690 results for ""PhD+2001"+"Professor+of+Bioinformatics"+2012+18000+citations+profile"

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• National Cancer Institute Clinical and Laboratory Analysis of Familial Cancer

  The purpose of this study is to continue the analysis begun on 09C0079 which was focused on identification of the genetic mutation associated with a new gastric polyposis syndrome, Gastric Adenocarcinoma and Proximal Polyposis of the Stomach (GAPPS). GAPPS, first described in 2012, is an autosomal dominant gastric polyposis syndrome that confers a substantial risk for gastric adenocarcinoma. The GAPPS phenotype consists of a carpeting of greater than 100 fundic gland polyps (FGPs) in the oxyntic mucosa of the gastric body and fundus, with antral sparing with some FGPs displaying high-grade dysplasia. This is in contrast to sporadic FGPs that are benign, most often are not associated with high-grade dysplasia though low-grade dysplasia has been reported, and are fewer in number. Gastric FGPs have been found to be associated with Familial Adenomatous Polyposis (FAP) and attenuated FAP, which is an autosomal dominant condition associated with germ line mutations in APC which confers a phenotype consisting of multiple (>100) adenomatous polyps in the colon and rectum developing after the first decade of life. FGPs are reported to occur in 12-84% of patients with FAP, whereas sporadic FGPs are identified in ~5% of patients undergoing upper gastrointestinal endoscopy. Gastric adenocarcinoma arising from FGPs in individuals with FAP have been reported. Other manifestations of FAP and AFAP include polyps in the upper gastrointestinal tract, congenital hypertrophy of retinal pigment epithelium, osteomas and epidermoid cysts, supernumerary teeth, desmoid formation, and other malignancies such as thyroid, small bowel cancer, hepatoblastoma, and medulloblastoma. Thus far there are no reports in GAPPS of polyposis arising in the esophagus, gastric antrum, pylorus, small intestine, or colon.

  Study phs001935

• Ghana Prostate Study

  Participants were recruited through the Ghana Prostate Study-a population-based component, and a clinical component. The population-based component was a probability sample designed using the 2000 Ghana Population and Housing Census data in an attempt to recruit approximately 1,000 men aged 50-74 years in the Greater Accra region (~3 million people), which successfully recruited 1,037 healthy men between 2004 and 2006 with a response percentage of 98.8 %. Consented individuals underwent an in-person interview, and within 7 days had a digital rectal examination (DRE) and provided an overnight fasting blood sample for prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing, biomarker assays, and genetic analysis. Subjects who had a positive screen by PSA (>2.5 ng/ml) or DRE underwent a transrectal ultrasound-guided biopsy. A total of 73 histologically confirmed prostate cancer cases were identified through the population-based screening component of the Ghana Prostate Study and were included in the case population in the published GWAS (Cook et al., Human genetics, 2013). From the remaining 964 screen-negative individuals, 836 had at least 20 μg DNA extracted and available for analysis, and 500 of these were matched to cases for analysis by age (in 5-year categories). In the Ghana Prostate Study, we recruited 676 prostate cancer cases at Korle Bu Teaching Hospital in Accra, Ghana, between 2008 and 2012. All consented cases were interviewed and provided an overnight fasting blood sample. At the time of selection for this analysis we had recruited 582 prostate cancer cases, from which we selected 427 for analysis. Combined with the 73 cases diagnosed through the population-based component of the study, this yielded 500 available prostate cancer cases for analysis.

