biological entities. Specifically, IGHUND HGBCL-DH-BCL2 exhibit a GC DZ-like molecular program, and select subset-specific gene mutations pointing to distinct evolutionary trajectories respect to the IGH+ counterparts. IG profiling revealed that IGHUND HGBCL-DH-BCL2 preserved potentially productive, hypermutated IGH variable (V) gene rearrangements, indicating a selective advantage conferred to the malignant B cells by residual IGH molecules. Accordingly, disruption of the productively rearranged IGHG1 gene in BCRnull HGBCL-DH-BCL2 cell line model confirmed the dependency on IGH expression for optimal fitness. Using transcriptomics and in situ RNA-scope analysis, we reported that IGHUND HGBCL-DH-BCL2 originated from IG-class switched GC B cells, while IGH-expressing tumors were selected for continuous IGM expression. Moreover, while IGH+ HGBCL-DH-BCL2 favor IGM/IG-Kappa expression, IGHUND counterparts complete IG-Lambda light chain rearrangements. Notably, BCR silencing, caused by accelerated IGH turnover and reduced IGH expression, precedes HGBCL-DH-BCL2 onset, inducing RAG1/2-dependent IG light chain editing and eventually facilitating t(8;22)/IGL::MYC translocations. Finally, IGH silencing observed in HGBCL-DH-BCL2 cell models, which leads to intracellular retention/silencing of CD79B, results in reduced sensitivity to the CD79B-targeting antibody-drug conjugate Polatuzumab-vedotin. Collectively, HGBCL-DH-BCL2 originates from isotype-switched t(14;18)+ GC B cells that undergo IG light chain editing fuelling intra-clonal diversification, BCR silencing, and the acquisition of t(8;22) translocation, while preserving IGH dependency.

  Study EGAS50000001047

• Gabriella Miller Kids First Pediatric Research Program in Pediatric T-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

  The outcome for patients with relapsed T-ALL is dismal with 3-year event free survival of AALL0434 was a Children's Oncology Group-initiated phase 3 randomized clinical trial comparing Capizzi-style escalating methotrexate plus pegaspargase (CMTX) vs. high dose methotrexate (HDMTX), with/without six 5-day courses of nelarabine. Survival on this study was superior to any prior trial for de novo T-ALL, changing the standard of care. Yet, a substantial minority (~15%) of patients had relapsed or refractory (r/r) disease. Through the TARGET initiative, RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq), DNA copy number analysis, and whole-exome sequencing (WES) were performed on 264 T-ALL patients treated on AALL0434, demonstrating recurrent alterations could be grouped into 10 different potentially targetable functional pathways. This analysis was not powered to examine associations between genetic lesions with outcome, because too few patients with r/r disease were included. This project is dedicated to testing the hypothesis that comprehensive genomic profiling of the entire AALL0434 cohort will identify recurrent genetic alterations that can be segregated into biologically relevant deregulated pathways that can be combined with MRD to identify patients at risk for poor outcomes before they relapse and provide rationale for treatment with alternative therapies. In addition, a number of small recent studies demonstrated that many of the biologically relevant alterations in T-ALL occur in non-coding regions of the genome, but no large studies have performed whole genome sequencing (WGS) in T-ALL. This project also tests the hypothesis that WGS of a large cohort of patients with T-ALL will identify novel lesions in coding and non-coding regions that will be highly impactful in the understanding of T-ALL pathogenesis.These hypotheses are tested by performing comprehensive genomic profiling (WGS, WES, RNA-Seq, and copy number analysis) of the entire AALL0434 cohort with available samples with the following specific aims: (1) identify recurrent genetic alterations that predict poor outcome in T-ALL; (2) identify novel alterations, including non-coding alterations in T-ALL; and (3) identify germline genetic variants that predispose to T-ALL and to increased toxicity to chemotherapy.

  Study phs002276

• Research of factors related to diagnosis, progression, prognosis and treatment of hepato-biliary-pancreatic malignancies

  Advanced cancers with metastasis and/or recurrence are usually resistant and refractory to treatment. In our studies, whole exome sequencing analysis, comprehensive epigenetic analysis and genome-wide expression analysis were performed using cancerous and non-cancerous tissues derived from multicentric cohort study of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The aim of the studies is identification of the refractoriness-related deriver genes for application to novel molecular targeted therapy and preventive medicine. The studies are intended for refractory HCC. High frequency of the tumor recurrence even after curative resection is one of the major difficulties in the treatment of HCC. According to our previous studies, not the recurrence itself, but the recurrence pattern has critical effects on prognosis of the patient with HCC. Then, we analyzed the cancerous and non-cancerous tissues of primary HCC on the point of the recurrence patterns in accordance with or without Milan criteria. The materials were obtained from thirty three patients underwent curative hepatectomy for HCC at Department of Hepato-Biliary-Pancreatic Surgery, Tokyo Medical and Dental University Hospital. Written informed consent from these patients, as well as the institutional review board approved was obtained. The determination of the refractory HCC group (16 cases) was based on the point of the recurrence patterns in accordance with Milan criteria for the recurrent tumor (solitary <5cm, or up to 3 nodules <3 cm, without major vascular invasion or distant metastasis) that has been proposed as the useful criteria of the liver transplantation for HCC. The cellular DNA was extracted from the cancerous and non-cancerous tissues of primary HCC by the phenol-chloroform method. After SNP certification using Genome-Wide Human SNP Array 6.0 (Affymetrix), whole exome sequencing was performed at the Cancer Institute of JFCR, as the support infrastructure. Exome sequencing was performed using HiSeq 2000 (Illumina), and the obtained reads were mapped to the human reference genome (hg19) using BWA software. GATK software was used for local realignment base call recalibration. Single nucleotide variants (SNVs) and indels were analyzed by MuTect and SomaticIndelDetector, as well as visual confirmation by IGV software.

