12450 results for ""non-traditional+communal+storytelling+approach"+novel+segment+noted+in+critical+commentary"

in 19.80 milliseconds.

• An analysis of humoral and cellular immune responses following COVID-19 vaccination.

  Two dose mRNA vaccination provides excellent protection against SARS-CoV-2. However, there are few data on vaccine efficacy in elderly individuals above the age of 801. Additionally, new variants of concern (VOC) with reduced sensitivity to neutralising antibodies have raised fears for vulnerable groups. Here we assessed humoral and cellular immune responses following vaccination with mRNA vaccine BNT162b22 in elderly participants prospectively recruited from the community and younger health care workers. Median age was 72 years and 51% were females amongst 140 participants. Neutralising antibody responses after the first vaccine dose diminished with increasing age, with a steep drop in participants over 80 years old. Sera from participants below and above 80 showed significantly lower neutralisation potency against B.1.1.7, B.1.351 and P.1. variants of concern as compared to wild type. Those over 80 were more likely to lack any neutralisation against VOC compared younger participants following first dose. Binding IgG and IgA antibodies were lower in the elderly, as was the frequency of SARS-CoV-2 Spike specific B- cells. We observed a trend towards lower somatic hypermutation in participants with suboptimal neutralisation, and elderly participants demonstrated clear reduction in class switched somatic hypermutation, driven by the IgA1/2 isotype. SARS-CoV-2 Spike specific T- cell IFN?? and IL-2 responses were secreted primarily by CD4 T cells, and impaired in the older age group. We conclude that the elderly are a high risk population that warrant specific measures in order to mitigate against vaccine failure, particularly where variants of concern are circulating. Specifically, the dosing interval should not be extended in this group.

  Study EGAS00001005380

• Genetics and therapeutic responses to TIL therapy of pancreatic cancer PDX models

  Pancreatic cancer is the 7th leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Checkpoint immunotherapy has not yet showed encouraging results in pancreatic cancer possibly owing to a poor immunogenicity and/or an immune suppressive microenvironment. The aim of this study was to develop patient-derived xenografts (PDX) models and to assess if autologous tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) would have anti-tumoral activity in pancreatic cancer. Tumor biopsies from 29 patients were subcutaneously transplanted into NOG mice. Tumor growths were confirmed in 11 out of 29 transplantations. The PDX tumors histologically resembled their original biopsies, but since stromal cells in the PDX model tumors were from mouse, their gene expression differed from the original biopsies. Immune checkpoint ligands other than PD-L1 were expressed in pancreatic cancers but PD-L1 was rarely expressed. One of the three tumors that did express PD-L1 was an adenosquamous cancer and another had a mismatch repair deficiency. TILs were expanded from six tumors and were injected into NOG or human interleukin-2 transgenic-NOG (hIL2-NOG) mice carrying PDX tumors. Regression of tumors could be verified in hIL2-NOG mice in 3 of the 6 PDX models treated with autologous TILs, including the adenosquamous PDX model. In conclusion, PDX models of pancreatic cancer can be used to learn more about tumor characteristics and biomarkers, and to evaluate responses to ACT and combination therapies. The major benefit of the model is that modifications of T cells can be tested in an autologous humanized mouse model to gain preclinical data to support the initiation of a clinical trial.

  Study EGAS00001005596

• Genetic Variation and Signatures of Natural Selection in Diverse Africans

  Our study identified candidate regions of genome involved in adaptation and identified regions associated with selected phenotypes.

  Study phs000449

• Chemosensitive Relapse in Small Cell Lung Cancer Patient-Derived Xenografts

  Genetic and epigenetic analysis of patient-derived xenograft models of acquired chemoresistance in small cell lung cancer.

  Study phs001249

• Mutation analysis using AVENIO Expanded in cfDNA

  High resolution mutation analysis using the AVENIO ctDNA Expanded Kit V2, which targets 77 cancer-associated genes, in cfDNA in metastatic breast cancer.

