12403 results for ""non-traditional+communal+storytelling+approach"+novel+segment+noted+in+critical+commentary"

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• Discovery and capture of novel dynamic DNA methylation in human sperm with preferential links to altered folate metabolism

  The sperm DNA methylation landscape is unique and critical for offspring health. If gamete-derived DNA methylation escapes reprogramming in early embryos, epigenetic defects in sperm may be transmitted to the next generation. Current techniques to assess sperm DNA methylation show bias towards CpG dense regions and do not target areas of dynamic methylation, those predicted to be environmentally sensitive and tunable regulatory elements. Thus, this study aim to assess variation in human sperm DNA methylation and design a targeted capture panel to interrogate the human sperm methylome.

  Study EGAS00001003617

• Genomic and Phenotypic Profile of Sickle Cell Disease in Human Population in Cameroon

  Sickle cell disease (SCD) is caused by a biallelic single nucleotide substitution in the beta-globin gene (HBB), resulting in an amino acid substitution, Glu7Val, formerly known as Glu6Val. An estimated 300,000 babies with SCD are born worldwide each year, with nearly 75% of these births being in sub-Saharan Africa. In Africa, at least 30-50% of children with untreated SCD die before the age of 5 years. Therefore, accelerating the path for novel therapies for SCD through genomics research on fetal hemoglobin (HbF) is critical. Variants in the currently known HbF‐modulating genes/loci, i.e., BCL11A, HBS1L-MYB, and XmnI-HBG2, explain only 10-20% of the variation of HbF levels in African individuals with SCD, compared with nearly 50% of the variation in HbF levels among Europeans. Expanding genomic research in populations of African ancestry could uncover the missing heritability of HbF-promoting loci. This study used the Human Heredity and Health (H3Africa) consortium SNP genotyping array developed from whole genome enriched for common variants in sub-Saharan Africans to investigate genomic variations associated with HbF levels in individuals with sickle cell anemia of the HbSS genotype from Cameroon. Two of the previously described loci, BCL11A and HBS1L-MYB were replicated, while a novel locus on chromosome 13 mapping to FLT1 was uncovered. The study therefore opens up a novel avenue for exploring SCD gene therapy.

  Study phs003748

• Colorectal Microenvironment Spatial Mapping

  In colorectal cancer (CRC), interactions between tumor and immune cells within the tumor microenvironment are critical drivers of tumorigenesis, immune evasion, prognosis, and therapeutic response. Therefore, a deeper understanding of the spatial organization of cancer and immune cells within the CRC microenvironment is urgently needed. In this study, we aimed to characterize distinct cell populations and patterns of spatial gene expression associated with CRC tumorigenesis and immune infiltration. Spatial transcriptomics (ST) was performed on CRC and adjacent normal tissues to investigate the patterns of gene expression. Integrative ST data and publicly available single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) data analysis tools were used for data integration, dimension reduction, clustering, and differential expression analysis. This study identified novel immunosuppressive cell populations and immune regulatory factors in CRC. Further functional validation of these findings will be essential to assess their potential as therapeutic targets.

  Study EGAS00001008254

• SU2C-MARK Lung Cancer Consortium - Checkpoint Blockade Response Project

  Immune checkpoint inhibitors have become a critical part of the armamentarium against advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC). While early studies have identified Tumor Mutation Burden (TMB) and PD-L1 staining as important biomarkers of response, they remain imperfect predictors. Here we describe a multi-institutional effort as part of the SU2C-MARK Lung Cancer Consortium in which Whole Exome Sequencing (WES) - and in select cases, RNA sequencing – was performed on a large collection of NSCLC samples prior to immune checkpoint blockade therapy, along with matched clinical response data following therapy. (Profiling of a small number of on- or post-treatment samples was also performed.) We anticipate this dataset to be of high value for the development of a deep understanding of the molecular determinants of immune checkpoint blockade response as well as the discovery of novel biomarkers.

  Study phs002822

• The identification of genetic vulnerabilities in head and neck cancers for the development of novel treatments.