  Study JGAS000052

• UK10K NEURO GURLING

  In the UK10K project we propose a series of complementary genetic approaches to find new low frequency/rare variants contributing to disease phenotypes. These will be based on obtaining the genome wide sequence of 4000 samples from the TwinsUK and ALSPAC cohorts (at 6x sequence coverage), and the exome sequence (protein coding regions and related conserved sequence) of 6000 samples selected for extreme phenotypes. Our studies will focus primarily on cardiovascular-related quantitative traits, obesity and related metabolic traits, neurodevelopmental disorders and a limited number of extreme clinical phenotypes that will provide proof-of-concept for future familial trait sequencing. We will analyse directly quantitative traits in the cohorts and the selected traits in the extreme samples, and also use imputation down to 0.1% allele frequency to extend the analyses to further sample sets with genome wide genotype data. In each case we will investigate indels and larger structural variants as well as SNPs, and use statistical methods that combine rare variants in a locus or pathway as well as single-variant approaches. This sample set consists of DNA from multiply affected schizophrenia families. The families have been diagnosed using the SADS-L clinical instrument which gives diagnoses at the probable level of the research diagnostic criteria (RDC). In addition all diagnoses are available using DSMIIIR criteria. These criteria are widely accepted as being valid and reliable for the diagnosis of schizophrenia. All families have been collected to ensure that they are uni-lineal for transmission of schizophrenia, i.e. they have only one affected parent with schizophrenia, or a relative of only one transmitting or obligate carrier parent with schizophrenia. Families with bi-lineal transmission of schizophrenia (i.e. with both parents being affected) were not sampled for this study. All families have multiple cases of schizophrenia and related disorders. The families have been selected to ensure there are no cases of bipolar disorder within them and that they do not contain bipolar disorder in any relatives on either side of the family.For further information on this cohort please contact Hugh Gurling (h.gurling@ucl.ac.uk).

  Study EGAS00001000225

• Genomic analysis of patient-derived xenograft models reveals intratumor-heterogeneity in endometrial cancer and can predict tumor growth inhibition with talazoparib

  Background: Endometrial cancer (EC) is a major gynecological cancer with increasing incidence. It comprised of four molecular subtypes with differing etiology, prognoses, and response to chemotherapy. In the future, clinical trials testing new single agents or combination therapies will be targeted to the molecular subtype most likely to respond. Pre-clinical models that faithfully represent the molecular subtypes of EC are urgently needed, we sought to develop and characterize a panel of novel EC patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models. Methods: Here, we report whole exome or whole genome sequencing of 11 PDX models and the matched primary tumor. Analysis of multiple PDX lineages and passages was performed to study tumor heterogeneity across lineages and/or passages. Based on recent reports of frequent defects in the homologous recombination (HR) pathway in EC, we assessed mutational signatures and HR deficiency scores and correlated these with in vivo responses to the PARP inhibitor (PARPi) talazoparib in six PDXs representing the copy number high/p53-mutant and mismatch-repair deficient molecular subtypes of EC. Results: PDX models were successfully generated with similar histomorphology from all four molecular subtypes of EC and uterine carcinosarcomas. We also observed a wide range of inter-tumor and intra-tumor heterogeneity across different PDX lineages, however one arm of most PDX models recapitulated the molecular landscape of the primary tumor without major genomic drift. An in vivo response to talazoparib was detected in four copy number high models. Two models (carcinosarcomas) showed a response consistent with stable disease and two models (one copy number high serous EC and another carcinosarcoma) showed significant tumor growth inhibition, albeit one consistent with progressive disease, however all lacked the HR deficiency genomic signature. Conclusions: EC PDX models represent the four molecular subtypes of disease and can capture intra-tumoral heterogeneity of the original primary tumor. PDXs of the copy number high molecular subtype showed sensitivity to PARPi, however, deeper and more durable responses will likely require combination of PARPi with other agents.

  Study EGAS00001004666

• Foundation Medicine Genomic Data Used to Identify Prognostic Markers and Fusion Genes in Multiple Myeloma

  The purpose of this study is to identify prognostic markers and treatment targets using a clinically certified sequencing panel in multiple myeloma. Mutational burden was associated with maf and proliferation gene expression groups, and a high-mutational burden was associated with a poor prognosis. We identified homozygous deletions that were present in multiple myeloma within key genes, including CDKN2C, RB1, TRAF3, BIRC3 and TP53, and that bi-allelic inactivation was significantly enriched at relapse. Alterations in CDKN2C, TP53, RB1 and the t(4;14) were associated with poor prognosis. Alterations in RB1 were predominantly homozygous deletions and were associated with relapse and a poor prognosis which was independent of other genetic markers, including t(4;14), after multivariate analysis. Bi-allelic inactivation of key tumor suppressor genes in myeloma was enriched at relapse, especially in RB1, CDKN2C and TP53 where they have prognostic significance. In addition, chromosomal rearrangements that result in oncogenic kinase activation are present in many solid and hematological malignancies, but none have been reported in multiple myeloma (MM). Here we detected fusion genes in 1.5% of patients. These fusion genes were in-frame and the majority of them contained kinase domains from either receptor tyrosine kinases (ALK, ROS1, NTRK3, and FGFR1) or cytoplasmic kinases (BRAF, MAP3K14, and MAPK14) which would result in the activation of MEK/ERK, NF-κB or inflammatory signaling pathways. Fusion genes were present in smoldering MM, newly diagnosed MM and relapse patient samples indicating they are not solely late events. Most fusion genes were subclonal in nature, but one EML4-ALK fusion was clonal indicating it is a driver of disease pathogenesis. Samples with fusions of receptor tyrosine kinases were not found in conjunction with clonal Ras/Raf mutations indicating a parallel mechanism of MEK/ERK pathway activation. Fusion genes involving MAP3K14 (NIK), which regulates the NF-κB pathway, were detected as were t(14;17) rearrangements involving NIK in 2% of MM samples. Activation of kinases in myeloma through rearrangements presents an opportunity to use treatments existing in other cancers.

