12454 results for ""non-traditional+communal+storytelling+approach"+novel+segment+noted+in+critical+commentary"

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• Copy number profiling of primary samples and cell lines of retinoblastoma

  While RB1 loss initiates retinoblastoma development, additional somatic copy number alterations (SCNAs) can drive tumor progression. Although SCNAs have been identified with good concordance between studies at a cytoband resolution, accurate identification of single genes for all recurrent SCNAs is still challenging. This study presents a comprehensive meta-analysis of genome-wide SCNAs integrated with gene expression profiling data, narrowing down the list of plausible retinoblastoma driver genes. We performed SCNA profiling of 45 primary retinoblastoma samples and 8 retinoblastoma cell lines by high-resolution microarrays. We combined our data with genomic, clinical and histopathological data of ten published genome-wide SCNA studies, which strongly enhanced the power of our analyses (N=310). Comprehensive recurrence analysis of SCNAs in all studies integrated with gene expression data allowed us to reduce candidate gene lists for 1q, 2p, 6p, 7q and 13q to a limited gene set. Besides the well-established driver genes RB1 (13q-loss) and MYCN (2p-gain) we identified CRB1 and NEK7 (1q-gain), SOX4 (6p-gain) and NUP205 (7q-gain) as novel retinoblastoma driver candidates. Depending on the sample subset and algorithms used, alternative candidates were identified including MIR181 (1q-gain) and DEK (6p gain). Remarkably, our study showed that copy number gains rarely exceeded change of one copy, even in pure tumor samples with 100% homozygosity at the RB1 locus (N=34), which is indicative for intra-tumor heterogeneity. In addition, profound between-tumor variability was observed that was associated with age at diagnosis and differentiation grades. Since focal alterations at commonly altered chromosome regions were rare except for 2p24.3 (MYCN), further functional validation of the oncogenic potential of the described candidate genes is now required. For further investigations, our study provides a refined and revised set of candidate retinoblastoma driver genes.

  Study EGAS00001001715

• Novel Strategies to Eliminate Resistance to B-cell Receptor Inhibitor Therapy in Lymphoid Malignancies

  Ibrutinib and acalabrutinib are BTK inhibitors (BTKi) used as frontline therapies for chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Clonal evolution during ibrutinib treatment has previously been studied, but limited study of clonal evolution in patients receiving acalabrutinib has been done. Our group analyzed 216 blood samples from 38 CLL patients at multiple time points during their BTKi treatment. Samples were prepared by standard protocols and sequenced using 200x Illumina sequencing. Using the longitudinal data, we reconstructed the clonal evolution of each patient using somatic mutations found within the B-cell populations. Three patterns of clonal evolution were identified: 1) new clone emergence, 2) clonal selection, and 3) clonal replacement. As previously seen in ibrutinib treatment, the evolution of subclones containing CLL-driver mutations was associated with worse clinical outcomes for patients treated with acalabrutinib (Log-rank p=0.04). Understanding clonal evolution during treatment with acalabrutinib can help determine and modify the clinical course of patients with CLL.

  Study phs003042

• MP2PRT-MNG: Identifying Novel Molecular Markers of Response to Radiotherapy in Meningiomas Using Samples from the RTOG-0539 (NCT00895622)

  The Molecular Profiling to Predict Response to Treatment (MP2PRT) program is part of the NCI's Cancer Moonshot Initiative. The aim of this program is the retrospective characterization and analysis of biospecimens collected from completed NCI-sponsored trials of the National Clinical Trials Network and the NCI Community Oncology Research Program. NRG RTOG (Radiation Therapy Oncology Group)-0539, which was a nonrandomized phase II cooperative group trial in 2009, was selected for inclusion in this program. NRG RTOG-0539 assigned patients with histologically confirmed diagnosis of meningioma to 1 of 3 risk groups based on 2007 WHO grade, resection extent, and recurrence status, and radiotherapy was given per protocol to the intermediate- and high-risk cases. Under the MP2PRT program, DNA methylation profiling, RNA sequencing, and whole exome sequencing were performed on clinical trial cases with available tissue for molecular analyte extraction and subsequent sequencing. Raw molecular data with metadata are available for this study.

  Study phs003707

• Quantitative analysis of a novel DNA hypermethylation panel for lung cancer diagnosis using bronchial specimens

  Non-diagnostic findings in Transbronchial Lung Biopsy (TBLB) and Endobronchial Ultrasound-guided Transbronchial Lung Biopsy (EBUS-TBLB) are not uncommon. A challenge is to improve lung cancer detection by TBLB/EBUS-TBLB. In order to improve the diagnostic yield of bronchoscopy, we used 850K methylation chip to identify methylation sites that distinguish malignant from benign lung nodules.We found that the combination of HOXA7, SHOX2,and SCT methylation analysis has the best diagnostic yield in 123 bronchial washing (sensitivity: 74·1%; AUC: 0·851) and 172 brushing samples (sensitivity: 86·1%; AUC: 0·915). We developed a kit comprising these three genes and validated the kit in 329 unique bronchial washing samples, 397 unique brushing samples, and 179 unique patients with both washing and brushing samples. The diagnostic accuracy of the panel alone in lung cancer diagnosis was 86·9%, 91·2% and 95% in bronchial washing, brushing, and washing+brushing samples, respectively. The panel's sensitivity in combination with cytology, rapid on-site evaluation (ROSE), and histology in lung cancer diagnosis was 90·8% and 95.8% in bronchial washing and brushing samples, respectively, and 100% in washing+brushing samples. Quantitative analysis of the three-gene panel improves lung cancer diagnosis by bronchoscopy.

  Study EGAS00001007089

• National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases and Istanbul Faculty of Medicine Genome-wide Association Study of Behçet's Disease (Turkish)

  IntroductionBehçet's disease (BD) is a genetically complex multisystem disease of unknown etiology, characterized by recurrent inflammatory attacks affecting orogenital mucosa, eyes, skin, joints, blood vessels, and less frequently, the central nervous system and gastrointestinal tract. Family studies suggest a genetically complex contribution to BD. With the exception of HLA-B51, which explains less than 20% of the genetic risk, the identities of alleles that are responsible for the complex inheritance of this disease have remained unclear. AimTo identify genes that contribute to BD susceptibility. MethodsA genome-wide association study was undertaken with 311,459 informative and high quality SNPs in a collection of 1215 BD patients and 1278 healthy controls from Turkey using a beadchip microarray assay (Infinium SNP genotype assay, Illumina). HLA-B types were determined with a reverse sequence-specific oligonucleotide method (One Lambda). Regions with evidence for association were fine-mapped using Sequenom iPLEX gold assays. Disease-associated SNPs were genotyped in additional ethnically matched case/control collections from diverse genetic backgrounds, including a total of 2430 cases and 2660 controls, using TaqMan SNP genotype assays. Association data were combined in a meta-analysis of all the collections. ResultsWe confirmed the known association with HLA-B51 and found evidence for a second, independent susceptibility locus in the Class I region of the MHC. In addition, we identified one SNP with genome-wide evidence for disease association (P < 5.0 x 10-8) within the gene encoding the immunoregulatory cytokine, interleukin-10 (IL10). A meta-analysis of the data from all the collections established associations with the IL10 variant (rs1518111, P = 3.54 x 10-18, odds ratio 1.45 with 95% confidence interval 1.34 to 1.58) and with a variant located between the interleukin-23 receptor (IL23R) and interleukin 12 receptor β2 (IL12RB2) genes (rs924080, P = 6.69 x 10-9, odds ratio 1.28 with 95% confidence interval 1.18 to 1.39). The disease-associated IL10 variant was associated with diminished mRNA expression and low protein production by cells obtained from healthy blood donors. ConclusionsThese data suggest that genetically encoded low production of IL-10 increases risk of BD and suggest novel interventional targets in the IL-10 and IL-23 pathways. Note: The submitted data are the genotypes of the 311,459 SNPs in 1215 cases and 1278 controls.