  Dataset EGAD50000001669

• Fungal infection in Parkinson's disease.

  Isolation of fungi in infected neural tissues in patients with Parkinson's disease. Here we used next generation sequencing of Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS) regions, by PCR amplicons (NGS ITS amplicon analysis).

  Dataset EGAD00001005025

• RNA-Seq datasets in human islets cultured in low glucose conditions

  7 RNA-Seq datasets in human pancreatic islets from 7 donors, where islets were using low (4mM) glucose conditions.

  Dataset EGAD00001005208

• Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Serum Stimulation of Human Intestinal Organoids Induces Barrier Leakiness and Changes in Goblet Cell Differentiation

  Human intestinal epithelial cells are the interface between potentially harmful luminal content and basally residing immune cells. Their role is not only nutrient absorption but also the formation of a tight monolayer that constantly secretes mucus creating a multi-layered protective barrier. Alterations in this barrier can lead to increased gut permeability which is frequently seen in individuals with chronic extraintestinal autoimmune diseases, such as Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE). Despite recent advances in identifying alterations in gut microbiota composition in SLE patients, not much attention has been given to the epithelial barrier itself. To date, it remains largely unexplored which role and function intestinal epithelial cells have in SLE pathology. Here, we present a unique near-physiologic in vitro model specifically designed to examine the effects of SLE on the epithelial cells. We utilize human colon organoids that are stimulated with serum obtained from SLE patients. Combining bulk and single-cell RNA transcriptomic analysis with functional assays revealed that SLE serum stimulation induced a unique expression profile marked by a reduction of goblet cell marker expression and mucus composition. Additionally, organoids exhibited imbalanced cellulat composition along with enhanced paracellular permeability,mitochondrial function, and a type I interferon gene signature. Similarly, transcriptomic analysis of SLE human colon biopsies revealed a downregulation of epithelial secretory markers. Our work uncovers a crucial connection between SLE and intestinal homeostasis that might be promoted in vivo through the blood, offering insights into the causal connection of barrier dysfunction and autoimmune diseases.

  Study EGAS50000000012

• Genetics of Mood Disorders: Aging and Emotion Regulation Brain Circuitry in Bipolar

  This single-site study is designed to investigate age-related changes in structure and function of a ventral prefrontal cortex (VPFC) neural system, that subserves emotion processing and regulation, during mid to later adulthood in individuals with bipolar disorder (BD), compared to healthy controls (HC). It is a 5-year study of age-related changes in mood, emotion regulation and related symptoms and behaviors using multimodality imaging measures [structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of gray matter, diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) of white matter, and functional MRI measures of functional connectivity and of brain responses during implicit and explicit emotion regulation] comparing BD and HC groups ages 40-79 years, 50% female; a subgroup will be reassessed and rescanned after 2 years to study brain and associated behavioral changes over time. We will explore relationships between brain aging with risk factors implicated in progression. This will include genes, as well as adverse outcomes of progression such as suicide ideation and behavior. As there has been little study of effects of aging of the VPFC emotional circuitry in healthy individuals, findings could provide new insights into brain circuitry and emotional regulation in older adults. In addition to the importance of contributing to understanding BD, as BD is unique in having both elevated and depressive episodes, its study can provide a model for understanding progressive emotion dysregulation to both intervention and prevention that can be better targeted specifically for older individuals with BD. A de-identified blood sample will be sent to the Repository and Genomics Resource.

  Study phs001631

• Impact of Glycolysis Inhibition on the Epigenome of Synovial Fluid T Cells in Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis

  Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA) encompasses a group of childhood-onset autoimmune conditions characterized by joint inflammation and mononuclear cell infiltration, especially of activated CD4+ memory/effector T (Tmem/Teff) cells in synovial fluid (SF). JIA CD4+ T cells exhibit a distinct inflammation-associated epigenomic profile, though the underlying molecular mechanisms remain unclear. This study investigates the role of glycolysis in shaping the epigenomic landscape of JIA SF CD4+ T cells, with a focus on H3K27ac histone modifications. Using an ex vivo model of antigen stimulation, CD4+ T cells were isolated from peripheral blood (PB) of healthy controls (HC) and synovial fluid from JIA patients. Cells were activated in vitro with anti-CD3/CD28 for 24 hours, and changes in H3K27ac were assessed by chromatin immunoprecipitation followed by sequencing (ChIP-seq). To explore the specific role of glycolysis, cells were also treated with 2-deoxyglucose (2DG), an inhibitor of glucose-6-phosphate production. This inhibition impacted both H3K27ac acetylation patterns and gene expression associated with the activated epigenomic regions. Additionally, HC CD4+ T cells were activated in vitro in the presence of 30% SF or 30% plasma from JIA patients. RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) was performed to examine SF-induced transcriptional changes, providing insight into the metabolic dysregulation and epigenomic alterations observed in JIA SF CD4+ T cells. This dataset includes ChIP-seq and RNA-seq data that collectively advance our understanding of how glycolysis and the SF environment contribute to the epigenetic and transcriptional regulation in JIA CD4+ T cells.

  Study EGAS50000000808

• Target sequencing of 27 cancer-predisposing genes and 13 renal cell carcinoma-related genes in Japanese renal cell carcinoma patients

  Identifying causative genes via genetic testing is useful for the screening, prevention, and treatment of cancer. Several hereditary syndromes are known to occur in renal cell carcinoma (RCC). However, these evidences came from the European population; it remains unclear how the RCC-related genes and other cancer-predisposing genes contribute to the development RCC in the Japanese population. A case-control study of 14 RCC-related genes and 26 cancer-predisposing genes was performed using 1,563 Japanese patients with RCC and 6,016 controls. Patients were divided into two major histological subtypes of clear cell RCC (ccRCC) or non-clear cell RCC (nccRCC). Gene-based analysis of germline pathogenic variants in patients with each subtype and cancer-free subjects was performed. Following quality control, 1,532 patients with RCC and 5,996 controls were further analyzed. For ccRCC, 52 of 1,283 (4.05%) patients carried pathogenic variants mainly in the cancer-predisposing genes such as TP53 (P = 1.73 �� 10-4; OR, 5.8; 95% CI, 2.2���15.7). Approximately 80% of patients with pathogenic variants in TP53 had p.Ala189Val that was specific in East Asian population. For nccRCC, 14 of 249 (5.62%) patients carried pathogenic variants mainly in the RCC-related genes such as BAP1 (P = 6.27 �� 10-5; OR, Inf; 95% CI, 10.0���Inf), and FH (P = 6.27 �� 10-5; OR, Inf; 95% CI, 10.0���Inf). Our study showed different and population-specific contributions of risk genes between ccRCC and nccRCC in Japanese for better-personalized medicine.

  Study JGAS000414

• Case Report: Pre-Clinical Combination Targeting VEGF and PI3K in a Rare, Aggressive Mixed Endometrial Carcinoma

  We report a rare case of a young patient (VENUS 167) initially diagnosed with grade 1 endometrioid endometrial cancer, which, following endocrine treatment, presented with mixed aggressive carcinoma with three distinct histologic patterns: grade 1 endometrioid, large cell neuroendocrine, and undifferentiated carcinoma. The surgical specimen at the time of disease progression was used to establish OPTO.85, a patient-derived organoid (PDO), followed by a corresponding organoid-derived xenograft (ODX). Multi-omic analyses confirmed that OPTO.85 accurately reflected the patient’s tumor characteristics. WES analysis identified oncogenic alterations in PIK3CA, ARID1A, and CTNNB1. Further RNA-seq and ATAC-seq analyses revealed enrichment in VEGF and Wnt signaling pathways, suggesting therapeutic vulnerabilities. A high-throughput drug screen was conducted using ApexBio-Approved and Epigenetic Drug Libraries, along with Kinase Inhibitor and Tool Compound Libraries developed at the Ontario Institute of Cancer Research. The OPTO.85 PDO exhibited sensitivity to PI3K inhibitors and responsiveness to VEGF inhibition. Cediranib demonstrated synergy with BKM120, significantly reducing organoid growth. This combination also showed in vivo efficacy in the ODX model, where dual inhibitors significantly suppressed tumor growth compared to single compounds. This case exemplifies the impact of genomic profiling and patient-derived models in identifying actionable molecular changes in rare cancers with limited therapeutic options and poor prognosis. It highlights that high-throughput sequencing for individual patient tumors and generation of patient-derived models are feasible in endometrial cancer. This preclinical model may assist clinical decision and personalized therapy requiring validation in prospective studies.

