13305 results for ""pdc"+"heritage+language"+census+study"

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• Type 2 Diabetes Genetic Exploration by Next-generation sequencing in multi-Ethnic Samples (T2D-GENES)

  The T2D-GENES/GoT2D 13K exome sequencing study includes ~13,000 samples, half T2D cases and half T2D controls, from five ancestries (~5K Europeans, ~2K each of African-American, East-Asian, South-Asian, and Hispanic). Samples underwent deep exome sequencing, with SNVs and INDEls called according to GATK best practices; variant sites were then filtered according to the GATK best practices, and then samples and variants underwent further filtering based on aggregate genotype quality as described in Fuchsberger et al. (e.g. low call rate, excess heterozygosity for samples, low call rate or coverage for variants). Please note that one of the samples in the T2D-GENES vcf does not have phenotype data.

  Dataset EGAD00001002246

• Moles (2019-04-01)

  In this project we have sequenced the exome of skin moles (melanocytic naevi) and also normal skin from young and old people. We are interested in looking at the clonality of these lesions and the burden of UV mutations . This dataset contains all the data available for this study on 2019-04-01.

  Dataset EGAD00001004876

• Understand Paratyphoid Disease - host responses to human challenge with S. Paratyphi A (2019-08-28)

  This project aims to evaluate the transcriptional response to disease measured in whole blood of participants who developed enteric fever after challenge and, importantly, those who were challenged but stayed well throughout the challenge period. This data will provide unique coverage of the transcriptome and will yield invaluable insight after integration with a wealth of clinical data collected during this trial. This data is part of a pre-publication release. For information on the proper use of pre-publication data shared by the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute (including details of any publication moratoria), please see http://www.sanger.ac.uk/datasharing/ . This dataset contains all the data available for this study on 2019-08-28.

  Dataset EGAD00001005298

• Reconstruction of complex rearrangement patterns causing the initiation of clear cell renal cell carcinoma.

  The genomic hallmark of clear cell renal cell carcinoma is the loss of the short arm of chromosome three. This appears to be the earliest genomic event in the formation of these cancers. Often chromosome 3 is lost at the same time as part of chromosome 5 is duplicated via an unbalanced translocation, often with features consistent with focal chromothripsis. In this study, we sought to reconstruct the chromothriptic event that underlies the initiation of kidney cancer. We used long read sequencing (promethION, Oxford Nanopore Technologies) of patient tumour-derived DNA to elucidate how a single cell division error can generate cancer genome complexity.

  Dataset EGAD00001005495

• HV31 - Read identifier list for local CCS, CLR, ONT and MGI reads

  This file contains read identifiers for local CCS, CLR, ONT and MGI reads for each of the eight selected genomic regions (HLA, KIR, IGH, IGK, IGL, TRA, TRD, andTRG). We extracted these reads by aligning whole-genome sequencing data to a draft whole-genome de novo assembly, and selecting reads that map to contigs representing each region. These reads were involved in the polishing and validation of the HV31 assembly. Please refer to the relevant manuscript (https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.02.03.429586) for additional details. Read identifiers are stored in JSON format. Along with the full FASTQ files, this file enables convenient re-analysis of the HV31 sequencing data in the eight selected regions.

  Dataset EGAD00001007761

• G-SAM: Transcriptional Evolution of Glioblastomas Treated With Standard of Care

  Collection of mostly matching primary and recurrent glioblastoma RNA-seq sample pairs, also matching with an earlier DNA sequencing study

  Dataset EGAD00001007860

• Inherited MUTYH mutations cause elevated somatic mutation rates and distinctive mutational signatures in normal human cells

  Cellular DNA damage caused by reactive oxygen species is repaired by the base excision repair (BER) pathway which includes the DNA glycosylase MUTYH. Inherited biallelic MUTYH mutations cause predisposition to colorectal adenomas and carcinoma. However, the mechanistic progression from germline MUTYH mutations to MUTYH-Associated Polyposis (MAP) is incompletely understood. Here, we sequenced normal cell DNAs from 10 individuals with MAP and study the somatic mutation burden and mutational signatures.

  Dataset EGAD00001007958

• T-VEC CBCL scRNA

  We are presenting raw and processed data of our study where we analyze fine-needle aspirate (FNA) samples of primary cutaneous B-cell lymphoma patients undergoing oncolytic virotherapy (https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03458117). We are uploading single cell RNA-sequencing and immune repertoire profiling data of 29 FNA samples from four pCBCL patients. The four patients have three different subtypes of primary cutaneous B-cell lymphoma: pCDLBCL-LT, pCFCL and pCMZL. The samples are taken at different time points following T-VEC injection (from baseline up to 91 days after injection). We are uploading the sequences in BAM format and the outputs of the cellranger pipeline (count matrices and filtered VDJ contigs) in CSV format.

  Dataset EGAD00001006829

• RNAseq files for Klco RPAML

  RNAseq files for Klco RPAML study titled "Genomics of pediatric myeloid neoplasms"

  Dataset EGAD00001008407

• Genomic and immune signatures predict clinical outcome in newly diagnosed multiple myeloma treated with immunotherapy regimens

  In this study we performed whole genome sequencing on matched tumor-normal CD138+ bone marrow mononuclear cells from 60 patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma treated with daratumumab, carfilzomib, lenalidomide, and dexamethasone (NCT03290950-MANHATTAN trial). In addition, we performed 5’-single-cell RNA-sequencing (10X Genomics) coupled with V(D)J sequencing and capture of the surface protein markers (TotalSeq-C, Biolegend) of the CD138- bone marrow mononuclear cells to interrogate the composition of the immune microenvironment at baseline and after eight cycles of induction therapy in 22 patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma. Samples were multiplexed using hashtag oligo.

  Dataset EGAD00001011132

• Age-specific nasal epithelial responses to SARS-CoV-2 infection : GEX

  In this study, we investigate differences in the cellular landscape and functionality of ex vivo cultured nasal epithelial cells in response to SARS-CoV-2 infection across different age groups: paediatric (<12y), adult (30-50y), and older adults (>70y). We unravel, that while ciliated cells serve as primary sites for viral replication consistently across all age groups, a distinctive goblet inflammatory subtype emerges in infected paediatric cultures, characterized by heightened expression of interferon-stimulated genes and incomplete viral replication. Conversely, older adult cultures infected with SARS-CoV-2 exhibit a proportional surge in basaloid-like cells, which not only facilitate viral dissemination but also demonstrate associations with altered epithelial repair pathways.

  Dataset EGAD00001015345

• RNA-seq analysis refines molecular subtypes of hepatocellular carcinoma

  This work aims to identify homogeneous and robust molecular subtypes in HCC based on a large, homogenous and well-annotated cohort. We performed RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) on 529 HCC from 461 patients collected mainly in France. Based on the consistency between genomic and transcriptomic data, we identified 9 robust HCC subtypes mainly based on driver mutations. We further characterized HCC subtypes using transcriptomic and clinicopathological features. Our study provided a robust molecular classification based on a large HCC dataset from a Western country, improving our understanding of the mechanisms of carcinogenesis and facilitating the development of genome-based precision medicine in HCC.