  Study phs000838

• The Role of CTCF in the Organization of the Centromeric 11p15 Imprinted Domain Interactome

  Beckwith-Wiedemann Syndrome (BWS) is the most common human imprinting disorder and comprises a spectrum of overgrowth phenotypes. While approximately 35% of BWS cases are caused by isolated loss of methylation (LOM) at the human imprinting center 2 (IC2) on chromosome 11p15, only around 5% of patients develop BWS due to structural alterations to the IC2 domain. In this study, we identify a BWS-causing 7.6 kB familial deletion within the IC2 domain by performing Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) on patient-derived human fibroblasts. Using a chromatin conformation capture technique, Capture C, on 3 control fibroblast samples, 3 BWS LOM fibroblast samples, and the single familial deletion sample, we investigate how the domain interactome changes in BWS patients. We find that high-strength interactions occur within the IC2 domain between the 5’ end of KCNQ1, KCNQ1 intron 2, and the 5’ end of CDKN1C in the control profile that are largely abrogated in the BWS samples, but some lower frequency contacts between the imprinting control region (ICR), KCNQ1 intron 2, and the 5’ end of CDKN1C are unaffected. We conclude that the strong KCNQ1-CDKN1C interactions are important in maintaining the domain imprint.

  Study phs002408

• NextGen Consortium: Globin Gene Expression in Sickle Cell Genotype-Specific iPS Cells

  Implement an efficient, highly reproducible and 'scalable' system for the production of large numbers of sickle cell anemia-specific iPS cells (iPSC). Derive and characterize a novel, in vitro system for the production of an unlimited supply of erythroid lineage cells from the directed differentiation of 'clinical grade' transgene-free iPS cells; use this system to recapitulate erythroid-lineage ontogeny in vitro with the sequential development of primitive and definitive erythropoiesis, accompanied by the appropriate expression of stage-specific globin genes. Identify developmental gene expression profile differences between erythroid precursors that produce primarily HbF and those that produce primarily HbA or HbS. Determine the effects of the three known HbF major quantitative trait loci (QTL) on globin gene expression in disease-specific iPS cells during in vitro erythropoiesis. Search for novel HbF genetic modifiers associated with markedly elevated HbF levels found in sickle cell anemia patients naturally, or in response to hydroxyurea treatment, by examining gene expression profiles and mRNA sequence of their iPSC-derived erythroid cells. Develop and use a CRISPR-based gene editing platform to study the effect of novel HbF genetic modifiers, explore globin switching, and correct the HbS mutation in sickle iPSC lines.

  Study phs001212

• Genomics and Epigenomics of the Elderly Response to Pneumococcal Vaccines

  Pneumococcal Vaccine Study: This is a study designed to develop a detailed transcriptional and cellular profile of the immune response to pneumococcal vaccination with conjugated and non-conjugated polysaccharide vaccines in the senescent immune system of older adults. In this study, 39 healthy adults ages 60 and older that have never received pneumococcal vaccination, have been randomized to receive Prevnar 13 (Pfizer), a conjugated 13-valent vaccine or Pneumovax 23 (Merck), a non-conjugated 23-valent vaccine. Four (4) study visits occurred over 70 days at Day -7 (baseline), day 1, day 10 and day 60 (± 5d) post vaccination.Bulk RNA-sequencing data are available on the 4 time points for 31 of the participants and 1 replicate. ATAC-Doublet Detector Study: We generated single nucleus ATAC-seq (snATAC-seq) data from PBMCs of 2 baseline blood samples from the pneumococcal study. Generated data was then used to benchmark a novel computational method for detecting multiplets in snATAC-seq data, namely, AMULET (https://github.com/UcarLab/AMULET). Multiplets confound downstream analyses by introducing combined epigenomic profiles from 2 or more cells/nuclei. AMULET detects multiplets by using unique snATAC-seq data features that allow it to reliably use read counts to detect multiplets for their removal from data analyses.

  Study phs002361

• Germline Mutations and Developmental Mosaicism Underlying EGFR-Mutant Lung Cancer

  We designed this study to examine the etiology of multiple lung tumors in EGFR-mutant non-small cell lung cancer patients who undergo surgical resection. Participants were 52-85 years old never or former smokers, who had at least 2 surgical lung tumor pathology specimens available in the Massachusetts General Hospital biobank, at least one of which had an EGFR mutation by routine clinical genotyping. 10 patients were selected, along with two patients from a family with an inherited EGFR-T790M mutation leading to multiple lung tumors. These patient tumor samples and matched normal lung samples were microdissected to collect DNA.In addition to obtaining clinical histories, we performed whole exome sequencing to evaluate the genetic profile of matched tumor and normal samples. The WES data are available on dbGaP. Our data showed increasing mutational burden and copy number alteration with increasing invasiveness, as compared to normal tissues, for the subset of samples that were assessed for tumor invasiveness. We also observed a range of numbers of shared mutations between tumors in a single patient, indicating different degrees of relatedness between lung tumors. We hope that this resource will help researchers understand non-small cell lung cancer presentations with multiple lung tumors. These data may aid in clinical decision making for such patients.

  Study phs003379

• Molecular characteristics in Burkitt lymphoma over age groups

  Treatment optimization has improved the overall survival in Burkitt lymphoma (BL) patients but there are still relevant outcome differences between pediatric and adult patients. In both age groups survival remains poor for patients who suffer relapse. Therefore, new treatment approaches are warranted to improve survival. Thus, we conducted a comparative study in the largest pediatric cohort to date including 191 cases and 97 samples from adult patients and analyzed the mutational landscape. We detected overlapping molecular profiles but also significant differences in the mutational pattern. Samples from pediatric patients show a higher frequency of mutations in ID3, DDX3X and BAF-complex components ARID1A and SMARCA4, while YY1AP1 and BCL2 are more frequently mutated in cases from adult BL patients. Correlation of the mutational profile with clinical data was available for the pediatric cohort and identified TP53 mutations to be highly significantly associated with the incidence of relapse thus identifying the first molecular marker to be associated with the incidence of relapse in pediatric BL. As the hotspot analysis of TP53 mutations showed mostly gain of function mutations, it is tempting to speculate that drugs decreasing the amount of malignant TP53 or increase the abundance of wildtype TP53 could be a promising approach for future treatment regimens to further improve prognosis.

  Study EGAS00001005270

• ERG ALTERATIONS DEFINE A NOVEL SUBTYPE OF ACUTE LYMPHOBLASTIC LEUKEMIA

  Structural chromosomal alterations are a hallmark of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) yet many patients lack an identifiable abnormality on conventional cytogenetic analysis. Here, using integrated analysis of genome-wide DNA copy number and gene expression data of 1764 childhood and adult ALL cases, including whole-genome, exome and mRNA-sequencing of 72 cases, we report a novel subtype of B-progenitor ALL (B-ALL) representing 4-13% of B-ALL cases characterized by a distinct gene expression profile, and focal deletions of ERG (ETS related gene) in 56% of cases. These cases are characterized by expression of a ERG transcript that utilizes a novel exon in intron 6 of ERG spliced to the canonical reading frame of ERG exons 7-10, encoding a 27 kDa C-terminal ERG protein that retains the ETS and transactivating domains but lacks the N-terminal pointed and regulatory domains. This protein is a competitive inhibitor of wild-type ERG and is leukemogenic in vivo. ERG-altered ALL cases have a favourable outcome despite the presence of alterations associated with poor prognosis in non-ERG ALL, such as deletions of IKZF1. These findings identify a new subtype of leukemia characterized by a novel mechanism of ETS transcription factor dysregulation in cancer.