  Study EGAS50000001665

• A Single Complex Agpat2 Allele In A Patient With Partial Lipodystrophy

  Genetic lipodystrophies are a group of rare syndromes associated with major metabolic complications - including severe insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and hypertriglyceridemia - which are classified according to the distribution of adipose tissue. Lipodystrophies can be present at birth or develop during life and can range from local to partial and general. With at least 18 different genes implicated so far, definite diagnosis can be challenging due to clinical and genetic heterogeneity. In an adult female patient with clinical and metabolic features of partial lipodystrophy we identified via whole genome sequencing a single complex AGPAT2 allele [V67M;V167A], functionally equivalent to heterozygosity. AGPAT2 encodes for an acyltransferase implicated in the biosynthesis of triacylglycerol and glycerophospholipids. So far homozygous and compound heterozygous mutations in AGPAT2 have only been associated with generalized lipodystrophy. A SNP risk score analysis indicated that the index patient is not predisposed to lipodystrophy based on her genetic background. The partial phenotype in our patient is therefore more likely associated to the genetic variants in AGPAT2. To test whether the resulting double-mutant AGPAT2 protein is functional we analysed its in vitro enzymatic activity via mass spectrometry. The resulting AGPAT2 double mutant is enzymatically inactive. Our data support the view that the current classification of lipodystrophies as strictly local, partial or generalized may have to be re-evaluated and viewed more as a continuum, both in terms of clinical presentation and underlying genetic causes. Better molecular understanding of lipodystrophies may lead to new therapies to treat adipose tissue dysfunction in common and rare diseases.

  Study EGAS00001003177

• Spatial and temporal evolution of distal 10q deletion, a prognostically unfavorable event in diffuse low-grade gliomas

  Background: The disease course of patients with diffuse low-grade glioma is notoriously unpredictable. Temporal and spatially distinct samples may provide insight into the evolution of clinically relevant copy number aberrations (CNAs). The purpose of this study is to identify CNAs that are indicative of aggressive tumor behaviour and can thereby complement the prognostically favorable 1p/19q co-deletion. Results: Genome-wide, 50 base pair single-end, sequencing was performed to detect CNAs in a clinically well-characterized cohort of 98 formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded low-grade gliomas. CNAs are correlated with overall survival as an endpoint. Seventy-five additional samples from spatially distinct regions and paired recurrent tumors of the discovery cohort were analysed to interrogate the intratumoral heterogeneity and spatial evolution. Loss of 10q25.2-qter is a frequent subclonal event and significantly correlates with an unfavorable prognosis. A significant correlation is furthermore observed in a validation set of 126 and confirmation set of 184 patients. Loss of 10q25.2-qter arises in a longitudinal manner in paired recurrent tumor specimens, whereas the prognostically favorable 1p/ 19q co-deletion is the only CNA that is stable across spatial regions and recurrent tumors. Conclusions: CNAs in low-grade gliomas display extensive intratumoral heterogeneity. Distal loss of 10q is a late onset event and a marker for reduced overall survival in low-grade glioma patients. Intratumoral heterogeneity and higher frequencies of distal 10q loss in recurrences suggest this event is involved in outgrowth to the recurrent tumor.