  Dataset EGAD00001015427

• Proteotranscriptomic classification and characterization of pancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasms

  Pancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasms (PNENs) are biologically and clinically heterogeneous neoplasms. We used a multi-omics approach to uncover the molecular factors underlying this heterogeneity and derive a potential disease classification. Transcriptomic analysis of 84 primary PNEN specimens, drawn from two cohorts (n = 36 and 48), identified four subgroups with distinct molecular profiles. Whole-exome sequencing revealed subgroup-enriched mutational differences.

  Study EGAS00001005024

• Genetic regulation of gene expression in human brain cell types

  We leveraged single nuclei RNA-seq from 192 human brain samples to map cis-eQTLs in 8 brain cell types. We found extensive cell-type specific genetic effect on gene expression and integrated our results with GWAS to identify putative novel risk genes for brain disorders and the cell types in which the disease mechanisms are likely active.

  Study EGAS00001006345

• UCSF WCDT WGS/WGBS mCRPC

  This dataset contains 29 paired FASTQ files from whole-genome bisulfite sequencing (WGBS) assay performed on mCRPC tumors. Sequencing was performed using 150nt paired reads generated by a Novaseq 6000 instrument. It also contains whole-genome sequencing bam files aligned to hg38 using BWA from 36 patients, with tumor and matched tumor-adjacent normal samples. Sequencing was generated using HiSeq X Ten.

  Study EGAS00001006649

• California Pacific Medical Center Research Breast Health Cohort

  Description of Cohort: The California Pacific Medical Center (CPMC) Breast Health Cohort is a cohort study based at CPMC and is linked to the San Francisco Mammography Registry, one of the sites of the NCI-funded Breast Cancer Screening Consortium (U01CA063740). CPMC is a community hospital in San Francisco, which has one of the highest volumes for mammography in San Francisco. Between September 2004 and June 2007, >90,000 mammograms were performed at CPMC. The CPMC breast health cohort collects demographic and risk factor data on women receiving mammography through participation in the San Francisco Mammography Registry, as part of the Breast Cancer Screening Consortium (U01CA063740). The SFMR database collects information from all sources, including a questionnaire on demographic and risk factor information, the clinical results of the breast examination, the measures of breast density by Dr. John Shepherd and the women who agreed to donate a blood sample. By merging these various sources of information we have very efficiently developed a large sample of women who have donated blood and have had a measure of mamographic density. Blood Collection: Dr. Steve Cummings is leading an effort to collect and archive blood samples from women who are receiving mammography screening. All women who are sent for a screening mammogram at CPMC are considered eligible. Since the cohort began collecting blood samples in July 2004 until June 2007, samples have been collected from over 11,000 women. Measurement of Breast Density: Dr. John Shepherd is currently measuring breast density in a large fraction of the cohort using an automated approach with single X-ray absorptiometry. Dr. Shepherd has established a link with the CPMC mammography center that allows him to collect routine digital mammography information. Using the data from the mammogram, Dr. Shepherd and his group have developed the single X-ray absorptiometry (SXA) technique for measuring density which is described in more detail below. The table demonstrates the distribution of demographic variables and some breast cancer risk factors of women who donated blood and had a breast density measurement in the CPMC breast health cohort. Nearly 80% of the participants are Caucasian and most of the women are post-menopausal with a median age of ~52. Since it will be difficult to accrue a large enough sample from each ethnic group, our study will focus only on Caucasian women. Table: Demographic variables, reproductive history and family history of breast cancer among 2962 women participating in the CPMC cohort study who contributed blood samples between 1994-1997. Variable Median/Percentage Age (Median/IQR) 52 (46-59) Ethnicity Caucasian/White 0.76 Asian/Pacific Islander 0.141 Hispanic 0.029 Mixed Race/Ethnicity 0.039 African American/Black 0.022 American Indian 0.001 Other 0.009 First degree relative with breast cancer 0.17 Age at first birth Nulliparous 0.39 Age<20 0.043 Age>40 0.032 Age<30, ≥20 0.251 Age>30, ≤40 0.282 Measurement of Breast Density in Cohort: Measurement of breast density is accomplished using an automated technique for all mammograms obtained by Dr. Shepherd using Single X-Ray absorptiometry (SXA). SXA measurement of breast density is done on approximately 30% of all screening mammograms. Below we describe the method for measurement of breast density by SXA by Dr. Shepherd's group and its validation and association with breast cancer. As we demonstrate below, breast density, as measured by SXA, is an automated, highly reproducible measure of the density of breast tissue and is associated with breast cancer risk. SXA for Quantifying Breast Density: Single x-ray absorptiometry (SXA) was initially developed for measuring bone density. SXA can determine the fraction of each of two densities simultaneously using the fact the sample is a constant thickness, the thickness in known, and the total attenuation is known. In applying this technique to breast density, we assume a two compartment model: fat and non-fatty (fibroglandular tissue). We use a reference material composed of various concentrations of two materials: one which is the same density as fat and another which is the same density as fibroglandular tissue. The reference material (phantom) is placed in the X-ray field with each mammogram. We have been able to implement this in a way that is unintrusive to the patient and technologist at CPMC. Assuming this two-compartment model and a constant known breast thickness, we can then calculate the percent density at any region of the breast based on the assumption that % pixel grey-scale is proportion to the mass fractions of breast fat and lean tissue. If reference materials (a phantom) of fat and fibroglandular tissue are imaged with the patient's breast and the reference materials have the same thickness as the patient's breast, then the breast's grey-scale values can be converted to fat/fibroglandular mass fractions by interpolating between those two references. The total percent density is found by averaging the volume fraction over all breast pixels. The phantom being used for breast density assessment at CPMC began to be used in September 2004. The phantom does not have to be manipulated by the technologist and stays attached on the mammography device during standard craniocaudal (CC) views. Thus it creates minimal to no interference with the clinical mammogram. Reproducibility of breast density measures: Traditional measures of mammographic density require some human interpretation. A human reader outlines the area perceived to be dense and a computer then calculates the percent area outlined as a percent of the entire image. Thus, while traditional mammographic density is associated with breast cancer risk, it has some limitations. In a study by Drs. Shepherd, Kerlikowske, et al., the correlation coefficient (Pearson's R) between different readers was 0.8-0.9. In contrast to the traditional mammographic density measurement, the SXA measurement is fully automated and, therefore, the reproducibility of the measurement is higher. Dr. Shepherd and colleagues have performed a replication study of SXA as a measurement of breast density. They have estimated the correlation coefficient of the SXA measurement of breast density to be >0.98. Thus, as expected for an automated measure, SXA is a highly reproducible measure of mammographic breast density. Drs. Shepherd and Kerlikowske have recently analyzed the association between breast cancer risk and breast density as measured by SXA (Shepherd et al., Cancer Epi Biomarkers and Prev, 2011, PMID: 21610220). They found that women in the highest quintile of % volumetric density had an odds ratio of 4.1 (95% CI: 2.3 - 7.2) for breast cancer risk compared to women in the lowest quintile of volumetric density. Thus volumetric density appears to be a highly reproducible, automated measure of breast cancer.