  Study EGAS00001002874

• Scottish High Grade Serous Ovarian Cancer

  Scottish HGSOC samples were collected via local Bioresource facilities at Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dundee and Aberdeen and stored in liquid Nitrogen until required. HGSOC patients were determined from pathology records and were included in the study where there was matched tumour and whole blood samples. On receipt of tumour material the tumour was processed as follows: firstly, the tumour sample was divided into two for DNA and RNA extraction. Slivers of tissue were cut from the front and rear faces of the DNA sample, then fixed in formalin and embedded in paraffin wax. Sections from the front and rear tissues from all samples were examined by H&amp;E staining supplemented by WT1/p53 immunohistochemistry if required. Following pathology review, samples were only included if they met the following criteria: they were confirmed as HGSOC and there was greater than 40% tumour cellularity throughout the tumour, determined using the H&amp;E sections. Somatic DNA was extracted using the Qiagen DNeasy Blood and tissue kit (cat no 69504). The tissue was initially homogenised using a Qiagen Bioruptor, followed by the manufacturers recommended protocol (including RNase digestion step). Germline DNA was extracted from 1-3ml whole blood using the Qiagen FlexiGene kit (cat no 51206) following the manufacturers recommended protocol. The resulting DNA underwent quality control as follows: firstly, A260 and A280nm were measured on a Denovix DS-11 Fx to qualitatively illustrate A260/280nm and A260/230nm ratios as surrogate measures of DNA purity. A260/280 had to be 1.8 or greater and A260/230 had to be 2.0 or greater. Then, DNA was quantified using LifeTechnologies Qubit dsDNA BR kit (cat no Q32850) and we required a minimum of 50ul at 25ng/ul for WGS. Thirdly, DNA was diluted to 25ng/ul and a representative sample was loaded onto a 0.8% TAE gel, ran at 100v for 60mins and then imaged using a BioRad ChemiDoc imaging system to visualise the DNA quality. Only when all 4 quality control requirements were satisfied was the DNA sequenced. The DNA was sequenced at the Glasgow Precision Oncology Laboratories.

  Study EGAS00001004410

• Gene expression-based prediction of pazopanib efficacy in sarcoma (HIPO, H021)

  The multi-receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) inhibitor pazopanib is approved for the treatment of advanced non-adipocytic soft-tissue sarcoma and has also shown activity in other sarcoma subtypes. However, its clinical efficacy is highly variable, and no reliable predictors exist to date to select patients who are most likely to benefit from this drug. We analyzed the molecular profiles and clinical outcomes of pazopanib-treated sarcoma patients enrolled in a prospective observational study by the German Cancer Consortium, DKTK MASTER, that employs whole-genome/exome sequencing (WGS/WES) and transcriptome sequencing to inform the care of adults with advanced cancer across histologies who are younger than 51 and patients with rare tumors, including rare subtypes of more common entities, regardless of age.​ Among a total of 109 patients with available WGS/WES data, there was no correlation between clinical parameters, specific genetic alterations, or mutational signatures and clinical outcome. In contrast, analysis of a subcohort of 62 patients who underwent molecular analysis before pazopanib treatment and had transcriptome sequencing data available showed that mRNA levels of NTRK3 (hazard ratio [HR]=0.53, p=0.021), IGF1R (HR=1.82, p=0.027), and KDR (HR=0.50, p=0.011) were independently associated with progression-free survival (PFS). Based on the expression of these RTK genes, i.e., the features NTRK3-high, IGF1R-low, and KDR-high, we developed a pazopanib efficacy predictor (PEP) that stratified patients into three groups with significantly different PFS (p&lt;0.0001). Application of the PEP to an independent cohort of pazopanib-treated sarcoma patients from DKTK MASTER (n=43) confirmed its potential to separate patient groups with significantly different PFS (p=0.02), whereas no such association was observed in sarcoma patients from DKTK MASTER (n=77) or The Cancer Genome Atlas sarcoma cohort (n=256) who were not treated with pazopanib. A score based on the combined expression of NTRK3, IGF1R, and KDR allows identification of sarcoma patients with good, intermediate, and poor outcome following pazopanib therapy and warrants investigation as a predictive tool in prospective studies to optimize the use of this drug in the clinic.

  Study EGAS00001005836

• Evolution and clinical impact of genetic epistasis within EGFR-mutant lung cancers

  The current understanding of tumorigenesis is largely centered on a monogenic driver oncogene model. This paradigm is incompatible with the prevailing clinical experience in most solid malignancies: monotherapy with a drug directed against an individual oncogenic driver typically results in incomplete clinical responses and eventual tumor progression1-7. By profiling the somatic genetic alterations present in over 2,000 cases of lung cancer, the leading cause of cancer mortality worldwide, we show that combinations of functional genetic alterations, i.e. genetic collectives dominate the landscape of advanced-stage disease. We highlight this polygenic landscape and evolution of advanced-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) through the spatial-temporal genomic profiling of 7 distinct tumor biopsy specimens and 6 plasma specimens obtained from an EGFR-mutant NSCLC patient at (1) initial diagnosis of early-stage disease, (2) metastatic progression, (3) sequential treatment and resistance to 2 EGFR inhibitors, (4) death. The comprehensive genomic analysis of this case, coupled with circulating free (cf) tumor DNA profiling of additional advanced-stage EGFR-mutant NSCLC clinical cohorts with associated treatment responses uncovered features of evolutionary selection for multiple concurrent gene alterations: including the presence of EGFR inhibitor-sensitive (EGFRL858R;EGFRexon19del) or inhibitor-resistant (EGFRT790M;EGFRC797S) forms of oncogenic EGFR along with cell cycle gene alterations (e.g. in CDK4/6, CCNE1, RB1) and activating alterations in WNT/β-catenin and PI3K pathway genes, which our data suggest can cooperatively impart non-redundant functions to limit EGFR targeted therapy response and/or promote tumor progression. Moreover, evidence of an unanticipated parallel evolution of both EGFR T790M and two distinct forms of oncogenic PIK3CA was observed. Our study provides a large-scale clinical and genetic dataset of advanced-stage EGFR-mutant NSCLC, a rationale for specific polytherapy strategies such as EGFR and CDK4/6 inhibitor co-treatment to potentially enhance clinical outcomes, and prompts a re-evaluation of the prevailing paradigm of monogenic-based molecular stratification for targeted therapy. Instead, our findings highlight an alternative model of genetic collectives that operate through epistasis to drive lung cancer progression and therapy resistance.