  Study EGAS00001000643

• Healthspan and lifespan extension by fecal microbiota transplantation in progeroid mice

  The gut microbiome is emerging as a key regulator of several metabolic, immune and neuroendocrine pathways. Gut microbiome deregulation has been implicated in major conditions such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, non-alcoholic fatty acid liver disease or cancer, but its precise role in aging remains to be elucidated. Here, we characterize the gut microbiome profile of accelerated aging and show that its external modulation is sufficient to extend healthspan and lifespan. We found that two different mouse models of progeria present with intestinal dysbiosis, which is characterized, among other alterations, by an increment in proteobacteria, cyanobacteria and a loss in verrucomicrobia, whereas long-lived humans (i.e., centenarians) exhibit a remarkable increase in verrucomicrobia and a reduction in proteobacteria. Fecal microbiota transplantation proved to be effective to enhance healthspan and lifespan in both progeroid mouse models and, more importantly, the solely transplantation with the verrucomicrobia Akkermansia muciniphila was sufficient to exert beneficial effects. Our results demonstrate that intestinal dysbiosis is a phenotype associated with accelerated aging and its correction provides health benefits. Moreover, metabolomic analysis of ileal content points to the restoration of secondary bile acids as a possible mechanism for the beneficial outcome of reestablishing a healthy microbiome. Our results suggest the existence of a link between gut aging and the microbiota, and can help to gain insight into the rationale for microbiome-based interventions against age-related diseases. Mouse sequence data have been deposited in ENA (https://www.ebi.ac.uk/ena) under accession number PRJEB34214

  Study EGAS00001003656

• Evolution of a FLT3-TKD mutated subclone at meningeal relapse in acute promyelocytic leukemia (H021)

  Here we report the case of an acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) patient who, though negative for FLT3 mutations at diagnosis, developed isolated FLT3-TKD positive meningeal relapse, which, in retrospect, could be traced back to a minute bone marrow subclone present at first diagnosis. Initially, the 48-year old female diagnosed with high-risk APL had achieved complete molecular remission after standard treatment with all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) and chemotherapy according to the AIDA protocol. 13 months after start of ATRA maintenance the patient suffered clinically overt meningeal relapse along with minute molecular traces of PML/RARA in the bone marrow. Following treatment with arsenic trioxide (ATO) and ATRA in combination with intrathecal cytarabine and methotrexate, the patient achieved a complete molecular remission in both cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and bone marrow, which currently lasts for two years after completion of therapy. Whole exome sequencing and subsequent ultradeep targeted re-sequencing revealed a heterozygous FLT3-TKD mutation in CSF leukemic cells (p.D835Y, c.2503G>T, 1000/1961 reads (51%)), which was undetectable in the concurrent bone marrow sample. Interestingly, the FLT3-TKD mutated meningeal clone originated from a small bone marrow subclone present in a variant allele frequency of 0.4% (6/1553 reads) at initial diagnosis. This case highlights the concept of clonal evolution with a subclone harboring an additional mutation being selected as the “fittest” and leading to meningeal relapse. It also further supports earlier suggestions that FLT3 mutations may play a role for migration and clonal expansion in the CSF sanctuary site.H021

  Study EGAS00001001848

• Clinical relevance of somatic copy-number alterations in plasma circulating tumor DNA from advanced EGFR-mutated NSCLC patients treated with osimertinib