  Study EGAS00001000514

• Recurrent intra-tumour heterogeneity is a hallmark of metastatic prostate cancer

  The evolution of cancers from low grade to metastatic disease is a major determinant of cancer mortality. Cancer evolution involves a complex interplay between cell intrinsic genetics and transcriptional alterations and the extrinsic microenvironment. To define the key mechanisms underpinning metastatic development, we focused on the most lethal form of prostate cancer, metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer, and employed single-cell multi-omics and whole-genome sequencing to deeply profile 34 metastatic lesions from 9 patients obtained from rapid autopsy. We found that intra-tumour heterogeneity is an indicator of key evolutionary processes, characterised by recurrent tumour populations acting as critical functional components of the tumour ecosystem, irrespective of clonal and microenvironmental backgrounds. Unexpectedly, microenvironments across metastatic sites played a limited role while clonal evolution primarily promoted transcriptional noise. Intra-patient functional convergence of tumour ecosystems was observed across metastatic sites, pointing towards system-level selection pressures that drive the heterogeneity landscape of mCRPC. Our findings reveal functional evolutionary convergence of metastatic disease into units of intra-tumour heterogeneity identifying critical determinants of metastatic progression for therapeutic targeting. Note: matched WGS for some tumour single-cell experiments, as well as germline WGS for patients CA0027, CA0034, CA0035, CA0043, and CA0076, can be found in EGAS00001006598.

  Study EGAS50000001312

• snRNA-seq analysis in multinucleated myogenic FSHD cells identifies heterogeneous FSHD transcriptome signatures associated with embryonic-like program activation and oxidative stress-induced apoptosis

  The sporadic nature of DUX4 expression in FSHD muscle challenges comparative transcriptome analyses between FSHD and control samples. A variety of DUX4 and FSHD-associated transcriptional changes have been identified, but bulk RNA-seq strategies prohibit comprehensive analysis of their spatiotemporal relation, interdependence and role in the disease process. In this study, we used single-nucleus RNA-sequencing of nuclei isolated from patient- and control-derived multinucleated primary myotubes to investigate the cellular heterogeneity in FSHD. Taking advantage of the increased resolution in snRNA-sequencing of fully differentiated myotubes, two distinct populations of DUX4-affected nuclei could be defined by their transcriptional profiles. Our data provides insights into the differences between these two populations and suggests heterogeneity in two well-known FSHD-associated transcriptional aberrations: increased oxidative stress and inhibition of myogenic differentiation. Additionally, we provide evidence that DUX4-affected nuclei share transcriptome features with early embryonic cells beyond the well-described cleavage stage, progressing into the 8-cell and blastocyst stages. Altogether, our data suggests that the FSHD transcriptional profile is defined by a mixture of individual and sometimes mutually exclusive DUX4-induced responses and cellular state-dependent downstream effects.

  Study EGAS00001007635

• Intratumoural Heterogeneity Underlies Distinct Therapy Responses and Treatment Resistance in Glioblastoma

  Glioblastomas are the most common and lethal neoplasms of the central nervous system. Neighbouring glioma cells maintain extreme degrees of genetic and phenotypic variation that forms intratumoural heterogeneity. This genetic diversity allows the most adaptive tumour clones to show treatment resistance and conserve the tumour bulk. We aimed to model this phenomenon and test the effectiveness of several targeted therapeutic interventions to overcome therapy resistance. Heterogenic tumour masses were first deconstructed into single tumour cells, which were expanded independently as single-cell clones. SNP arrays, whole-genome and RNA sequencing, and CpG methylation analysis validated the unique molecular profile of each tumour clone, which displayed distinct pathologic features, including cell morphology, growth rate, and resistance to temozolomide and ionizing radiation. We also identified variable sensitivities to AURK, CDK, and EGFR inhibitors, consistent with the heterogenic molecular alterations that each clone harboured. These targeted therapies effectively eliminated the temozolomide- and/or irradiation-resistant clones and also parental polyclonal cells. Our findings indicate that polyclonal tumours create a dynamic environment that consists of diverse tumour elements and treatment responses. Designing targeted therapies based on a range of molecular profiles can be a more effective strategy to eradicate treatment resistance, recurrence, and metastasis.

  Study EGAS00001003438

• Host whole genome variations are associated with neurocognitive outcome in survivors of pediatric medulloblastoma

  Host whole genome analysis is a promising source of predictive information for long-term morbidity in cancer survivors. However, studies on genetic predictors of long-term outcome, particularly neurocognitive function following chemoradiation in pediatric oncology are limited. In the present study, we evaluated variations in host whole genome single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and their association with cognitive outcome. Whole-genome SNP analysis of host peripheral blood was conducted on 22 medulloblastoma long-term survivors, of whom 18 completed neuropsychological testing. First, unsupervised consensus clustering of the most variable SNPs within 409 genes involved in DNA repair was performed. Discrete variant groups were identified, although they were not associated with cognitive outcome, suggesting that variations in genes corresponding to a single functional group may be insufficient to predict long-term outcome alone. In support of this interpretation, unsupervised hierarchical clustering analysis using disease-associated gene variants by cognitive impairment status yielded two distinct variant clusters comprised of 36 variants, 34 of which were in noncoding regions. These findings illustrate for the first time that cognitively impaired survivors have a distinct variant profile compared to other medulloblastoma survivors. Future research in larger cohorts is needed to validate host genome predictors of cognitive impairment that may impact clinical management.

  Study EGAS00001002996

• tFL with a PMBL GE signature

  We investigated the clinicopathologic features of 5 follicular lymphomas (FL) that transformed to morphologic diffuse large B-cell lymphomas (DLBCL) and had a primary mediastinal large B-cell lymphoma (PMBL)-like gene expression profile. None of the transformed FL (tFL) arose in the mediastinum, all cases tested had a germinal center B-cell immunophenotype, 20% were CD30+, 60% CD23+, 80% MAL+, 20% CD200+, and 0% CD273/PDL2+. Whole exome sequencing detected alterations in genes associated with both FL/DLBCL (CREBBP, KMT2C, KMT2D, ARID1A, HIST1 members, and TNFRSF14) and PMBL (JAK-STAT pathway genes, B2M, and CD58). Copy number (CN) analysis detected gains/amplification of REL in 60% and STAT6 in 40%, gains of chromosome 16, including IL4R, in 40%, and both deletions and gains of 11q in 20%. This cohort, although limited in size, supports a subset of tFL that has blended features between FL/DLBCL and PMBL. Despite having some features that are less common in DLBCL (MAL and CD23 expression, JAK-STAT activation), these cases lack the most characteristic CN alteration seen in PMBL (9p24.1 gain/amplification). This cohort expands the biologic heterogeneity of tFL, illustrating a subset with blended FL/DLBCL and PMBL features, with potential treatment implications that include the use of novel PMBL-targeted therapies.

  Study EGAS00001005870

• Single-cell RNA sequencing reveals the mesangial identity and species diversity of glomerular cell transcriptomes

  Molecular characterization of the individual cell types in human kidney as well as model organisms are critical in defining organ function and understanding translational aspects of biomedical research. Previous studies have uncovered gene expression profiles of several kidney glomerular cell types, however, important cells, including mesangial (MCs) and glomerular parietal epithelial cells (PECs), were missing or incompletely described, and a systematic comparison between mouse and human kidney is lacking. To this end, we used Smart-seq2 to profile 4332 individual glomerulus-associated cells isolated from human living donor renal biopsies and mouse kidney. The analysis revealed genetic programs for all four glomerular cell types (podocytes, glomerular endothelial cells, MCs and PECs) as well as rare glomerulus-associated macula densa cells (MDCs). Importantly, we detected heterogeneity in glomerulus-associated Pdgfrb-expressing cells, including bona fide intraglomerular MCs with the functionally active phagocytic molecular machinery, as well as a unique mural cell type located in the central stalk region of the glomerulus tuft. Furthermore, we observed remarkable species differences in the individual gene expression profiles of defined glomerular cell types that highlight translational challenges in the field and provide a guide to design translational studies.