  Study EGAS00001002604

• Chromatin profiles classify castration-resistant prostate cancers suggesting therapeutic targets

  Untreated prostate cancers rely on androgen receptor (AR) signaling for growth and survival, forming the basis for the initial efficacy of androgen deprivation therapy (ADT). Yet, the disease can relapse and progress to a lethal stage termed castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). Reactivation of AR signaling represents the most common driver of CRPC growth and next generation AR signaling inhibitors (ARSIs) are now used in combination with ADT as a first line therapy. However, ARSIs can result in selective pressure generating AR-independent tumors. The transition from AR-dependence frequently accompanies a change in phenotype resembling developmental trans-differentiation or ‘lineage plasticity’. Neuroendocrine prostate cancer, which lacks a defined pathologic classification, is the most studied type of lineage plasticity. However, most AR-null tumors do not exhibit neuroendocrine features and are classified as ‘double-negative prostate cancer’, the drivers of which are poorly defined. Lineage plasticity studies in CRPC are limited by the lack of genetically defined patient-derived models that recapitulate the disease spectrum. To address this, we developed a biobank of organoids generated from patient biopsies to study the landscape of metastatic CRPC and allow for functional validation assays. Proteins called transcription factors (TFs) are drivers of tumor lineage plasticity. To identify the key TFs that drive the growth of AR-independent tumors, we integrated epigenetic and transcriptomic data generated from CRPC models. By presenting a map of the chromatin accessibility and transcriptomic landscape of CRPC using a diverse biobank of organoids, PDXs and cell lines that recapitulate the heterogeneity of metastatic prostate cancer, we validate CRPC-AR and CRPC-NE subtypes and reveal two subtypes of AR-negative/low samples as well as their respective masterTFs. Additional analysis revealed a model in which YAP, TAZ, TEAD and AP-1 function together and drive oncogenic growth in CRPC-SCL samples. Overall, we show here how an approach to stratify CRPC patients into four subtypes using their transcriptomic signatures can potentially inform upon appropriate clinical decisions.

  Study EGAS00001006059

• HCA_Thymus_Disease_DiGeorge_Transplant_RNA

  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/

  Study EGAS00001004025

• High-resolution testing of ctDNA dynamics predicts survival in metastatic NSCLC

  One of the great challenges of therapeutic oncology is determining who might achieve survival benefit from a particular therapy. Circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) provides real-time assessments of patient prognosis and response to treatment using a simple blood draw. While ctDNA positivity is established as a poor prognostic factor, studies on longitudinal ctDNA dynamics have been small and non-randomized, with ctDNA assessments done at disparate time points. To address this, we performed high-sensitivity longitudinal ctDNA testing in 466 patients across 5 time points (1,954 samples total) in a randomized phase III study comparing different chemotherapy-immunotherapy combinations. We leverage machine learning to jointly model multiple ctDNA metrics to predict overall survival in a training/testing framework. _ . Treatment initiation correlated with reductions in ctDNA levels, and training of our machine learning model suggests that assessment of ctDNA dynamics at C3D1 (cycle 3 day 1) of chemo-IO treatment may be optimal to predict OS. The model performs well in the hold-back test data, enabling stratification of patients with Stable Disease (SD) into high-risk vs low-intermediate-risk (HR = 3.2 [2.0-5.3], p &lt;0.001; median 7.1 versus 22.3 months respectively); similarly, the model stratifies patients with a Partial Response (PR) (HR =3.3 [1.7-6.4], p &lt;0.001; median 8.8 versus 28.6 months). Importantly, the model validates well in an external cohort of patients in a different treatment setting and assayed with a different ctDNA technology, in which model predictions similarly identified high-risk patients (OS HR=3.73 [1.83-7.60], logrank p=0.00012). Simulations of clinical trial scenarios employing our ctDNA model further suggest that early ctDNA testing outperforms early radiographic imaging for predicting trial outcomes (increasing the rate of ‘True Go’ decisions by 5.2 - 22.8% depending on the drug combination). Overall, we show that measuring ctDNA dynamics during the course of therapy dramatically improves patient risk stratification, and may provide a means to differentiate between competing therapies at an early time point during clinical trials.

  Study EGAS00001006703

• Influence of Genomic Landscape on Cancer Immunotherapy for Newly Diagnosed Ovarian Cancer: Biomarker Analyses from the IMagyn050 Randomized Clinical Trial

  The IMagyn050 trial (NCT03038100), which evaluated the efficacy of Atezo vs placebo (Pla) with carboplatin, paclitaxel and bevacizumab (CPB) in front line ovarian cancer patient (pts), did not meet its co-primary endpoints of PFS in ITT or PD-L1+ (Moore et al. JCO 2021). The aim of this exploratory study was to evaluate whether patients with BRCA1/2-mutated or homologous recombination-deficient (HRD) ovarian cancers benefitted from atezolizumab in the phase III IMagyn050 (NCT03038100) trial. Methods: Patients with newly diagnosed ovarian cancer were randomized to either atezolizumab or placebo with standard chemotherapy and bevacizumab. PD-L1 status of tumor-infiltrating immune cells was determined centrally (VENTANA SP142 assay). Genomic alterations, including deleterious BRCA1/2 alterations, genomic loss of heterozygosity (gLOH), tumor mutation burden (TMB), and microsatellite instability (MSI), were evaluated using the FoundationOne assay. HRD was defined as gLOH ≥16%, regardless of BRCA1/2 mutation status. Potential associations between progression-free survival (PFS) and genomic biomarkers were evaluated using standard correlation analyses and log-rank of Kaplan-Meier estimates. Results Among biomarker-evaluable samples, 22% (234/1050) harbored BRCA1/2 mutations and 46% (446/980) were HRD. Median TMB was low irrespective of BRCA1/2 or HRD. Only 3% (29/1024) had TMB ≥10 mut/Mb and 0.3% (3/1022) were MSI-high. PFS was better in BRCA2-mutated versus BRCA2-non-mutated tumors and in HRD versus proficient tumors. PD-L1 positivity (≥1% expression on immune cells) was associated with HRD but not BRCA1/2 mutations. PFS was not improved by adding atezolizumab in BRCA2-mutated or HRD tumors; there was a trend toward enhanced PFS with atezolizumab in BRCA1-mutated tumors. Conclusion Most ovarian tumors have low TMB despite BRCA1/2 mutations or HRD. Neither BRCA1/2 mutation nor HRD predicted enhanced benefit from atezolizumab. This is the first randomized double-blind trial in ovarian cancer demonstrating that genomic instability triggered by BRCA1/2 mutation or HRD is not associated with improved sensitivity to immune checkpoint inhibitors.

  Study EGAS00001006838

• Mapping the epigenomic landscape of human monocytes following innate immune activation reveals context-specific mechanisms driving endotoxin tolerance

  Background Monocytes are key mediators of innate immunity to infection, undergoing profound and dynamic changes in epigenetic state and immune function which are broadly protective but may be dysregulated in disease. Here, we aimed to advance understanding of epigenetic regulation following innate immune activation, acutely and in endotoxin tolerant states. Methods We exposed human primary monocytes from healthy donors (n=6) to interferon-γ or differing combinations of endotoxin (lipopolysaccharide), including acute response (2hr) and two models of endotoxin tolerance: repeated stimulations (6+6hr) and prolonged exposure to endotoxin (24hr). Another subset of monocytes was left untreated (naïve). We identified context-specific regulatory elements based on epigenetic signatures for chromatin accessibility (ATAC-seq) and regulatory non-coding RNAs from total RNA sequencing. Results We present an atlas of differential gene expression for endotoxin and interferon response, identifying widespread context specific changes. Across assayed states, only 24-29% of genes showing differential exon usage are also differential at the gene level. Overall, 19.9% (6884 of 34616) of repeatedly observed ATAC peaks were differential in at least one condition, the majority upregulated on stimulation and located in distal regions (64.1% vs 45.9% of non-differential peaks) within which sequences were less conserved than non-differential peaks. We identified enhancer-derived RNA signatures specific to different monocyte states that correlated with chromatin accessibility changes. The endotoxin tolerance models showed distinct chromatin accessibility and transcriptomic signatures, with integrated analysis identifying genes and pathways involved in the inflammatory response, detoxification, metabolism and wound healing. We leveraged eQTL mapping for the same monocyte activation states to link potential enhancers with specific genes, identifying 1,946 unique differential ATAC peaks with 1,340 expression associated genes. We further use this to inform understanding of reported GWAS, for example involving FCHO1 and coronary artery disease. Conclusion This study reports context-specific regulatory elements based on transcriptomic profiling and epigenetic signatures for enhancer-derived RNAs and chromatin accessibility in immune tolerant monocyte states, and demonstrates the informativeness of linking such elements and eQTL to inform future mechanistic studies aimed at defining therapeutic targets of immunosuppression and diseases.

  Study EGAS00001007362

• Multi-omic and functional analysis for classification and treatment of sarcomas with FUS-TFCP2 or EWSR1-TFCP2 fusions(H021/INF)

  Many rare cancers are not well understood, and pathogenesis-directed therapies are often lacking, resulting in poor patient outcomes. Leveraging two (inter)national precision oncology trials that enroll large numbers of rare cancers, we investigated the clinical, histopathologic, molecular, and functional characteristics of rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) with fusions of FUS or EWSR1 to the TFCP2 transcription factor, a recently discovered ultra-rare entity whose classification, pathogenesis, and optimal treatment are unclear. Unusually for fusion-driven sarcomas, most cases had highly rearranged genomes, including chromothripsis, and signs of defective homologous recombination DNA repair. All tumors showed extreme expression of a truncated TERT variant and the ALK receptor tyrosine kinase, which was additionally affected by intragenic deletions and aberrant splicing, resulting in the expression of shortened variants in 58% of cases. Three ALK variants were oncogenic in immortalized cells, and patient-derived tumor cells expressing two variants responded to certain ALK inhibitors. Other recurrent alterations included CDKN2A/MTAP co-deletions and mutations in PAPPA2, encoding an IGFBP5-specific proteinase, in 67% and 25% of cases, respectively. DNA methylation analysis, along with 19 other soft-tissue sarcoma classes, revealed a close relationship with undifferentiated sarcoma but not other RMS subtypes, suggesting that TFCP2-rearranged RMS is a separate entity, possibly arising from a distinct cell of origin. Expression of TFCP2 fusions in immortalized human cells blocked late myogenic differentiation and significantly induced genes that were also highly expressed in patient tumors, including ALK, TERT, and two known regulators of skeletal muscle cells, IGFBP5 and PTH1R. Genome-wide chromatin profiling demonstrated direct binding of FUS-TFCP2 to the ALK and TERT loci outside their regular promoters, which correlated with the expression of alternative transcript variants. Finally, FUS-TFCP2 inhibited the repair of DNA double-strand breaks in immortalized cells, rendering them sensitive to treatment with cisplatin. This study provides insight into the pathogenesis and therapeutic vulnerabilities of a new RMS subtype and illustrates the value of linking comprehensive molecular diagnostics and functional annotation within multicenter consortia to improve the understanding and clinical management of rare cancers.

  Study EGAS00001006939

• ACT-Discover: identifying karyotype heterogeneity in pancreatic cancer evolution using ctDNA

  Background Liquid biopsies, and the dynamic tracking of somatic mutations within circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA) can provide insight into the dynamics of cancer evolution and the intra-tumour heterogeneity that fuels treatment resistance. However, identifying and tracking dynamic changes in somatic copy-number alterations (SCNAs), which have been associated with poor outcome and metastasis, using ctDNA is challenging. Pancreatic adenocarcinoma is a disease which has been considered to harbour early punctuated events in its evolution, leading to an early fitness peak, with minimal further subclonal evolution. Methods To interrogate the role of SCNAs in pancreatic adenocarcinoma cancer evolution, we applied whole-exome sequencing of 55 longitudinal cell-free DNA (cfDNA) samples taken from 24 patients (including 8 from whom a patient-derived xenograft (PDX) was derived) with metastatic disease prospectively recruited into a clinical trial. We developed a method, Aneuploidy in Circulating Tumour DNA (ACT-Discover), that leverages haplotype phasing of paired tumour biopsies or PDXs to identify SCNAs in cfDNA with greater sensitivity. Results SCNAs were observed within 28 of 47 evaluable cfDNA samples. Of these events, 30% could only be identified by harnessing the haplotype-aware approach leveraged in ACT-Discover. The exceptional purity of PDX tumours enabled near-complete phasing of genomic regions in allelic imbalance, highlighting an important auxiliary function of PDXs. Finally, although the classical model of pancreatic cancer evolution emphasises the importance of early, homogenous somatic events as a key requirement for cancer development, ACT-Discover identified substantial heterogeneity of SCNAs, including parallel focal and arm-level events, affecting different parental alleles within individual tumours. Indeed, ongoing acquisition of SCNAs was identified within tumours throughout the disease course, including within an untreated metastatic tumour. Conclusions This work demonstrates the power of haplotype phasing to study genomic variation in cfDNA samples and reveals undiscovered intra-tumour heterogeneity with important scientific and clinical implications. Implementation of ACT-Discover could lead to important insights from existing cohorts, or underpin future prospective studies seeking to characterise the landscape of tumour evolution through liquid biopsy.

  Study EGAS00001007077

• Transcriptome of CD4+ T cells and CD8+ T cells in glioblastoma multiforme

  Patients included in this study were over 18 years of age and had a histology-confirmed diagnosis of glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). Exclusion criteria were the previous administration of any anti-tumor therapy including radiation therapy. All patients gave written informed consent. The study was approved by the local ethics committee (TUM Medical school) and conducted following the Declaration of Helsinki. During resection of the tumors, tumor tissue and tissue from normal appearing brain within the operative channel was collected. Blood was drawn during the surgical procedure. Single cell suspensions were prepared from the tumor tissue, the normal appearing brain, and the blood. CD4+ T cells and CD8+ T cells were sorted by flow cytometry. Only patients with a complete set of specimens (CD4+ tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL), CD8+ TIL, CD4+ T cells from normal appearing brain, CD8+ T cells from normal appearing brain, blood-derived CD4+ and CD8+ T cells) containing a minimum of 1000 cells in each sorted sample were further analyzed (n=9). Total RNA was isolated from sorted cell populations using the RNAeasy Plus micro kit (Qiagen, 74034). Quality and integrity of total RNA was controlled on a Bioanalyzer 2100 (Agilent Technologies). Library preparation for bulk-sequencing of poly(A)-RNA was done as described previously (Parekh et al., 2016). Briefly, barcoded cDNA of each sample was generated with a Maxima RT polymerase (ThermoFisher Scientific, EP0742) using oligo-dT primer containing barcodes, unique molecular identifiers (UMIs) and an adaptor. Ends of the cDNAs were extended by a template switch oligo (TSO) and full-length cDNA was amplified with primers binding to the TSO-site and the adaptor. NEB UltraII FS kit was used to fragment cDNA. After end repair and A-tailing, a TruSeq adapter was ligated and 3'-end-fragments were finally amplified using primers with Illumina P5 and P7 overhangs. In comparison to previous descriptions (Parekh et al., 2016), the P5 and P7 sites were exchanged to allow sequencing of the cDNA in read 1 and barcodes and UMIs in read 2 to achieve a better cluster recognition. The library was sequenced on a NextSeq 500 (Illumina) with 59 cycles for the cDNA in read 1 and 16 cycles for the barcodes and UMIs in read 2. Data were processed using the published Drop-seq pipeline (v1.0) to generate sample- and gene-wise UMI tables (Macosko et al., 2015). Reference genome (GRCh38) was used for alignment. Transcript and gene definitions were used according to the Genecode Annotation Version 35.