  Study phs000272

• Successful Clinical Response in Pneumonia Therapy (SCRIPT)

  The goal of this study is to iteratively identify, validate and refine biomarkers to predict clinical failure, and identify novel targets for therapy, beyond traditional antibiotics, for patients with severe pneumonia requiring intubation, including severe community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), hospital-acquired pneumonia, and ventilator-associated pneumonia (HAP/VAP). We hypothesize that factors within the alveolar microenvironment in many patients with pneumonia prevent the active process of pneumonia resolution.The major emphasis will be on HAP. Mechanically ventilated CAP patients are a very high-risk group for subsequent VAP, and therefore CAP samples will be included to determine baseline bacteria, microbiome, and host defense patterns for those that do or do not develop HAP/VAP. Hospital-acquired pneumonia is the leading cause of death from nosocomial infections. Even in patients receiving pathogen-appropriate therapy, reported clinical failure rates are increasing, approaching 50% in recent clinical trials. Current approaches to improve outcomes in patients with pneumonia almost exclusively focus on the development of antibiotics to address the problem of resistance. However, the prevalence of antibiotic-resistant pathogens is insufficient to explain the high rates of clinical failure. Instead, we hypothesize that factors within the alveolar microenvironment in many patients with pneumonia prevent the active process of pneumonia resolution. These factors include pathogen-specific adaptations to the injured lung that modulate the innate and adaptive immune response, as well as changes to the alveolar microbiome, driven by selective pressure within our modern intensive care units. Understanding this complex adaptive system requires the integration of clinical information with unbiased measures of the host, pathogen, and microbiome changes within the alveolar microenvironment. These measures must be repeated over time to identify factors that distinguish successful from failed therapy for pneumonia sufficiently early during the clinical course to allow for effective interventions. To address this challenge, we have assembled a talented group of investigators in the Successful Clinical Response In Pneumonia Therapy (SCRIPT) Systems Biology Center. We will leverage our routine clinical practice of safe alveolar sampling in mechanically ventilated patients with pneumonia with repeated non-bronchoscopic bronchoalveolar lavage (NBBAL) sampling over the course of pneumonia. From this fluid, we will combine flow cytometry with multi-omic technologies (cell population-specific transcriptomics, epigenomics, shotgun microbiome sequencing, and pathogen-specific sequencing). Our systems scientists will integrate these genomic data with robust clinical -omics with the goal of identifying biomarkers that can be prospectively tested in patients and causally evaluated in humanized mouse models.The addition of a pooled sample artificially increases the number of automatically computed subjects by one.

  Study phs002300

• Center for Oral Health Research in Appalachia (COHRA) Genomic Studies of Oral Health and Disease

  The purpose of this project is to identify the genetic factors contributing to dental caries in children and adults. The datasets come from the Center for Oral Health Research in Appalachia (COHRA), which has the long-term goal of determining the sources of oral health disparities in a high risk, Northern Appalachian population so that effective preventive interventions can be designed and targeted. The Specific Aims of this project are to perform genome-wide association scans of dental caries of the (1) primary dentition in children, and (2) permanent dentition in adults, to identify novel risk variants and to replicate previously nominated risk variants. This project brings together samples from three cohorts: COHRA1 is a cross-sectional cohort comprising members of 862 northern Appalachian families; approximately 80% of the cohort has been previously genotyped by the Center for Inherited Disease Research with support from NIDCR using the Illumina Quad W array (see dbGaP Study Accession: phs000095.v3.p1). Dental SCORE is a cross-sectional cohort comprising approximately 550 unrelated individuals who underwent the same data collection protocol as COHRA1. COHRA2 is an ongoing longitudinal cohort that recruited approximately 1100 northern Appalachian women during pregnancy, and followed them and their children through their children's early childhood; the current project period will continue data collect though age 6 of the child. Phenotypes for this project were derived from intra-oral examinations performed by trained and calibrated research hygienists. In brief, each tooth was recorded as present or absent, and each surface of each present tooth was scored for evidence of decay. From these data, dental caries indices were generated. This project contains two phases of genotyping: (1) collection of exome SNP Chip data for the previously genotyped COHRA1 samples, and (2) collection of whole-genome SNP Chip data for the remaining COHRA1 samples and all Dental SCORE and COHRA2 samples. These data will support efforts to test hypotheses regarding the causal relationships of risk factors contributing to the unusually high rates of caries formation in the Appalachian population. Ultimately, these data may inform the development of an integrated model of caries risk, in which the effects of genetics, oral ecology, diet, and other environmental/psychosocial factors and behaviors are modeled in concert to explain the disparities, including the high rate of caries onset before age 6. The gene-mapping Aims of this project, which seek to identify the genetic factors that contribute to caries risk, are a requisite step in realizing this integrated model.

  Study phs001591

• Genomic Predictors of Combat Stress Vulnerability and Resilience

  The Genomic Predictors of Combat Stress Vulnerability and Resilience Study was designed to probe the likely hereditary basis for risk or resilience to develop PTSD and other trauma spectrum disorders. The overall guiding hypothesis was that genomic variation gives rise to risk/susceptibility traits that, when actuated by traumatic environmental stimuli, such as combat, give rise to PTSD and other stress-related phenotypes. Two studies designed to identify risk and resilience factors for combat-induced, stress-related symptoms are being conducted by our group: The Marine Resiliency Study (MRS) is a prospective PTSD study with longitudinal follow-up (pre- and post-exposure to combat stress) of US Marines bound for deployment to Iraq or Afghanistan. Extensive phenotyping includes 3 domains: Psychosocial, Psychophysiologic, and Biophysiologic. The biological and physiological measures collected were chosen in part due to their potential to serve as intermediate phenotypes for stress-related disorders. A second, cross-sectional study involves a cohort of combat-exposed active duty or previously deployed service members (CAVC), including PTSD cases and controls with comparable psychosocial and clinical phenotypes. Little information is available about the factors that explain why some trauma survivors develop stress disorders and some do not. It is hoped that the insights gained from this approach will improve understanding of the genetic contributors to PTSD, and potentially provide novel diagnostic tests and therapeutic approaches to this currently enigmatic and difficult-to-manage condition.

  Study phs000864

• Region-Specific Neural Stem Cell Lineages Revealed by Single-Cell RNA-Sequences from Human Embryonic Stem Cells

  During development of the human brain, multiple cell types with diverse regional identities are generated. Here we report a system to generate early human brain forebrain and mid/hindbrain cell types from human embryonic stem cells (hESCs), and infer and experimentally confirm a lineage tree for the generation of these types based on single-cell RNA-Seq analysis. We engineered SOX2Cit/+ and DCXCit/Y hESC lines to target progenitors and neurons throughout neural differentiation for single-cell transcriptomic profiling, then identified discrete cell types consisting of both rostral (cortical) and caudal (mid/hindbrain) identities. Direct comparison of the cell types were made to primary tissues using gene expression atlases and fetal human brain single-cell gene expression data, and this established that the cell types resembled early human brain cell types, including preplate cells. From the single-cell transcriptomic data a Bayesian algorithm generated a unified lineage tree, and predicted novel regulatory transcription factors. The lineage tree highlighted a prominent bifurcation between cortical and mid/hindbrain cell types, confirmed by clonal analysis experiments. We demonstrated that cell types from either branch could preferentially be generated by manipulation of the canonical Wnt/beta-catenin pathway. In summary, we present an experimentally validated lineage tree that encompasses multiple brain regions, and our work sheds light on the molecular regulation of region-specific neural lineages during human brain development.

  Study phs001205

• Multi-omics bulk and single-cell profiling of epithelioid sarcoma

  Epithelioid sarcoma (EpS) is an aggressive sarcoma, characterized by the loss of SMARCB1 expression. EpS is traditionally classified as distal or proximal according to clinicopathological features, but its molecular characteristics remain largely unknown. To establish an EpS molecular classification and uncover determinants of inter- and intra-patient heterogeneity in EpS, we used multi-omics profiling and integrated the genomic, transcriptional and methylome landscapes with single-cell RNA sequencing on fresh samples as well as spatial transcriptomics. We identified two molecular subtypes of EpS: “distal-like” and “proximal-like”, which were distinct from the histological subtypes. Distal-like tumors include all morphological distal subtypes and a subset of proximal and hybrid EpS. They express a specific molecular single-cell derived epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition signature, which associates with improved patient survival and includes Desmoglein 2 (DSG2), which we identify as a potential routine immunohistochemical biomarker to improve diagnosis. Distal-like EpS also display increased peri-tumoral CD8+ T cell infiltrates and specific tumor-immune cell interactions. Conversely, proximal-like EpS harbor a higher inter-tumoral molecular heterogeneity with some cases resembling other SMARCB1-deficient tumors by DNA methylation profiling, and increased intra-tumoral pro-tumoral macrophage infiltrates. Our study introduces a novel molecular classification of EpS with prognostic value, associated diagnostic biomarkers and distinct tumor immune microenvironments, which extends beyond traditional clinicopathological classification. This paves the way for precision medicine-based therapeutic strategies for patients with EpS.

  Study EGAS50000000973