  Study phs000395

• A Randomized Trial of Combined PD-L1 and CTLA-4 Inhibition with Targeted Low-Dose or Hypofractionated Radiation for Patients with Metastatic Colorectal Cancer

  Brief SummaryThis randomized phase II trial studies the side effects of durvalumab and tremelimumab to see how well they work with or without high or low-dose radiation therapy in treating patients with colorectal (CRC) or non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) that has spread to other parts of the body (metastatic). Immunotherapy with durvalumab and tremelimumab may induce changes in body's immune system and may interfere with the ability of tumor cells to grow and spread. Radiation therapy uses high energy x-rays to kill tumor cells and shrink tumors. Giving durvalumab and tremelimumab with radiation therapy may work better in treating patients with colorectal or non-small cell lung cancer.Detailed DescriptionPRIMARY OBJECTIVES:I. To assess safety and tolerability of combined checkpoint blockade with MEDI4736 (durvalumab) and tremelimumab alone or with high or low-dose radiation in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). (NSCLC Cohort) II. To compare the overall response (excluding the irradiated lesion[s]) between combined checkpoint blockade with MEDI4736 and tremelimumab alone or combined checkpoint blockade with low or high dose radiation. (NSCLC Cohort) III. To assess safety and tolerability of combined checkpoint blockade with MEDI4736 and tremelimumab with high or low-dose radiation. (Colorectal Cohort) IV. To determine the overall response rate (excluding the irradiated lesion[s]) with combined checkpoint blockade with MEDI4736 and tremelimumab with either low or high dose radiation. (Colorectal Cohort)SECONDARY OBJECTIVES:I. To estimate median progression-free survival and overall survival. (NSCLC Cohort) II. To determine local control within the irradiated field(s) and abscopal response rates. (NSCLC Cohort) III. To evaluate associations between PD-L1 expression as well as levels of infiltrating CD3+, CD8+ T-cells and overall response. (NSCLC Cohort) IV. To explore changes in PD-L1 expression, circulating T-cell populations, T-cell infiltration, ribonucleic acid (RNA) expression, spatial relationship of immune markers, and mutational burden as a result of low or high dose radiation. (NSCLC Cohort) V. To estimate median progression-free survival and overall survival. (Colorectal Cohort) VI. To determine local control within the irradiated field and abscopal response rates. (Colorectal Cohort) VII. To evaluate associations between PD-L1 expression as well as levels of infiltrating CD3+ CD8+ T-cells and overall response. (Colorectal Cohort) VIII. To evaluate changes between PD-L1 expression as well as levels of infiltrating CD3+, CD8+ T-cells induced by targeted low or high dose radiation. (Colorectal Cohort) IX. To explore changes in circulating T-cell populations, T-cell infiltration, RNA expression, spatial relationship of immune markers, and mutational burden as a result of low or high dose radiation. (Colorectal Cohort)OUTLINE: Patients are assigned to 1 of 2 cohorts. NOTE: This Study is only for Cohort 2. Please see phs003295 for Cohort 1COHORT 1: Patients with NSCLC are randomized to 1 of 3 arms.ARM A: Patients receive tremelimumab and durvalumab and as in Arm C. Beginning at week 2, patients receive high dose radiation therapy once per day (QD) over 10 days for up to 3 fractions.ARM B: Patients receive tremelimumab and durvalumab and as in Arm C. Beginning at week 2, patients receive low dose radiation therapy every 6 hours twice per day (BID) on weeks 2, 6, 10 and 14.ARM C: Patients receive tremelimumab intravenously (IV) and durvalumab IV over 60 minutes every 4 weeks for up to 16 weeks in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Patients then receive durvalumab IV over 60 minutes 4 weeks after last combination dose for up to 9 additional doses.COHORT 2: Patients with CRC are randomized to 1 of 2 arms.ARM A: Patients receive tremelimumab intravenously (IV) and durvalumab IV over 60 minutes every 4 weeks for up to 16 weeks in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Patients then receive durvalumab IV over 60 minutes 4 weeks after last combination dose for up to 9 additional doses. Beginning at week 2, patients receive high dose radiation therapy once per day (QD) over 10 days for up to 3 fractions.ARM B: Patients receive tremelimumab intravenously (IV) and durvalumab IV over 60 minutes every 4 weeks for up to 16 weeks in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Patients then receive durvalumab IV over 60 minutes 4 weeks after last combination dose for up to 9 additional doses. Beginning at week 2, patients receive low dose radiation therapy every 6 hours twice per day (BID) on weeks 2, 6, 10 and 14.After completion of study treatment, patients are followed for up to 12 weeks.Official TitleA Phase 2 Study of MEDI4736 (Durvalumab) and Tremelimumab Alone or in Combination With High or Low-Dose Radiation in Metastatic Colorectal and NSCLC Conditions Metastatic Colorectal CarcinomaMetastatic Lung Non-Small Cell CarcinomaStage IV Colorectal Cancer AJCC v7Stage IV Lung Non-Small Cell Cancer AJCC v7Stage IVA Colorectal Cancer AJCC v7Stage IVB Colorectal Cancer AJCC v7 Intervention/Treatment Biological: DurvalumabRadiation: Radiation TherapyBiological: Tremelimumab Other Study ID Numbers NCI-2016-01325NCI-2016-01325 ( Registry Identifier ) (REGISTRY: CTRP (Clinical Trial Reporting Program))17-71910021 ( Other Identifier ) (OTHER: Dana-Farber - Harvard Cancer Center LAO)10021 ( Other Identifier ) (OTHER: CTEP) Molecular Technologies/AssaysIHCmIFOlinkCyTOFRNAseqWES

  Study phs003294

• Durvalumab Plus Tremelimumab Alone or in Combination with Low-Dose or Hypofractionated Radiotherapy in Metastatic Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer Refractory to Previous PD(L)-1 Therapy: an Open-Label, Multicentre, Randomised, Phase 2 Trial