  Dataset EGAD50000000226

• Alzheimer's Disease Genetics Consortium (ADGC) Genome Wide Association Study -NIA Alzheimer's Disease Centers Cohort

  The National Institute on Aging (NIA) Alzheimer&#39;s Disease Centers (ADCs) cohort includes subjects ascertained and evaluated by the clinical and neuropathology cores of the 29 NIA-funded ADCs. Data collection is coordinated by the National Alzheimer&#39;s Coordinating Center (NACC). NACC coordinates collection of phenotype data from the 29 ADCs, cleans all data, coordinates implementation of definitions of AD cases and controls, and coordinates collection of samples. The ADC cohort consists of autopsy-confirmed and clinically-confirmed AD cases, and cognitively normal elders (CNEs) with complete neuropathology data who were older than 60 years at age of death, and living CNEs evaluated using the Uniform dataset (UDS) protocol who were documented to not have mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and were between 60 and 100 years of age at assessment. ADCs sent frozen tissue from autopsied subjects and DNA samples from some autopsied subjects and from living subjects to the National Cell Repository for Alzheimer&#39;s Disease (NCRAD). DNA was prepared by NCRAD for genotyping and sent to the genotyping site at Children&#39;s Hospital of Philadelphia. ADC samples were genotyped and analyzed in separate batches. [Reprinted from AC Naj et al. Common variants at MS4A4/MS4A6E, CD2AP, CD33 and EPHA1 are associated with late-onset Alzheimer&#39;s disease. Nature Genetics 43, 436-441 (2011). doi:10.1038/ng.801. PMID: 21460841.]

  Study phs000372

• Nala TAS-LRS PGx Study

  Pharmacogenomics (PGx) testing improves medication safety and efficacy by identifying genetic variants that affect drug response. However, current technologies often fail to resolve complex loci, detect structural variants, or phase alleles accurately. Here, we present an end-to-end PGx workflow based on Targeted Adaptive Sampling-Long Read Sequencing (TAS-LRS), integrating a streamlined laboratory protocol with a bioinformatics pipeline that includes a novel CYP2D6 caller. Using 1,000 ng of DNA and three-sample multiplexing on a single PromethION flow cell, the assay achieves consistent on-target (25x) and off-target (3x) coverage, enabling accurate, haplotype-resolved testing of 35 pharmacogenes alongside genome-wide genotyping from off-target reads. We further developed the workflow into a clinically ready service and validated its performance across 17 reference and clinical samples. The assay demonstrated high concordance for small variants (99.9%) and structural variants (>95%), with phased diplotypes and metabolizer phenotypes reaching 97.7% and 98.0% concordance, respectively. Improved calls were observed in 12 genes due to enhanced genotyping, phasing, or novel allele detection. In addition, off-target reads supported accurate genome-wide imputation, comparable to short-read sequencing and superior to microarrays. These results establish the feasibility of long-read sequencing for clinical PGx testing and position TAS-LRS as a scalable solution combining both targeted and genome-wide utility.

  Study EGAS50000001116

• Osteosarcoma 3D patient derived cultures to test genome-informed personalized treatment options; a feasibility study

  Background: Improving osteosarcoma treatment beyond conventional (neo)adjuvant chemotherapy and resection remains challenging. An urgent need for novel therapeutic options, particularly personalized and targeted approaches, has emerged due to high inter-patient molecular heterogeneity. A lack of representative in vitro and in vivo models impedes therapeutic development, therefore we aimed to create 3D in vitro long term culture models directly from patient material. Methods: Tumour cells from seven osteosarcoma patients were propagated in monolayer or collagen hydrogels, while whole-exome sequencing of corresponding primary tumour tissue was performed to identify potential drug targets. Established cultures were subsequently used to assess efficacy of the identified personalized treatment options. Results: Three out of seven hydrogel cultures harboured the same genetic alterations as the corresponding primary tumours. Among these, the L6565 patient line exhibited homozygous CDKN2A loss with retained Rb expression, rendering tumour cells sensitive to CDK4/CDK6 inhibition via palbociclib. This patient line was used to evaluate genome-informed therapy and to compare cell culture models of increasing complexity. Our findings demonstrate feasibility of establishing long-term patient-derived osteosarcoma cultures with a success rate of 14%. Tumour heterogeneity was reflected in advanced culture methods producing more variability in treatment response. Conclusion: These results highlight the potential of genome-informed therapies in osteosarcoma and the importance of refining culture techniques to enhance translational research and therapeutic outcomes.

  Study EGAS50000001583

• Novel CNV contribution to schizophrenia from a genome wide study of 41,321 subjects

  Genomic copy number variants (CNVs) have been strongly implicated in the etiology schizophrenia (SCZ). However, apart from a small number of risk variants, elucidation of the CNV contribution to risk has been difficult due to the very low frequencies of risk alleles, all occurring in less than 1% of patients. We sought to address this obstacle through a collaborative effort unprecedented in psychiatry in which we applied a centralized analysis pipeline to a large SCZ cohort of 21,094 cases and 20,227 controls. A global enrichment of CNV burden is observed in SCZ patients (OR=1.11, P=5.7e-15), and persists after excluding loci implicated in previous studies (OR=1.07, P=1.7e-6). CNV Burden is also enriched for genes associated with synaptic function (OR = 1.68, P = 2.8e-11) and neurobehavioral phenotypes in mouse (OR = 1.18, P= 7.3e-05). While only previously implicated loci surpass strict genome-wide testing correction, we identify “novel” CNVs (BH-FDR &lt; 0.05) that confer both protective and risk effects on SCZ and are predominantly mediated by non-allelic homologous recombination (NAHR). Our combined data find genome-wide significant support for eight loci, including 1q21.1, 2p16.3 (NRXN1), 3q29, 7q11.2, 15q13.3, distal 16p11.2, proximal 16p11.2 and 22q11.2.

  Study EGAS00001001960

• RNA-sequencing of human skin samples obtained from SSc patients and healthy controls.

  Patient information SSc patients were recruited at the Department of Rheumatology of the Leiden University Medical Center (Leiden, The Netherlands). All patients met the American Rheumatism Association classification criteria for SSc (Subcommittee for scleroderma criteria 1980), and were classified according to LeRoy and Medsger criteria as either limited or diffuse cutaneous disease (LeRoy EC, Black C, Fleischmajer R, Jablonska S, Krieg T, Medsger TA Jr, Rowell N 1988). Institutional review board approval and written informed consent was obtained before patients entered this study. Two 4 mm skin biopsies were taken from a standardized location on the most proximal part of the lower arm, distal from the elbow. In 10 patients the skin biopsy came from a clinically affected area and in 4 patients the skin was locally unaffected. One sample was used for RNA sequencing and one sample was used for immunohistochemistry. Skin biopsies from healthy individuals were commercially sourced (Tissue Solutions, UK) and collected from donors undergoing skin resection surgery and after informed consent. To match the healthy skin with patients as much as possible, skin biopsies from healthy controls were also taken from a similar position (the under-arm (for 4 controls) and leg (for 2 controls)). Healthy skin donors were selected to match the age and sex of the SSc patient cohort. Biopsies from patients and controls were equally treated and were both stored at -80°C until RNA isolation was performed. RNA from frozen skin biopsies was isolated using RNeasy kit from fibrous tissue (Qiagen, the Netherlands). RNA quantity was determined by using SimplyNano 2000 and quality was assessed on Tapestation (Agilent, the Netherlands). All samples included in the study had a RIN score above 7.0. Transcriptome characterisation and analysis RNA sequencing was performed using polyA selection and a stranded protocol using Ion Torrent next generation sequencing technology (Service XS, The Netherlands). The Ion PI Template OT2 200 Kit v3 and Ion PI Sequencing 200 Kit v3 were used according to the manufacturer’s instructions. 20 samples were run on 11 PI chips. PI chip analyses, base calling and quality checks were performed using the Torrent Server Suite. An average of 42 million 100 bp reads was generated per sample. Following quality control, reads were aligned to the human genome (Homo sapiens GRh38.78) using Bowtie2 and STAR (Dobin et al. 2013; Langmead and Salzberg 2012). Reads were first aligned with STAR. For the unmapped reads from STAR, a second alignment step was performed using bowtie2 (local very sensitive options)

  Dataset EGAD00001003832

• PAK4 inhibition improves PD-1 blockade immunotherapy

  Introduction with rationale and aims for study Immune checkpoint blockade therapies have significantly altered the current landscape of cancer treatment. However, this immunotherapy still fails more often than it succeeds. There are now evidences that the lack of tumour infiltration by immune cells is the main mechanism of primary resistance to PD&#8208;1 blockade therapies for cancer. It has been postulated that cancer cell&#8208;intrinsic mechanisms may actively exclude T cells from tumours, suggesting that the finding of actionable molecules that could be inhibited to increase T cell infiltration may synergize with checkpoint inhibitor immunotherapy. With the idea of finding potential drivers of immune exclusion, we performed RNA sequencing analysis of biopsies from melanoma patients and compared the transcriptomic differences of samples that where infiltrated with those that did not have immune infiltration. Methods RNAseq analysis of gene expressions on biopsies from melanoma patients treated with checkpoint blockade were analysed. We focused on the variable of "infiltration: yes or no,", e.g. tumors that were well infiltrated by immune cells with those that kept immune cells out. Sequencing revealed a list of genes whose expression differed between the infiltrated and noninfiltrated tumors. The kinase PAK4 stood out as a good candidate for inhibition treatment in the future as it was consistently enriched in the samples without immune infiltration. To test whether immunotherapy would work better if we deleted PAK4, we first knocked out PAK4, using CRISPR&#8208;Cas9, in the &#8208;resistant melanoma cell line, B16. Then they injected the melanoma cells into mice and observed that PAK4 KO tumours now responded to PD&#8208;1 blockade. In order to elucidate whether pharmacological inhibition of PAK4 could recapitulate the results observed in the B16 PAK4 KO tumours, we obtained the PAK4 inhibitor, KPT-9274, from Karyopharm Therapeutics. Indeed, inhibiting PAK4 in combination with anti&#8208;PD&#8208;1 immunotherapy significantly slowed the growth of the B16 melanomas more than either drug alone. Results and Conclusions Transcriptomic analysis of melanoma tumors that were well infiltrated by immune cells with those that kept immune cells out revealed a list of genes whose expression differed between the infiltrated and non-infiltrated tumours. The result suggests that p21 activated kinase 4 (PAK4) is enriched in non-responding tumour biopsies with low T cell and dendritic cell infiltration. In addition, PAK4 decreased WNT activity, a signalling pathway that has previously been involved in immune exclusion. In mouse models, genetic deletion of PAK4 increased T cell infiltration and reversed resistance to PD&#8208;1 blockade in a CD8 T cell-dependent manner. Furthermore, combination of with the PAK4 inhibitor, KPT-9274, improved anti&#8208;tumour responses compared to anti&#8208;PD&#8208;1 alone. Therefore, high PAK4 expression is correlated with low T cell and dendritic cell infiltration and lack of response to PD&#8208;1 blockade, which could be reversed with PAK4 inhibition. The data establish a rationale for targeting this kinase with inhibitors in combination with immune checkpoint inhibitors for patients. Future work and data that we can anticipate for this study Oncogenic signalling pathways and specially the WNT signalling pathway, have been associated with lack of immune infiltration and resistance to PD&#8208;1 blockade therapies. Here, we show that PAK4 overcome resistance to PD&#8208;1 blockade while significantly decreases WNT signalling activity. Therefore, it constitutes the first potential druggable target that is able to reverse oncogenic driven immune cell exclusion. However, the fully mechanism whereby PAK4 sensitizes tumours to immunotherapy remains to be fully elucidated. It is necessary to address whether PAK4 inhibition overcomes resistance through WNT signalling inhibition or if other signalling pathways are involved in the observed phenotype.

  Study phs001919