  Background: Somatic copy-number alterations (SCNAs) are associated with drug resistance in patients with advanced epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-mutated non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treated with EGFR-tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs). The purpose of our study was to assess the clinical relevance and development of genome-wide SCNAs in plasma circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) under osimertinib therapy.Methods: We included 43 patients with advanced EGFR T790M-positive lung adenocarcinoma who were treated with osimertinib after progression under previous EGFR-TKI therapy. We performed genomic profiling of ctDNA in plasma samples from each patient obtained pre-osimertinib and after patients developed resistance to osimertinib. SCNAs were detected by shallow whole-genome plasma sequencing and EGFR mutations were assessed by droplet digital PCR.Results: SCNAs in resistance-related genes (rrSCNAs) were detected in 10 out of 39 (25.6%) evaluable patients before start of osimertinib. The presence of rrSCNAs in plasma before initiation of osimertinib therapy was associated with a lower response rate to osimertinib (50% versus 86%, p=0.02) and was an independent predictor for shorter progression-free survival (adjusted HR 3.26, 95% CI 1.37-7.75, p=0.008) and overall survival (adjusted HR 2.41, 95% CI 1.09-5.34, p=0.03).Conclusions: Genomic profiling of plasma ctDNA is clinically relevant and affects the efficacy and clinical outcome of osimertinib. Our approach allows comprehensive assessment of SCNAs in plasma samples of lung adenocarcinoma patients and may help to guide genotype-specific therapeutic strategies in the future.

  Study EGAS00001004539

• Michigan Polybrominated Biphenyl (PBB) Exposure Registry

  Humans are exposed to chemicals such as brominated flame retardants (BFRs) at unprecedented levels, and a wide variety of health effects are attributed to such exposures. However, the biological mechanisms that link exposures to its consequences remain unknown. An industrial accident in the 1970's exposed over 4000 individuals in rural Michigan to polybrominated biphenyl (PBB), a BFR that was present in the food supply for years prior to detection and management. Health effects are still evident in these individuals and their children. Because this population has been assessed regularly since the exposure, it is an ideal group in which to examine the molecular mechanisms that contribute to susceptibility, vulnerability and health effects. The goal of this project is to identify the genetic variants that associate with the rate of PBB elimination over time and integrate genetic and epigenetic datasets and identify complex gene-environment relationships in PBB exposed individuals. We will leverage data generated as part of past and ongoing studies in the Michigan Polybrominated Biphenyl Registry. We anticipate that this study will provide insight into how genetic variants and the environment interact in relation to PBB exposure and its health effects. We also anticipate the results of this study will be informative for studies of BFRs and other endocrine disrupting compounds with similar chemical properties. Note that methylation array data is available from NCBI GEO under GSE116339: Exposure to Polybrominated Biphenyl (PBB) Associates with DNA Methylation Differences Across the Genome

  Study phs001862

• A Phase I/II Study of Revlimid (lenalidomide) in Combination with Vidaza (azacitidine) in Patients with Advanced Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS)

  This single-arm study design has been selected to investigate the safety of combination therapy with Vidaza® (azacitidine) and Revlimid® (lenalidomide) in a population of 18 participants with advanced MDS for the Phase I portion, and 18 participants for the Phase II portion. The multi-center nature of the study should enhance the general applicability of the results. Participants with advanced MDS were chosen because it is expected that the combination of the two drugs will by myelosuppressive, which can be considered a necessary toxicity to effect improvements in PR and CR rates in this advanced population, akin to participants with AML. Finally, the combination was chosen to be studied because currently available therapies in this population, and their effectiveness, are limited, and single-agent Vidaza® (azacitidine), while effective at delaying transformation to AML or death, is not curative. The doses of Revlimid® (lenalidomide) in this study are similar to those that were demonstrated to have an effect and to be well-tolerated in participants with MDS. Doses for Vidaza® (azacitidine) are similar to those used in the pivotal trial, though for a 5-day treatment period instead of 7 to minimize toxicity for the first 3 blocks of participants, and then at a lower dose over a protracted period of time to explore the safety of a 10-day treatment course.

  Study phs001318

• Phenotype Risk Scores Identify Patients with Unrecognized Mendelian Disease Patterns

  This study was designed to assess the phenotypic effects of rare variants. Rare variants are difficult to study in a high-throughput manner because most cohorts are underpowered to detect associations. In order to gain power to test rare variants, we use Phenotype Risk Scores (PheRS) based on features of Mendelian diseases. PheRS is calculated using claims data from an EHR that is mapped to clinical features from OMIM's clinical descriptions of Mendelian disease. We calculated PheRS for 1,204 Mendelians diseases in a cohort of 21,701 individuals genotyped on the HumanExome BeadChip. We then tested for association between these diseases and rare variants in causal genes. A phenotype risk score is calculated as the weighted sum of features for a given disease. The features are defined as a set of phecodes (consolidated ICD codes) associated with a particular Mendelian disease as described in OMIM. The weights for each phecode are calculated as the log inverse prevalence of the phecode in our cohort. For an individual, their score equals the sum of the weights for each phecode that is present in their medical record. Our study was based on a cohort of individuals with genotype data linked to de-identified electronic health records (EHR) from Vanderbilt's BioVU resource. We hope that this method will help generate phenotype-genotype correlation data on rare variants which in turn may inform rare variant interpretations use for diagnostics.

  Study phs001516

• MAP Kinase-Mutant Hematologic Malignancies and Their Therapeutic Resistance

  The Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway has been critically important in understanding pathology and developing targeted therapy for many cancers, but high frequency mutations in this pathway in hematopoietic malignancies were unknown until a series of sequencing studies from our group and others revealed a high frequency of activating mutations in BRAF (GeneID:673), MAP2K1 (GeneID:5604), and other key components of the MAPK pathway in two groups of rare and poorly studied blood cancers: hairy cell leukemia (HCL) and the systemic histiocytoses (SH). Although HCL and the SH both share common gene mutations in BRAF (BRAFV600E) and MAP2K1, these are distinct blood cancers with different clinical behaviors; however, their actual developmental cellular origins, genomic, and pathogenic differences are poorly understood, which led to our project goal of determining how BRAFV600E, MAP2K1, and other MAPK pathway mutations contribute to the pathogenesis of distinct blood cancers and affect their clinical responses to MAPK pathway inhibitors. This study proposal seeks to advance our understanding of the actual cells of origin of cancer-causing MAPK mutations in HCL and the SH, to determine why BRAFV600E and MAP2K1 mutations can cause two distinct blood cancers, and to understand how these mutations in HCL and SH influence responses to MAPK pathway inhibitor drugs and other receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) inhibitors such as RET and ALK inhibitors that could potentially become effective therapy for these poorly understood blood cancers.

  Study phs001864

• LCLF1.0 Data

  In this study, we investigated ad libitum food intake of 20 healthy adult volunteers who each completed a 4-week stay at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). During their stay, they consumed a low-carbohydrate, high-fat (LCHF) diet and a low-fat, high-carbohydrate (LFHC) diet for 2 weeks each, in random order. We collected information about energy intake and metabolic changes in response to the two test diets. The test diets were presented to subjects in amounts exceeding their daily energy requirements, and subjects were instructed to eat as much or as little of each diet as desired. This study implemented 7-day rotating menus for each test diet. The diets were matched for presented calories and protein, but the LCHF diet was low in carbohydrate (~10% of calories) and high in fat (~75% of calories) whereas the LFHC diet was high in carbohydrates (~75% of calories) and low in fat (~10% of calories). The two test diets had a common foundation of vegetables with low amounts of digestible carbohydrates such as lettuce, spinach, kale, cabbage, cauliflower, zucchini, tomato, asparagus, broccoli, peppers, brussels sprouts, and green beans. The LCHF diet included meat, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy, and nuts. The LFHC diet included legumes, rice, root vegetables, soy products, corn, lentils, peas, whole grains, bread, and fruit. The test diets were designed using a standard computerized nutrition database, and blood samples were collected from the subjects.

  Study phs003187

• METABRIC miRNA landscape

  MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are key players in cancer pathogenesis1. They display differential expression across breast cancer subtypes, and play oncogenic and tumor-suppressive roles2-6. A systematic study of the global miRNA landscape in breast cancer and the factors shaping it has not been undertaken. Here we report the results of profiling miRNA expression in 1,302 breast tumors with detailed clinical annotation and long-term follow-up, and for which matching genomic and mRNA expression data were available7. This provides a comprehensive view of the quantity, distribution and variation of the miRNA population and dissects how much genomic, transcriptional and post-transcriptional events contribute to miRNA expression architecture. The key clinical parameters and cellular pathways related to the miRNA landscape are identified, exemplified by context-dependent interaction with cell adhesion and Wnt signaling. Strikingly, in breast cancer miRNAs appear to act as modulators of mRNA-mRNA interactions rather than molecular switches. We demonstrate an important modulatory role for miRNAs in the biology of breast tumors devoid of somatic copy number aberrations, a common subtype where immune response is prominent. Remarkably, prognostic miRNA signatures derived in this subtype are consistently prognostic across several other subtypes and validate in external cohorts. These findings represent a new framework to study the biology of miRNA in human cancer.

  Study EGAS00000000122

• The clonal and mutational evolution spectrum of primary triple negative breast cancers

  Primary triple negative breast cancers (TNBC) represent approximately 16% of all breast cancers and are a tumour type defined by exclusion,for which comprehensive landscapes of somatic mutation have not been determined. Here we show in 104 early TNBC cases, that at the time of diagnosis these cancers exhibit a wide and continuous spectrum of genomic evolution, with some exhibiting only a handful of somatic aberrations in a few pathways, whereas others contain hundreds of somatic events and multiple pathways implicated. Integration with matched whole transcriptome sequence data revealed that only 36% of mutations are expressed. By examining single nucleotide variant (SNV) allelic abundance derived from deep re-sequencing (median > 20,000 fold) measurements in 2414 somatic mutations, we determine for the first time in an epithelial tumour, the relative abundance of clonal genotypes among cases in the population. We show that TNBC vary widely and continuously in their clonal frequencies at the time of diagnosis, with basal subtype TNBC exhibiting more variation than non-basal TNBC. Although p53 and somatic mutations appear clonally dominant compared with other pathways, in some tumours their clonal frequencies are incompatible with founder status. Mutations in cytoskeletal and cell shape/motility proteins occurred at lower clonal frequencies, suggesting they occurred later during tumour progression. Taken together our results show that future attempts to dissect the biology and therapeutic responses of TNBC will require the determination of individual tumour clonal genotypes.

  Study EGAS00001000132

• Partner-independent fusion gene detection by multiplexed CRISPR/Cas9 enrichment and long-read Nanopore sequencing

  Fusion genes are hallmarks of various cancer types and important determinants for diagnosis, prognosis and treatment possibilities. The promiscuity of fusion genes with respect to partner choice and exact breakpoint-positions restricts their detection in the diagnostic setting, even for known and recurrent fusion gene configurations. To accurately identify these gene fusions in an unbiased manner, we developed FUDGE: a FUsion gene Detection assay from Gene Enrichment. FUDGE couples target-selected and strand-specific CRISPR/Cas9 activity for enrichment and detection of fusion gene drivers (e.g. BRAF, EWSR1, KMT2A/MLL) - without prior knowledge of fusion partner or breakpoint-location - to long-read Nanopore sequencing. FUDGE encompasses a dedicated bioinformatics approach (NanoFG) to detect fusion genes from Nanopore sequencing data. Our strategy is flexible with respect to target choice and enables multiplexed enrichment for simultaneous analysis of several genes in multiple samples in a single sequencing run. We observe on average a 508-fold on-target enrichment and identify fusion breakpoints at nucleotide resolution - all within two days. We demonstrate that FUDGE effectively identifies fusion genes in cancer cell lines, tumor samples and on whole genome amplified DNA irrespective of partner gene or breakpoint-position in 100% of cases. Furthermore, we show that FUDGE is superior to routine diagnostic methods for fusion gene detection. In summary, we have developed a rapid and versatile fusion gene detection assay, providing an unparalleled opportunity for pan-cancer detection of fusion genes in routine diagnostics.

  Study EGAS00001003964