  Study EGAS00001004943

• Significant and pervasive effects of RNA degradation on Nanopore direct RNA sequencing

  Abstract Oxford Nanopore direct RNA sequencing (DRS) is capable of sequencing complete RNA molecules and accurately measuring gene and isoform expression. However, as DRS is designed to profile intact RNA, expression quantification may be more heavily dependent upon RNA integrity than alternate RNA-seq methodologies. It is currently unclear how RNA degradation impacts DRS or if it can be corrected for. To assess the impact of RNA integrity on DRS we performed a degradation time-series using SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells. Our results demonstrate that degradation is a significant and pervasive factor that can bias DRS measurements, including a reduction in library complexity resulting in an overrepresentation of short genes and isoforms. Degradation also biases differential expression analyses; however, we find explicit correction can almost fully recover meaningful biological signal. In addition, DRS provided less biased profiling of partially degraded samples than nanopore cDNA-PCR sequencing. Overall, we find samples with RIN > 9.5 can be treated as undegraded and samples with RIN > 7 can be utilised for DRS with appropriate correction. These results establish the suitability of DRS for a wide range of samples, including partially degraded in-vivo clinical and post-mortem samples, whilst limiting the confounding effect of degradation on expression quantification.

  Study EGAS00001006542

• Neutrophils and emergency granulopoiesis drive immune suppression and an extreme response endotype during sepsis

  This dataset contains raw sequencing files associated with the paper "Neutrophils and emergency granulopoiesis drive immune suppression and an extreme response endotype during sepsis" (https://doi.org/10.1038/s41590-023-01490-5). It is composed of two experiments, which are as follows: 1. Single-cell profiling of whole blood leukocytes: This experiment comprises sequencing files generated using the BD Rhapsody single-cell multi-omics profiling (RNA + protein) platform. This platform was used to profile the whole blood leukocyte population in a cohort of sepsis patients, cardiac surgery controls and healthy controls. There are 48 samples and four files per sample: two paired-end FASTQ files (R1 and R2) corresponding to the RNA-seq library, and two paired-end FASTQ files (R1 and R2) corresponding to the protein profiling (ADT-based AbSeq) library. 2. Single-cell profiling of circulating HSPCs: This experiment comprises sequencing files generated using the 10X single-cell multi-omics (RNA-seq + ATAC-seq) profiling platform. This platform was used to profile circulating HSPCs in a cohort of sepsis patients and healthy controls. There are 5 samples (or plexes), each of which consists of a pool of individuals for whom cells were multiplexed and sequenced as a single sample. There are four files per sample: two paired-end FASTQ files (R1 and R2) corresponding to the RNA-seq library, and two paired-end FASTQ files (R1 and R2) corresponding to the ATAC-seq library. Because these samples consists of multiplexed pools, index files are also provided. These can be used for sample deconvolution using the Cell Ranger pipeline. NOTE: Due to EGA's constrains in the number of files permitted per sample, index files (I1 and I2) for the HSPC data set are provided as a separate experiment named "FASTQ index files (I1 and I2) for deconvolution of 10X single-cell multiomics libraries".

  Dataset EGAD00001010927

• Molecular characterization of NASH-HCC

  We collected 80 NASH-HCCs formalin fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) samples from 5 different institutions. NASH was diagnosed in FFPE samples by at least two expert pathologists following a described histological algorithm (Bedossa et al., Hepatology, 2012). All NASH patients included in the study were HBV- and HCV-negative. Patients reporting alcohol consumption ≥ 20 g/day for women and 30 g/day for men, as well as patients with a known liver disease superimposed to NASH were excluded. Tumour and paired non-tumour gDNA of NASH-HCC FFPE samples was submitted to Whole Exome Sequencing (WES). Exome capture and sequencing library preparation were performed using the SureSelect Human All Exon V5, no UTR hybridization capture kit from Agilent (Target Size 50 Mb). Libraries were sequenced on an Illumina HiSeq 4000 instrument with 100-bp paired-end reads.

  Dataset EGAD00001007524

• 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

• 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

• 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

• Integrated Metabolic Profiling and Gene Expression Analysis Reveals Therapeutic Modalities in Breast Cancer

  In this study, we performed metabolite profiling and RNA-sequencing on human breast cancer tumors and normal breast tissue samples, including triple negative breast cancer (TNBC), estrogen receptor positive breast cancer (ER+) and paired normal samples, and patient-derived xenografts (PDX) samples. Here, we report two distinctive groups defined by metabolites; a TNBC-HIGH group that shows high levels of pyrimidine pathway metabolites and biosynthetic enzymes, and an ER-HIGH group that shows high levels of fatty acid and arginine biosynthesis intermediates. We identify different metabolic enrichment profiles between cell lines grown in vitro vs. in vivo; cell lines grown in vivo recapitulate patient tumors metabolic profiles. Further, we identify a subset of genes that strongly correlates with the TNBC-HIGH metabolic profile using integrated metabolic and gene expression profiling, which strongly predicts patient prognosis when tested on larger human datasets. As a proof-of-principle, when we target TNBC-HIGH metabolic dysregulation with a pyrimidine biosynthesis inhibitor (Brequinar), and/or a glutaminase inhibitor (CB-839), we observe therapeutic efficacy and decreased tumor growth in representative TNBC cell lines, murine p53-null mammary tumors, and in vivo patient-derived xenografts (PDXs) upon multi-agent drug treatment. This study highlights potential new therapeutic opportunities in breast cancers guided by a genomic biomarker, which could prove impactful for breast cancers that rapidly proliferate.

  Study phs002396

• Chromatin remodeling enhances MAP3K8 expression in HAM: a key pathogenesis for therapeutic intervention

  Human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1)-associated myelopathy (HAM) is a debilitating neuroinflammatory disease with no available effective treatments. A hallmark of HAM is the transformation of HTLV-1-infected cells into T helper type 1 (Th1)-like cells, characterized by excessive interferon (IFN)-gamma production that drives chronic inflammation. However, the molecular mechanisms fuel this aberrant Th1-like transformation and sustained inflammation remain poorly understood. We hypothesized that HAM-characteristic chromatin remodeling plays a pivotal role in the overexpression of key genes driving inflammatory pathogenesis. Using transcriptomic analysis, chromatin accessibility profiling, and biomarker evaluations across HTLV-1-related diseases, we identify MAP3K8 as a key gene that defines the unique inflammatory profile of HAM. MAP3K8 overexpression promotes Th1-like differentiation and constitutively activates the MEK-ERK signaling pathway. Furthermore, we elucidate the mechanism by which HTLV-1 Tax, Fosl2, and c-Jun collaboratively induce HAM-characteristic chromatin remodeling at the enhancer region of the MAP3K8 locus. Crucially, we demonstrate that mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase (MEK) inhibitors effectively suppress the MAP3K8-MEK signaling cascade and significantly mitigated inflammatory pathogenesis in an ex vivo culture assay. Our findings provide critical insights into the virus-host interactions underpinning HAM and propose the MAP3K8-MEK-ERK axis as a promising therapeutic target for this challenging condition.

  Study JGAS000835

• Transcriptional regulatory networks of tumor-associated macrophages that drive malignancy in mesenchymal glioblastoma

  Background: Glioblastoma (GBM) is a complex disease with extensive molecular and transcriptional heterogeneity. GBM can be subcategorized into four distinct subtypes; tumors that shift towards the mesenchymal phenotype upon recurrence are generally associated with treatment resistance, unfavorable prognosis, and the infiltration of pro-tumorigenic macrophages. Results: We explore the transcriptional regulatory networks of mesenchymal-associated tumor-associated macrophages (MA-TAMs), which drive the malignant phenotypic state of GBM, and identify macrophage receptor with collagenous structure (MARCO) as the most highly differentially expressed gene. MARCOhigh TAMs induce a phenotypic shift towards mesenchymal cellular state of glioma stem cells, promoting both invasive and proliferative activities, as well as therapeutic resistance to irradiation. MARCOhigh TAMs also significantly accelerate tumor engraftment and growth in vivo. Moreover, both MA-TAM master regulators and their target genes are significantly correlated with poor clinical outcomes, and are often associated with genomic aberrations in neurofibromin 1 (NF1) and phosphoinositide 3-kinases/mammalian target of rapamycin/Akt pathway (PI3K-mTOR-AKT)-related genes. We further demonstrate origination of MA-TAMs from peripheral blood, as well as their potential association with tumor-induced polarization states and immunosuppressive environments. Conclusions: Collectively, our study characterizes the global transcriptional profile of TAMs driving mesenchymal GBM pathogenesis, providing potential therapeutic targets for improving the effectiveness of GBM immunotherapy.

  Study EGAS00001002443

• A prognostic human brain network for diffuse midline glioma

  Diffuse midline glioma (DMG) are near-universally lethal tumours of the paediatric central nervous system. In animal models, DMG form brain-wide, integrated networks through neuron-to-glioma synapses and glioma-to-glioma gap junctional coupling. This extensive connectivity robustly promotes the growth and invasion of DMG and other glial malignancies through paracrine mechanisms and direct neuron-to-glioma synapses. The organisation and clinical implications of these connections in the living human brain, however, remain to be elucidated. Here, we develop tumour network mapping to compute the brain-wide connectivity profile of DMG: defining a conserved brain network across pontine and thalamic DMG associated with patient short-term survival (DMG network). Tumour functional connectivity with the DMG network was independently predictive of patient overall survival across two external validation cohorts. Tumour growth mapped to DMG network-specific trajectories and peak, in-network neurometabolic changes across development spatiotemporally aligned with the peak age incidence of DMG. Single-nucleus RNA-sequencing confirmed diverse synaptic gene enrichment in high-connectivity DMG. Strikingly, incidental surgical resection of high-connectivity thalamic DMG tissue conferred a significant survival advantage. Collectively, these data define a conserved and prognostically important brain network in children with DMG, consistent with the hypothesis that DMG exploit otherwise healthy brain circuits to promote tumour growth.

  Study EGAS50000001752

• JMML targeted sequencing (2013)

  Juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia (JMML) is a rare myelodysplastic myeloproliferative neoplasm of early childhood initiated by germline or somatic RAS-activating mutations (Chang, Dvorak et al. 2014). Clinical evolution is heterogeneous, with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) transformation in 1/3 of cases and frequent relapses after hematopoietic-stem-cell transplantation (HSCT), although some patients experience spontaneous remission (Locatelli, Nollke et al. 2005; Matsuda, Shimada et al. 2007; Takagi, Piao et al. 2013; Locatelli and Niemeyer 2015). The initiating lesion incompletely predicts outcome, suggesting the involvement of additional mutations. Genetic profiling of a large JMML cohort (n=118), including whole-exome sequencing (WES) in 30 cases, uncovered additional genetic abnormalities in 56 cases (47%). Somatic events were rare (0.38/case/Mb) and restricted to sporadic (47/78; 60%) or NF1-associated (8/8; 100%) JMML. Multiple concomitant genetic hits were identified targeting the RAS pathway in 13/78 (17%), RAC2D63V, which activates the PI3K/PDK1/AKT and the mTORC2 pathways, and a novel pathway for JMML, the polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2), in 26/78 (33%) of the sporadic JMML cases. Interestingly, PRC2 imbalance was recently shown to synergize with RAS activation (De Raedt, Beert et al. 2014). JMML outcome was associated to the mutational profile, suggesting a dose-dependent effect for RAS-pathway activation, distinguishing very aggressive JMML rapidly progressing to AML.

  Study EGAS00001001324