  The global cancer burden is expected to double by the year 2030 and this will disproportionately affect the Asian continent. Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is endemic in Asia. It is the sixth most common cancer worldwide and the second most common in Malaysia, with approximately 600,000 new cases per year globally. Longterm survival remains less than 50%, underscoring the need for better therapeutic strategies. In this proposal we aim to bring new technological advancements in the identification of critical genes in HNSCC and the identification of compounds for the development of new therapies in HNSCC. We propose to genomically characterise 16 unique Asian H&N cancer cell lines, to classify sub groups where identification of essential genes that can be targeted for tumor control can be applied in a more rational way. Further, we propose to use zebrafish, an established drug discovery platform to identify promising pathway-specific compounds that could be further studied using CRISPR/Cas9 lethality screens and biological models to better identify novel therapeutic strategies to combat this major health problem in Asia.

  Study EGAS00001002682

• Activating AKT1 and PIK3CA mutations in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer

  This dataset contains all available targeted exon sequencing bam files from our study, "Activating AKT1 and PIK3CA mutations in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer". Patient identifiers are denoted by the first segment of the sample aliases (e.g. "P1"), and additional information is appended to reflect which serial sample is referenced (1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc.), and whether the sample represents cell-free DNA ("cfdna") or paired white-blood cell control ("WBC"). All samples were sequenced using Illumina technology.

  Dataset EGAD00001006122

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

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

  Study EGAS00001007461

• IL-17B uses IL-17RA and IL-17RB to induce Type-2 inflammation from human lymphocytes

  IL-17 family cytokines are critical to host defense responses at cutaneous and mucosal surfaces. Whereas IL-17A, IL-17F, and IL-17C induce overlapping inflammatory cascades to promote neutrophil-mediated immunity, IL-17E/IL-25 drives type 2 immune pathways and eosinophil activity. Genetic and pharmacological studies reveal the significant contribution these cytokines play in antimicrobial and autoimmune mechanisms. However, little is known about the related family member, IL-17B, with contrasting reports of both pro- and anti-inflammatory function in rodents. We demonstrate that in the human immune system, IL-17B is functionally similar to IL-25 and elicits type 2 cytokine secretion from innate type 2 lymphocytes, NKT, and CD4+ CRTH2+ Th2 cells. Like IL-25, this activity is dependent on the IL-17RA and IL-17RB receptor subunits. Furthermore, IL-17B can augment IL-33–driven type 2 responses. These data position IL-17B as a novel component in the regulation of human type 2 immunity.

  Study EGAS50000000579

• CPTAC: Proteogenomic Studies of Ovarian Tumor Responses to Agents Targeting the DNA Damage Response

  There is a critical unmet need for predictors of chemo-refractory High-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC). Despite over 3 decades of research on platinum responses in cancer, no predictive biomarker has been translated into clinical use. Predictors of refractory disease could spare these patients the unnecessary toxicity of a platinum-based regimen and provide a means to triage these patients to clinical trials to identify effective therapies for refractory disease. This study has approached the development of a predictor in a novel way enabling detection of a multi-analyte panel biomarker capable of detecting a subset of refractory HGSOCs with high specificity and implicating potential treatment vulnerabilities for refractory disease. We reported the first proteogenomic analysis of platinum refractoriness in HGSOC and made the novel dataset available as a resource to the community, including a ProTrack portal: http://ptrc.cptac-data-view.org/. Detailed proteogenomic profiles were generated for this study from a retrospective cohort of 242 treatment-naive HGSOCs with enriched representation of "exceptional non-responders" (i.e., patients with chemo-refractory disease). Whole genome sequence (WGS) and RNA seq FASTQ files are available through dbGaP. Proteomic data are available through the NCI Proteomic Data Commons (PDC): https://pdc.cancer.gov/pdc/.

  Study phs003152

• APOBEC Mutagenesis, Kataegis, Chromothripsis in EGFR-Mutant Osimertinib-Resistant Lung Adenocarcinomas

  Expanding on studies investigating apolipoprotein B mRNA-editing enzyme, catalytic polypeptide-like (APOBEC) mutagenesis in histological transformation of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-mutant lung cancers, it has been hypothesized that mutational signature analysis may help better understand acquired resistance to targeted therapies. Using mutational signature analysis in Receptor Tyrosine Kinase (RTK) driven lung adenocarcinomas, more specifically EGFR mutant lung cancer, APOBEC dominant mutational signatures were noted more frequently in subclonal post Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor (TKI) treatment biospecimen samples and in the presence of large-scale genomic rearrangements. This is hypothesized to be due to the pressure of treatment with TKIs; a fact that should be further explored and can be potentially manipulated in order to overcome drug resistance.

  Study phs003812