  Brief SummaryThis randomized phase II trial studies the side effects of durvalumab and tremelimumab and to see how well they work with or without high or low-dose radiation therapy in treating patients with colorectal or non-small cell lung cancer that has spread to other parts of the body (metastatic). Immunotherapy with durvalumab and tremelimumab, may induce changes in body's immune system and may interfere with the ability of tumor cells to grow and spread. Radiation therapy uses high energy x-rays to kill tumor cells and shrink tumors. Giving durvalumab and tremelimumab with radiation therapy may work better in treating patients with colorectal or non-small cell lung cancer.Detailed DescriptionPRIMARY OBJECTIVES:I. To assess safety and tolerability of combined checkpoint blockade with MEDI4736 (durvalumab) and tremelimumab alone or with high or low-dose radiation in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). (NSCLC Cohort) II. To compare the overall response (excluding the irradiated lesion[s]) between combined checkpoint blockade with MEDI4736 and tremelimumab alone or combined checkpoint blockade with low or high dose radiation. (NSCLC Cohort) III. To assess safety and tolerability of combined checkpoint blockade with MEDI4736 and tremelimumab with high or low-dose radiation. (Colorectal Cohort) IV. To determine the overall response rate (excluding the irradiated lesion[s]) with combined checkpoint blockade with MEDI4736 and tremelimumab with either low or high dose radiation. (Colorectal Cohort)SECONDARY OBJECTIVES:I. To estimate median progression-free survival and overall survival. (NSCLC Cohort) II. To determine local control within the irradiated field(s) and abscopal response rates. (NSCLC Cohort) III. To evaluate associations between PD-L1 expression as well as levels of infiltrating CD3+, CD8+ T-cells and overall response. (NSCLC Cohort) IV. To explore changes in PD-L1 expression, circulating T-cell populations, T-cell infiltration, ribonucleic acid (RNA) expression, spatial relationship of immune markers, and mutational burden as a result of low or high dose radiation. (NSCLC Cohort) V. To estimate median progression-free survival and overall survival. (Colorectal Cohort) VI. To determine local control within the irradiated field and abscopal response rates. (Colorectal Cohort) VII. To evaluate associations between PD-L1 expression as well as levels of infiltrating CD3+ CD8+ T-cells and overall response. (Colorectal Cohort) VIII. To evaluate changes between PD-L1 expression as well as levels of infiltrating CD3+, CD8+ T-cells induced by targeted low or high dose radiation. (Colorectal Cohort) IX. To explore changes in circulating T-cell populations, T-cell infiltration, RNA expression, spatial relationship of immune markers, and mutational burden as a result of low or high dose radiation. (Colorectal Cohort)OUTLINE: Patients are assigned to 1 of 2 cohorts. NOTE: This Study is only for Cohort 1. Please see phs003294 for Cohort 2COHORT 1: Patients with NSCLC are randomized to 1 of 3 arms.ARM A: Patients receive tremelimumab and durvalumab and as in Arm C. Beginning at week 2, patients receive high dose radiation therapy once per day (QD) over 10 days for up to 3 fractions.ARM B: Patients receive tremelimumab and durvalumab and as in Arm C. Beginning at week 2, patients receive low dose radiation therapy every 6 hours twice per day (BID) on weeks 2, 6, 10 and 14.ARM C: Patients receive tremelimumab intravenously (IV) and durvalumab IV over 60 minutes every 4 weeks for up to 16 weeks in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Patients then receive durvalumab IV over 60 minutes 4 weeks after last combination dose for up to 9 additional doses.COHORT 2: Patients with CRC are randomized to 1 of 2 arms.ARM A: Patients receive tremelimumab intravenously (IV) and durvalumab IV over 60 minutes every 4 weeks for up to 16 weeks in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Patients then receive durvalumab IV over 60 minutes 4 weeks after last combination dose for up to 9 additional doses. Beginning at week 2, patients receive high dose radiation therapy once per day (QD) over 10 days for up to 3 fractions.ARM B: Patients receive tremelimumab intravenously (IV) and durvalumab IV over 60 minutes every 4 weeks for up to 16 weeks in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Patients then receive durvalumab IV over 60 minutes 4 weeks after last combination dose for up to 9 additional doses. Beginning at week 2, patients receive low dose radiation therapy every 6 hours twice per day (BID) on weeks 2, 6, 10 and 14.After completion of study treatment, patients are followed for up to 12 weeks.Official TitleA Phase 2 Study of MEDI4736 (Durvalumab) and Tremelimumab Alone or in Combination With High or Low-Dose Radiation in Metastatic Colorectal and NSCLC Conditions Metastatic Colorectal CarcinomaMetastatic Lung Non-Small Cell CarcinomaStage IV Colorectal Cancer AJCC v7Stage IV Lung Non-Small Cell Cancer AJCC v7Stage IVA Colorectal Cancer AJCC v7Stage IVB Colorectal Cancer AJCC v7 Intervention/Treatment Biological: DurvalumabRadiation: Radiation TherapyBiological: Tremelimumab Other Study ID Numbers NCI-2016-01325NCI-2016-01325 ( Registry Identifier ) (REGISTRY: CTRP (Clinical Trial Reporting Program))17-71910021 ( Other Identifier ) (OTHER: Dana-Farber - Harvard Cancer Center LAO)10021 ( Other Identifier ) (OTHER: CTEP) Molecular Technologies / AssaysCyTOFIHCmIFOlinkRNAseqWES

  Study phs003295

• Center for Common Disease Genomics [CCDG] - Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) - Global Microbiome Conservancy Host Exomes

  The human body is a complex ecosystem, hosting tens of billions of bacteria, primarily in the gut. This community, known as the 'gut microbiome', is vital to human health, affecting functions ranging from metabolism, immunity, and development, to behavior. Conversely, reduced microbiome diversity and other imbalances of the gut community (dysbiosis) are associated with many diseases of the industrialized world, such as metabolic syndrome, asthma, and inflammatory bowel diseases among others. Microbiome-based interventions thus hold the potential to revolutionize our understanding of, and therapeutic approaches to, many aspects of human health and disease. Despite many advances, current understanding of the human microbiome is largely limited to majority ethnic groups in industrialized nations, and does not reflect the full diversity of human commensal microbiota. In addition to the scientific ramifications of minority underrepresentation, there are significant translational and ethical implications as well: First, failing to capture the full diversity of healthy human microbiota may limit our ability to understand and generate effective therapeutics for many microbiome-associated diseases. Second, underrepresented groups are less likely to benefit from microbiome-based medical advances tailored to well-studied populations, propagating healthcare inequities. The window of opportunity to characterize human microbiome diversity is closing rapidly. Human gut microbial diversity is diminishing around the globe, due to the spread of Westernized diets and lifestyles, which are associated with reduced microbiome biodiversity. The Global Microbiome Conservancy (GMbC) is a non-profit collaboration between scientists and communities around the world that aims to 1) preserve the full biodiversity of the human gut microbiome, 2) characterize its evolution across populations and host lifestyles and 3) investigate its interactions with the human host. We are collecting gut microbiome and human DNA samples from diverse populations around the world, from isolated groups to urbanized populations, to culture and study this essential biodiversity and to preserve it in a living "seed bank" as a long-term safeguard against future extinctions. The National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) has funded a collaborative large-scale genome sequencing effort to comprehensively identify rare risk and protective variants contributing to multiple common disease phenotypes. Called the Centers for Common Disease Genomics (CCDG), this initiative will explore a range of diseases with the ultimate goal of: Undertaking variant discovery for enough different examples of disease architectures and study designs to better understand the general principles of the genomic architecture underlying common, complex inherited diseases. Understanding how best to design rare variant studies for common disease. Developing resources, informatics tools, and innovative approaches and technologies for multiple disease research communities and the wider biomedical research community. The initial focus of the CCDGs will be in cardiovascular disease (early-onset coronary artery disease, atrial fibrillation, hemorrhagic stroke), neuropsychiatric disease (epilepsy, autism), and autoimmune/inflammatory disease (type 1 diabetes, inflammatory bowel disease). The Broad Institute is one of four selected CCDG project centers. Both exome and genotyping information of GMbC participants will help understanding how recruited human populations are structured and genetically related. This human genetic structure will be analyzed in light of gut microbiome compositional and genomic differences to illuminate associations between specific microbiome traits and human groups and the evolutionary processes involved in the co-evolution of human hosts and their gut microbiome. It will also provide variant information for critical genes shaping the composition of microbiomes, such as genes involved in innate and adaptive immunity (e.g. antimicrobial peptides) or in the regulation of the immune response (e.g. Nod2). Association studies between specific variants in these genes and microbiome features will be performed, which will then be validated with in vitro and in vivo experiments. Human data from GMbC cohorts will also increase the genetic diversity of human populations, providing additional variant information for many susceptible loci that were found to be associated with Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. The whole genome sequencing data generated is comprised of samples from diverse and indigenous populations. Raw sequencing data, metadata, vcf and phenotype data at the individual level for a subset of the cohort's samples are available at https://anvilproject.org/data. For questions about availability, contact help@lists.anvilproject.org. Microbiome data for the samples sequenced in this study can be found in phs002235 Global Microbiome Conservancy Sequence Data.

  Study phs002205

• Prevention and Early Treatment of Acute Lung Injury (PETAL) - Low Tidal Volume Universal Support Feasibility of Recruitment for Interventional Trial (LOTUS FRUIT) (PETAL-LOTUS FRUIT-BioLINCC)

  Data Access NOTE: Please refer to the “Authorized Access” section below for information about how access to the data from this accession differs from many other dbGaP accessions. Objectives: The two main goals of PETAL-LOTUS FRUIT were to conduct a prospective, observational study within all PETAL Network sites to determine the frequency of and outcomes from acute respiratory failure and the current usual care for tidal volume ventilation in patients with and without acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), and to simulate the design and power of the proposed LOTUS trial. Background: A previous study demonstrated improved survival among patients with ARDS receiving tidal volume (Vt) targeted to 6 ml/kg of predicted body weight (PBW). As a result, low–tidal volume ventilation (LTVV) is now recommended for all patients with ARDS, although penetration of this evidence-based practice has been limited, especially early in mechanical ventilation. LTVV may also benefit patients without ARDS. Consequently, there has been increasing call to apply LTVV for all patients with acute respiratory failure upon initiation of mechanical ventilation. The PETAL Network considered performing a pragmatic stepped-wedge, cluster-randomized, controlled, hybrid implementation trial to examine systematic implementation of a default 6 ml/kg PBW LTVV strategy in patients with acute respiratory failure requiring intubation to improve adherence to LTVV and decrease mortality in acute respiratory failure. Trial planning may be better estimated by simulation than routine, simplistic calculations, but such simulations require detailed data of initial parameters. Participants: 2848 patients from 49 hospitals were enrolled. Enrollment varied by hospital, ranging from 4 to 100 patients, the maximum enrollment allowed per site. Design: PETAL-LOTUS FRUIT was a multicenter, prospective, observational cohort study of patients with acute respiratory failure on mechanical ventilation in the PETAL Network hospitals. For all patients, baseline demographic data, the hospital location, indication for intubation (hypoxemic or hypercapnic respiratory failure or both, altered level of consciousness, or surgery), type of intensive care unit (ICU), and Sequential Organ Failure Assessment score in the first 24 hours after intubation were collected. Baseline ventilator data immediately after intubation, arterial blood gas results and oxygen saturation as measured by pulse oximetry, and presence of ARDS was also collected for all patients. ARDS was defined as a ratio of arterial oxygen tension to fraction of inspired oxygen (FiO2) less than or equal to 300 with a chest radiograph within 24 hours of the qualifying ratio of arterial oxygen tension to FiO2 that had bilateral infiltrates unexplained by mass, collapse, or effusion. For the first 50 patients enrolled at each hospital, daily data on ventilator mode, Vt, and presence of ARDS for the first 3 days after intubation was collected. Vt indexed to PBW was calculated from the set Vt for patients on ventilator mode with volume settings. For patients on pressure ventilation modes, Vt was calculated from the ratio of minute ventilation (in ml/min) to the respiratory rate. Enrolled patients were followed until hospital discharge or 28 days for clinical outcomes including mortality, ventilator-free days, and length of stay. To determine the possible improvement in mortality that could be observed with a reduction in Vt from current usual care in the PETAL-LOTUS FRUIT cohort to 6 ml/kg PBW, mortality was estimated as a function of initial Vt. Five models based on data from three distinct patient populations were used. 500 simulations of a stepped-wedge, cluster-randomized clinical trial using the model with greatest predicted benefit for lowering the Vt to 6 ml/kg PBW in PETAL-LOTUS FRUIT sites were performed. Conclusions: Use of initial tidal volumes less than 8 ml/kg predicted body weight was common at hospitals participating in the PETAL Network. After considering the size and budgetary requirement for a cluster-randomized trial of LTVV versus usual care in acute respiratory failure, the PETAL Network deemed the proposed trial infeasible (PMID: 30407869).

  Study phs003791

• Prevention and Early Treatment of Acute Lung Injury (PETAL) Crystalloid Liberal or Vasopressors Early Resuscitation in Sepsis (CLOVERS) (PETAL CLOVERS-BioLINCC)

  Data Access NOTE: Please refer to the "Authorized Access" section below for information about how access to the data from this accession differs from many other dbGaP accessions. Access to Biospecimens is through the NHLBI Biologic Specimen and Data Repository Information Coordinating Center (BioLINCC). Biospecimens from PETAL CLOVERS include plasma, and whole blood. Please note that use of biospecimens in genetic research is subject to a tiered consent. Available Data: The data available for request now include Long Term Outcome data.Objectives: To compare the effects of a restrictive fluid strategy (with early use of vasopressors) to a liberal fluid strategy in participants with sepsis-induced hypotension.Background: Intravenous fluid resuscitation is a common therapy used in the initial treatment of participants with septic shock and sepsis-induced hypotension. The goal of initial fluid therapy is to increase depleted or functionally reduced intravascular volume that occurs in sepsis due to a vasodilated vascular network. However, intravenous fluid resuscitation can create dilutional coagulopathy, fluid overload, and pathogenic edema in the lungs and other organs. Vasopressor agents are also commonly used to treat hypoperfusion by inducing constriction of arterioles and venules and increasing cardiac contractility. Vasopressor therapy also comes with risks that include vasoconstriction resulting in tissue ischemia, increased cardiac workload, and arrhythmias. Clinicians have used these strategies, typically in combination, to provide supportive care for participants with sepsis-induced hypoperfusion. However, at the time of the CLOVERS study, there was limited data to guide specific use of these therapies, including fluid volumes, in the early care of participants with sepsis-induced hypotension. The CLOVERS study hypothesized that a restrictive fluid strategy used during the first 24-hours of resuscitation for sepsis-induced hypotension would lead to lower mortality before discharge home by day 90 than a liberal fluid strategy.Participants: A total of 1,563 participants, from 60 medical centers, of the planned 2,230 participants were enrolled, with 782 assigned to the restrictive fluid group and 781 to the liberal fluid group. Enrollment in the trial was ended after the second interim analysis due to a lack of significant difference observed between the two 24-hour strategies.Design: This study was a multi-center, prospective, phase 3 randomized non-blinded interventional trial of fluid treatment strategies in the first 24 hours for participants with sepsis-induced hypotension. Participants were randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to either a restrictive fluid strategy (with early vasopressor use) or a liberal fluid strategy. In each group, the assigned protocol was followed for a period of 24 hours. The restrictive fluid protocol prioritized vasopressors as the primary treatment for sepsis-induced hypotension, with 'rescue fluids' being permitted for prespecified indications that suggested severe intravascular volume depletion. The liberal fluid protocol consisted of a recommended initial 2000-ml intravenous infusion of isotonic crystalloid, followed by fluid boluses administered on the basis of clinical triggers (e.g., tachycardia) with 'rescue vasopressors' permitted for prespecified indications. A protocol amendment implemented in October, 2019, allowed for limiting the initial infusion to 1,000 ml if the participant's blood pressure and heart rate had stabilized and the clinical assessment was that the participant was unlikely to benefit from additional intravenous fluid administration. The clinical team could override the protocol-specified care instructions at any time if it was judged to be in the best interest of the participant.The primary outcome was death from any cause before discharge home by day 90. Secondary outcomes included 28-day measures of the number of days free from ventilator use, days free from renal-replacement therapy, days free from vasopressor use, days out of the ICU, and days out of the hospital. Conclusions: Among participants with sepsis-induced hypotension, the restrictive fluid strategy that was used in this trial did not result in significantly lower (or higher) mortality, or other measures of recovery such as length of hospital stay, before discharge home by day 90 than the liberal fluid strategy.

  Study phs004080

• Prematurity and Respiratory Outcomes Program (PROP) Core Database Protocol (PROP-BioLINCC)

  Data Access NOTE: Please refer to the "Authorized Access" section below for information about how access to the data from this accession differs from many other dbGaP accessions. Objectives: The Prematurity and Respiratory Outcomes Program (PROP) was performed to identify suitable predictors of respiratory outcomes that may serve as surrogate endpoints in future trials of prevention and therapy of respiratory diseases in preterm infants.Background: Acute and chronic respiratory morbidities are common in premature births, and can pose significant risk to the infant's health, particularly during the first two years of life. One such condition is bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) where infants require oxygen therapy due to abnormal repair and impaired lung development after acute lung injury. BPD poses a high mortality risk, even in infants that survive the initial hospitalization. Regardless of BPD diagnosis, preterm infants frequently return for medical care due to symptoms of post-prematurity respiratory disease (PRD), which includes intermittent or chronic wheezing, cough without cold, poor growth, apnea and cyanosis, and lower respiratory tract infections. Impaired lung function can persist into adulthood, contributing to chronic respiratory diseases including asthma and emphysema.However, at the time of the PROP study, there were no objective measures to predict which preterm infants would have persistent respiratory problems after discharge from the hospital. Furthermore, improved survival rates of premature infants and the high prevalence of lasting respiratory morbidities highlight the need for more comprehensive strategies to address both short-term and long-term respiratory complications. Thus, the Prematurity and Respiratory Outcomes Program (PROP) was formed to investigate multiple research hypotheses on the molecular mechanisms that contribute to respiratory disease risk of premature neonates over the first year of life. Specifically, PROP investigators hypothesized that in survivors of extreme prematurity to 36 weeks postmenstrual age (PMA), specific biologic, physiologic and clinical data obtained during the initial hospitalization will predict respiratory morbidity between discharge and 1 year corrected age. Participants: A total of 835 infants were enrolled.Design: PROP was a collaboratively developed multicenter prospective cohort study of very preterm infants from birth through the time of discharge from the NICU and up to one year corrected age.Clinical data included maternal and infant demographics, co-morbidities, and daily infant respiratory, nutritional, and medication data until discharge. These were prospectively collected from birth using medical record review and family interviews. After discharge, phone interviews were conducted with the infant's main caregiver at 3, 6, 9 and 12 months corrected age to assess domains of respiratory morbidity. At 6 and 12 months corrected age, a survey of environmental respiratory irritant exposures and an assessment for gastroesophageal reflux disease were also completed. A standardized physical exam was performed at 36-40 weeks PMA and again at one year corrected age. The exam focused on anthropometrics, vital signs, and respiratory system signs. At 34-41 weeks PMA and within one week of anticipated discharge based on physiologic stability, a set of non-invasive respiratory assessments were performed to assess physiologic biomarkers in infants that were not mechanically ventilated or receiving non-invasive positive pressure ventilation. Respiratory inductance plethysmography (RIP) was performed before and after inhaled albuterol to assess potential airway reactivity. During the RIP study, continuous pulse oximetry was performed during quiet sleep in order to analyze oxygen desaturations and apneas. Standardized oxygen requirement challenge tests were performed at about 36 weeks PMA, and at about 40 weeks PMA if the infant was still hospitalized and was not eligible for, or failed, the previous challenge. Failure was defined as SpO2 20 seconds at any point in the testing. Infants breathing ambient air or that passed the 36 week challenge test underwent a hypoxia challenge consisting of a 15-minute trial of FiO2 of 0.15. Failure was defined as SpO2 The primary outcome was respiratory morbidity, as measured by the presence or absence of substantial post-prematurity respiratory disease (PRD) up to one year corrected age. PRD was classified as a positive response in at least one of four morbidity domains during at least two separate parental interviews. The domains were respiratory medications, hospitalizations for cardiopulmonary cause, respiratory symptoms, and home technology dependence (oxygen, ventilator, or CPAP/BiPAP). Mortality from a respiratory cause was also incorporated.

  Study phs004117

• University of Pennsylvania CAR T Cell Responding and Non-responding Patients

  The adoptive transfer of autologous T cells genetically modified to express a CD19-specific, 4-1BB/CD3zeta-signaling chimeric antigen receptor (CAR; CTL019) has shown remarkable activity in patients with B acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Similar therapy can induce long-term remissions for relapsed/refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) patients, but in only a small subset of subjects. The determinants of response and resistance to CTL019 therapy of CLL are not fully understood. We employed next generation sequencing of RNA (RNA-seq) to identify predictive indicators of response to CTL019 treatment. We performed RNA-seq on leukapheresis and manufactured infusion product T cells from patients with heavily pre-treated and high-risk disease. To characterize potency, we also performed RNA-seq on the cellular infusion product after CAR-specific stimulation. Our findings indicate that durable remission in CLL is associated with gene expression signatures of early memory T cell differentiation (e.g., STAT3), while T cells from poorly- or non-responding patients exhibited elevated expression of key regulators of late memory as well as effector T cell differentiation, apoptosis, aerobic glycolysis, hypoxia and exhaustion. These gene expression signatures, along with additional immunological biomarkers, may be used to identify which patients are most likely to respond to cellular therapies and suggest manufacturing modifications that might potentiate the generation of maximally efficacious infusion products. In a follow-up study, we report multiplex CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing on T cells in humans to test the hypothesis that disrupting genes encoding the endogenous T cell receptor (TCR), TCRα (TRAC) and TCRβ (TRBC), as well as PD-1 (PDCD1) would enhance the efficacy of autologous T cells engineered to express a transgenic NY-ESO TCR. We used single cell RNA-seq to comprehensively characterize the transcriptomic phenotype of this T cell product and its evolution over time in a patient with sarcoma. Notably, this patient's transferred T cells that persisted in vivo demonstrated increases in expression of genes associated with a central memory state (IL7R, TCF7). These findings may guide future trials involving administration of genetically redirected, genome -edited T cells.In this follow-up study, we investigated whether CRISPR-Cas9-mediated disruption of PDCD1 and/or CTLA-4 could restore CART dysfunction in healthy donors and/or CLL patients. We show that depletion of CTLA-4 rescues the function of T cells from leukemia patients that previously failed CART cell treatment. We performed single-cell RNA sequencing and characterized the transcriptomic landscape of CTLA-4 KO CART19 cells that showed higher proliferation and anti-tumor efficacy by permitting unopposed CD28 signaling and maintenance of CAR expression on the T cell surface under stress-test conditions of chronic antigen exposure. Our findings reveal that selective disruption of CTLA-4 invigorates dysfunctional patient T cells, providing a strategy for increasing patient responses to CART cell therapy.

  Study phs001707

• Blood Somatic Mutations in TCGA Donors Suffering from Solid Tumors

  Blood somatic mutations identified across 8,530 solid tumor patients in TCGA cohort. We reasoned that low-coverage whole-genome sequencing of blood samples routinely carried out in cancer genomics projects may be repurposed to detect clonal hematopoiesis (CH). Thus, inspired by a previous approach to identify early mutations in the development of the hematopoietic system, we implemented a pipeline to systematically carry out this "reverse" somatic mutation calling on the paired blood/tumor samples. Blood somatic mutations were called using a 'reverse' approach, in which the tumor sample taken from each patient was used as control of their germline genome. Blood somatic mutations are thus detected as variants in the blood (with respect to the human reference genome) that are absent in the tumor sample. The variant calling was carried out in our in house cluster on downloaded blood/tumor BAM files. The matched blood and tumoral BAM files -- masked and deduplicated using GATK -- of 8,530 whole-exome patients were obtained as described above. The variant calling was carried out using Strelka2 (employing default parameters) with the blood sample as the tumoral input and the tumor sample as control (reverse calling). All variants with two or more supporting reads matching the caller PASS filter and with VAF<0.5 were kept. Mutations in lowly mappable regions as defined by the DUST algorithm (k=30) and UMAP68 (36-kmers) were excluded. Contiguous variants were merged into double-base substitutions. Variants with greater frequency across the cohorts than the DNMT3A R882H or JAK2 V617F hotspot in a cohort-specific Panel of Normals and in gnomAD v2.1 were removed. This was equivalent to discarding variants present in these datasets with an allele frequency greater than 0.008 in PoN TCGA and 0.0003 in gnomAD v2.1. Additionally, common SNPs as defined by the dbSNP 151 Common UCSC track and dbSNP were excluded. Mutations within segmental duplications, simple repeats and masked regions as defined in UCSC tracks were also removed. Finally, samples with the mutation count above the 97.5 percentile of the mutation burden across the cohort were deemed unreliable and excluded for further analyses. We call the set of variants obtained after the application of these filters the full set. A more conservative subset of somatic mutations was generated from the full set of blood somatic mutations. To this end, we applied MosaicForecast, a software designed to phase mutations to polymorphisms with the aim of identifying somatic mutations in a small number of cells and also predict mosaicism for the unphased ones with a random forest classifier. As a result, we obtained a subset of mosaic-phased mutations, and a subset of mutations likely to be somatic (mosaic set).In order to obtain access to this study, please first obtain access to TCGA study (phs000178).

  Study phs002867

• Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics - Underserved Populations (RADx-UP): COVID-19 Testing and Vaccination Social Network Diffusion for Diverse Criminal Legal Involved Communities

  This RADx-UP Phase II proposal, "Social network diffusion of COVID-19 prevention for diverse Criminal Legal Involved Communities", will implement a situation appropriate COVID-19 testing and vaccination social network diffusion intervention - C3 - building upon RADx-UP Phase I lessons and successful social network prevention interventions developed previously by the research team. C3 Criminal Legal Involved (CLI) populations encompass those non-incarcerated who have experienced recent arrest, incarceration, probation, parole or diversion programs such as drug courts. While increases in COVID-19 testing have been observed among this group, there remain members with limited testing history as well as individuals who are vaccine hesitant. COVID-19 prevention messaging can no longer be simplified to "everyone test and/or everyone vaccinate" as testing and vaccination decisions among community members are sensitive to personal histories (i.e., prior infection), local infection rates (i.e., low rates) and testing/vaccination availability. As COVID-19 prevention efforts have become more complicated (i.e., test if exposed), people tend to focus on the messenger, and particularly those that are close to them. Personal connections and communications within existing personal network structures, such as families, friends and other trusted acquaintances represent the cornerstone to increase situation appropriate testing and overcoming COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy. C3 builds upon RADx-UP I, by using a network diffusion approach facilitated through motivational interviewing purposefully geared to mobilize one's own organic social network to increase context appropriate testing and vaccine uptake. Through this process we will maximize the primary benefit and impact of this type of intervention which also has the intended effect of increasing likelihood that the messenger themselves will undergo the same behavior change that they have been trained to promote. We will leverage infrastructure developed in RADx-UP Phase I, which includes 4 high-impact sites across the Central US from Phase I: Baton Rouge LA, Little Rock AR, Indianapolis IN, and Chicago IL. We will utilize established engagement efforts already in place and continue to fully integrate communities in the strategic application of the intervention. We will use the RE-AIM (Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, and Maintenance) framework to guide implementation. C3 aims to: Aim 1a. Test the efficacy (3-month situation appropriate testing or vaccination) of a network diffusion intervention (C3) versus an existing COVID-19 testing and vaccine linkage to care intervention among: 1) primary study participants (primary outcome); and 2) secondary study participants connected to primary participants (secondary outcome) using a RCT design. Aim 1b. Explore the mechanisms for differential intervention effects at the individual and network-level that may increase situation appropriate testing and/or vaccination uptake. Aim 2. Examine key RE-AIM components in real time tied to the implementation of the network diffusion intervention (C3).

  Study phs003234

• 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

• Type 1 Diabetes Genetics Consortium (T1DGC): Multi-Ethnic ImmunoChip Study

  Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is characterized by an autoimmune attack that destroys the insulin-producing pancreatic beta cells and is driven by diverse genetic and environmental factors. Between 8-100 chromosome regions are known to contain variants that alter T1D risk, substantially fewer than many other common diseases. Less is known about the contribution of T1D risk alleles in non-European populations, despite recent increases in T1D diagnoses in multiple non-European ancestry groups. To address these gaps in T1D genetics, we doubled the sample size from the previous largest T1D association study, genotyped ancestrally diverse T1D cases, controls, and affected families with the Illumina ImmunoChip array, and imputed additional variants using a large haplotype reference panel. After quality filtering, a total of 61,427 participants and 140,333 genotyped ImmunoChip variants were included in analysis, providing dense coverage in 188 autosomal regions ("ImmunoChip regions") and sparse genotyping in other regions of the genome. Each participant was assigned to one of five ancestry groups using k-means clustering of ImmunoChip genotype principal components: European (EUR, N = 47,319), African Admixed (AFR, N = 4,290), Finnish (FIN, N = 6,991), East Asian (EAS, N = 588) and Other Admixed (AMR, N = 2,239). In total, 16,159 T1D cases, 25,386 controls (unrelated) and 6,143 trio families (i.e., an affected child and both parents) were genotyped and included in association analyses. Imputation with the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) Trans-Omics for Precision Medicine (TOPMed) multi-ethnic reference panel was used to improve discovery power and fine-mapping resolution. After imputation, the number of variants in ImmunoChip regions with imputation R-squared > 0.8 and MAF > 0.005 in each ancestry group was 322,084 (AFR), 166,274 (EUR), 163,612 (FIN), 137,730 (EAS) and 188,550 (AMR). Imputed genotypes were compared in the same participants who have whole genome sequencing data, resulting in high concordance. Unrelated cases and controls (N = 41,545) were analyzed initially, assuming an additive inheritance model. T1D trio families (N = 6,143 trios, some trio families were multiplex and analyzed as multiple trios) were analyzed separately, with meta-analysis of case-control and trio results used for discovery of regions associated with T1D (p < 5×10-8). Summary-level data at each SNP (genotype and imputed) for type 1 diabetes (outcome) are provided in dbGaP.

  Study phs002468

• Clinical Proteomic Tumor Analysis Consortium (CPTAC) Proteogenomic Confirmatory Study of Breast, Colon, Lung, and Ovarian Tumors

  Recently, significant progress has been made in characterizing and sequencing the genomic alterations in statistically robust numbers of samples from several types of cancer. For example, The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC) and other similar efforts are identifying genomic alterations associated with specific cancers (e.g., copy number aberrations, rearrangements, point mutations, epigenomic changes, etc.). The availability of these multi-dimensional data to the scientific community sets the stage for the development of new molecularly targeted cancer interventions. Understanding the comprehensive functional changes in cancer proteomes arising from genomic alterations and other factors is the next logical step in the development of high-value candidate protein biomarkers. Hence, proteomics can greatly advance the understanding of molecular mechanisms of disease pathology via the analysis of changes in protein expression, their modifications and variations, as well as protein-protein interaction, signaling pathways and networks responsible for cellular functions such as apoptosis and oncogenesis. Realizing this great potential, the NCI launched the second phase of the CPTC initiative in September 2011. Renamed the Clinical Proteomic Tumor Analysis Consortium, CPTAC is beginning to leverage its analytical outputs from Phase I to define cancer proteomes on genomically-characterized biospecimens. The purpose of this integrative approach is to provide the broad scientific community with knowledge that links genotype to proteotype and ultimately phenotype. The data contained in this dataset are derived from samples designed to confirm CPTAC findings from the TCGA samples. These confirmatory samples contain breast, ovarian, colon, and lung tumors collected via a protocol optimized for proteomics. Specifically, ischemic time of the sample was controlled and restricted to less than 30 minutes. ACGT, Inc. produced whole exome, mRNAseq, and miRNAseq for these samples. Corresponding proteomic data are available at: https://cptac-data-portal.georgetown.edu/cptacPublic/ The study design was to profile colon, breast, ovarian, and lung tumors both genomically and proteomically. Germline DNA was obtained from blood. Normal control samples for proteomics varied by organ site: adjacent colon tissue for colon cases, contralateral breast tissue for some breast cases, and Fallopian tube fimbria for some ovarian cases. Lung cases had no normal control for proteomic analysis. All cancer samples were derived from primary and untreated tumors.

  Study phs000892

• Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis Network (IPFnet) Prednisone, Azathioprine, and N-Acetylcysteine: A Study That Evaluates Response in Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPFNet-Panther-IPF-BioLINCC)

  Data Access NOTE: Please refer to the "Authorized Access" section below for information about how access to the data from this accession differs from many other dbGaP accessions.Objectives: The initial objective of the PANTHER-IPF study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a drug combination of prednisone, azathioprine, and N-acetylcysteine in the treatment of mild-to-moderate idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) compared to N-acetylcysteine alone or placebo. After interim analysis presented safety concerns regarding the three drug regimen, the protocol was modified to evaluate only N-acetylcysteine effectiveness. Background: IPF is a chronic, progressive lung disease of unknown cause that is characterized by the histopathological or radiologic patterns of usual interstitial pneumonia in a typical clinical setting. The median survival of participants with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis after diagnosis is 2 to 5 years. To date, no pharmacologic therapies have been shown to improve survival. Acetylcysteine has been suggested as a beneficial treatment for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, although data from placebo-controlled studies are lacking.Design: Patients with mild-to-moderate impairment in pulmonary function were randomly assigned to receive a three-drug regimen (prednisone, azathioprine, and acetylcysteine), acetylcysteine alone (plus matched placebos for prednisone and azathioprine), or matched placebos for each of the active therapies. After the planned midpoint interim analysis, the data and safety monitoring board recommended discontinuation of the three-drug regimen because of an excess in the number of deaths, hospitalizations, and serious adverse events among patients in the combination-therapy group, as compared with the placebo group. After NHLBI accepted this recommendation on October 14, 2011, the three-drug regimen was discontinued and patients were recruited for only the acetylcysteine group and the placebo group. Patients were seen at the clinical centers for screening, at baseline, and at 4, 15, 30, 45, and 60 weeks. The primary outcome measure was change in FVC over 60 weeks.Conclusions: As compared with placebo, acetylcysteine offered no significant benefit with respect to the preservation of FVC in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis with mild-to-moderate impairment in lung function. In addition, there were no significant differences between the acetylcysteine group and the placebo group in the rates of death or acute exacerbation.

  Study phs004071

• Conjunctival fibrosis and the innate barriers to Chlamydia trachomatis intracellular infection: a genome wide association study

  This data comes from a genome-wide association study in 1090 cases of scarring trachoma and 1531 controls from a non-selected multi-ethnic sampling of The Gambia. The data constitutes hard base calls at 1457295 features from the HumanOmni2.5-8 (Omni2.5) BeadChip. Three genotype-calling algorithms were used : Illuminus (Bioinformatics 2007, 23:2741–6), GenCall (Patent US7035740, 2006) and GenoSNP (Bioinformatics 2008, 24:2209–14). Data from each calling algorithm was filtered to retain only SNPs with a call rate ≥ 0.98. To obtain a merged set of SNPs, all genotypes that matched across call-sets were retained, whilst those that mismatched between call-sets were set to missing. Genotypes that were present in one call set and missing in others were also retained. The merged SNP set contained 1467876 SNPs, which were filtered for call rate ≥ 0.99 and Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium P value < 5 x 10-8. The case and control groups were approximately equivalent with respect to gender and ethnicity. 70% of cases and 63% of controls were female. Self-described ethnic composition of the cases was 29% Jola, 27% Mandinka, 21% Wolof, 10% Fula and 13% other/no data. In controls the composition was 25% Jola, 24% Mandinka, 21% Wolof, 8% Fula and 22% other/no data. Median age was 49 (range 32-60) in cases and 37 (range 12-52) in controls (t = -3.6019, P = 0.0003). This data set has substantial levels of population structure, which reflects extensive networks of pairwise kinship between participants. First pass tests of association in EMMAX (Nat Genet 2010, 42:348–54) led to genome-wide deflation of the test statistics (λ = 0.982 SE = 1.74e-05) that could be directly attributed to the differing age and gender distributions between cases and controls. Modelling the phenotype to adjust for age and gender successfully controlled for this and no genome-wide deviation from the null was subsequently observed (λ = 1.001, SE = 8.7 x 10-7). