12512 results for ""non-traditional+communal+storytelling+approach"+novel+segment+noted+in+critical+commentary"

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• Targeted sequencing of Human esophageal epithelium microbiopsies

  NOTCH1 mutant clones occupy the majority of normal human esophagus by middle age, but are comparatively rare in esophageal cancers, suggesting NOTCH1 mutations may promote clonal expansion but impede carcinogenesis. Here we test this hypothesis. Visualizing and sequencing NOTCH1 mutant clones in aging normal human esophagus, reveals frequent biallelic mutations that block NOTCH1 signaling.  In mouse esophagus, heterozygous Notch1 mutation confers a competitive advantage over wild type cells, an effect enhanced by loss of the second allele.  Notch1 loss alters transcription but has minimal effects on epithelial structure and cell dynamics. In a carcinogenesis model, Notch1 mutations were less prevalent in tumors than normal epithelium. Deletion of Notch1 reduced tumor growth, an effect recapitulated by anti-NOTCH1 antibody treatment.  We conclude that Notch1 mutations in normal epithelium are beneficial as wild type Notch1 promotes tumor expansion. NOTCH1 blockade has therapeutic potential in esophageal squamous tumors.

  Dataset EGAD00001006969

• Whole-genome sequencing in 14 cases and whole-exome sequencing in 90 cases of Chinese ESCC

  Esophageal cancer is one of the most aggressive cancers and the sixth leading cause of cancer death worldwide1. Approximately 70% of the global esophageal cancers occur in China and over 90% histopathological forms of this disease are esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC)2-3. Currently, there are limited clinical approaches for early diagnosis and treatment for ESCC, resulting in a 10% 5-year survival rate for the patients. Meanwhile, the full repertoire of genomic events leading to the pathogenesis of ESCC remains unclear. Here we show a comprehensive genomic analysis in 158 ESCC cases, as part of the International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC) Research Projects (http://icgc.org/icgc/cgp/72/371/1001734). We conducted whole-genome sequencing in 14 ESCC cases and whole-exome sequencing in 90 cases.

  Dataset EGAD00001001691

• The landscape of somatic mutation in normal colorectal epithelial cells

  The colorectal adenoma-carcinoma sequence has provided a paradigmatic framework for understanding the successive somatic genetic events and consequent clonal expansions leading to cancer. As for most cancer types, however, understanding of the earliest phases of colorectal neoplastic change, which may occur in morphologically normal tissue, is comparatively limited because of the difficulty of detecting somatic mutations in normal cells. Each colorectal crypt is a small clone of cells derived from a single recently-existing stem cell. Here, we sequenced hundreds of normal crypts from 42 individuals. Signatures of multiple mutational processes were revealed, some ubiquitous and continuous, others only found in some individuals, in some crypts or during some phases of the cell lineage from zygote to adult cell. Likely driver mutations were present in ~1% of normal colorectal crypts in middle-aged individuals, indicating that adenomas and carcinomas are rare outcomes of a pervasive process of neoplastic change across morphologically normal colorectal epithelium.

  Dataset EGAD00001004193

• NIDA Genetic Epidemiology of Opioid Dependence in Bulgaria (GEODB)

  The study was conducted in Bulgaria as a collaboration between the Molecular Medicine Center (Medical University, Sofia), the Bulgarian Addictions Institute (Sofia), the Initiative for Health Foundation (Sofia) and Washington University School of Medicine (Saint Louis, MO, USA). This is a case-population control study. Participants (N=2,499 interviews; N=1,995 with GWAS data) in our study are primarily active heroin users (78%) aged 18 and over, with a median 8.9 years of daily heroin use (minimum of 12 months). Virtually all participants (99.1%) qualified for a lifetime DSM-IV diagnosis of dependence, symptom endorsement probabilities ranging from 77% to 99.3%; and 61% endorsing all symptoms. 85% were heroin injectors and 97% reported using (or having used) heroin daily. Anonymized, population-representative control samples (no phenotypic data, N = 1,062 with GWAS data) were drawn from the MMC repository. Unlike other studies, where samples are clinically ascertained (e.g., from ORT programs), our participants are primarily untreated. PTSD, major depression, suicidality, mania, alcohol, nicotine and substance dependence (separating heroin and opioids) were assessed using the MAGIC (Todd et al., 2003, PMID: 14627881), a broad semi-structured psychiatric assessment tool with good reliability and prospective stability. The onset of (any) illicit drug use in this sample is not particularly remarkable (age~16), but the age of onset of heroin use is much lower than in the USA: 25% by age 16; 50% by age 19, with no differences between ethnicities or gender. This is consistent with findings from other studies in Bulgaria. In contrast, in 2008, SAMHSA estimated an average age of 23.4 for new heroin initiates in the USA. Further, progression from first use to regular use appears to be more rapid, with the majority of participants reporting onset of dependence problems within one year of initiation. Another unique aspect of this study population are the comparatively low levels of polysubstance use (outside of nicotine and alcohol). This early-use, fast-transition and monosubstance heroin pattern stands in sharp contrast to what is reported in many studies in the Western World. In our study, 47% of Ethnic Bulgarians and 66% of Roma used only opioids, even years after the onset of drug use. 15.4% of Ethnic Bulgarians and 66.2% of Roma reported heroin as the very first illicit drug used. Lifetime, 12.5% of Ethnic Bulgarians and 52.8% of Roma report never having used another illicit drug other than heroin more than five times. While both Roma and Ethnic Bulgarians certainly experiment with other drugs, abuse/dependence rates for these drugs are low in Ethnic Bulgarians (from 8.4% for inhalants to 28% for stimulants) and in the Roma population (from 1.3% for hallucinogens to 11.2% for stimulants).

  Study phs001804

• PE-CGS: Optimizing Engagement of Hispanic Colorectal Cancer Patients in Cancer Genomic Characterization Studies

  Colorectal Cancer (CRC) is the second leading cause of cancer death in the US. Hispanic/Latinos (H/L) are the largest and fasting growing ethnic group in the US, and cancer is the leading cause of death among H/L in the US. Therefore, we need to fully understand the full complexity of the molecular etiology of cancer in this ethnic group. For instance, although incidence rates of CRC are lower among Latinos as compared to Whites or African Americans, Hispanics with metastatic disease have shorter overall survival when adjusted for health care setting, demographics, disease characteristics and treatment factors. H/L also tend to be diagnosed at a younger age and with higher stage, and we have previously reported that Mexican H/L in California have the greatest proportion of young (The Cancer Genome Atlas has provided a deep overview of the molecular taxonomy of CRC in 594 cases, however, less than 1% of the cases (n=5) were H/L. Therefore, it is imperative for us to take more detailed assessment of the molecular genomic landscape of CRC in H/L. One of the major issues likely limiting our ability to perform these large genomic initiatives in minority patients is that Patient or Participant Engagement practices may not be investigated to identify best practices for accruing and consenting patients into clinical translational biomedical research studies. This concept of Participant Engagement is critically important for both the patients and the translational cancer research community. Optimizing and improving our approaches for directly engaging patients at initial contact, throughout the course of a translational genomic study, and during the time of return of results is likely to lead to stronger relationships between the medical community and patients, but could also lead to significant improvement in outcomes for patients and for the cancer care community as a whole. As such, we propose the creation of the USC Center for Optimization of Participant Engagement in Cancer Characterization (COPECC) with a focus on optimizing the engagement of Latinos in CRC Genomic Characterization research studies. USC COPECC would serve as a member of the NCI U2C Participant Engagement and Cancer Genome Sequencing (PE-CGS) Network. Our investigative team includes experts in all relevant areas of research for genomic characterization, participant engagement, and engagement optimization. We have an established platform for consenting patients into cancer genomics studies that will serve as a standard process. The overall goal of USC COPECC is to generate results on participant engagement optimization and CRC genomic research that will be shared with the broader community to distribute best practices for engaging Latinos in hopes of improving overall outcomes for CRC in this underserved population.

  Study phs003985

• Merkel Cell Carcinoma Tissue and Data Repository

  Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is a rare, aggressive neuroendocrine skin cancer with increasing incidence in the United States. In this study we performed the first whole genome sequencing of three Merkel cell carcinomas with their matched normal tissues for somatic variant calling. From these data we describe the likely mechanism of Merkel cell polyomavirus integration and focal host genomic amplifications in two tumors and the dominance of UV-mediated mutagenesis in a virus-negative tumor. We also performed poly-A RNA sequencing on a total of six Merkel cell carcinomas to address expression differences between virus-positive and virus-negative MCC.

  Study phs002189

• Cognitively Affected DMD Patients have Unique Methylation Signatures Compared to Cognitively Normal DMD Patients

  The overarching goal of this project was to identify changes in methylation patterns in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) patients with discordant symptoms using whole genome bisulfite sequencing (WGBS) from genomic DNA isolated from whole serum. DMD siblings (biological brothers) had the same genetic mutation in the dystrophin gene but with discordance in symptoms such as ambulation, cardiopulmonary function, and cognition. Trios (DMD sibling brothers and biological mother or father) and quartets (DMD sibling brothers and biological mother and father) were recruited for this study for intra- and inter-familial comparisons of the methylation of gene bodies.

  Study phs003118

• Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics - Underserved Populations (RADx-UP) Collection of General Research Use Datasets

  This individual-level collection of datasets contains all the RADx Underserved Populations (RADx-UP) studies in dbGaP for General Research Use (GRU) and have no further limitations beyond those outlined in the model RADx Data Use Certification Agreement. Access to this study collection will include additional authorized individual-level GRU datasets that become available. Renewal of this study collection is required annually. Access to studies in this collection is on the RADx® Data Hub. To request access to this study collection, select phs003832 in the dbGaP when submitting a data access request.

  Study phs003832

• Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics - Tech Program (RADx-Tech) Collection of General Research Use Datasets

  This individual-level collection of datasets contains all the RADx® Tech Programs (RADx-Tech) studies in dbGaP for General Research Use (GRU) and have no further limitations beyond those outlined in the model RADx Data Use Certification Agreement. Access to this study collection will include additional authorized individual-level GRU datasets that become available. Renewal of this study collection is required annually. Access to studies in this collection is on the RADx® Data Hub. To request access to this study collection, select phs003831 in the dbGaP when submitting a data access request.

  Study phs003831

• Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics - Radical (RADx-rad) Collection of General Research Use Datasets

  This individual-level collection of datasets contains all the RADx® Radical (RADx-rad) studies in dbGaP for General Research Use (GRU) and have no further limitations beyond those outlined in the model RADx Data Use Certification Agreement. Access to this study collection will include additional authorized individual-level GRU datasets that become available. Renewal of this study collection is required annually. Access to studies in this collection is on the RADx® Data Hub. To request access to this study collection, select phs003834 in the dbGaP when submitting a data access request.

  Study phs003834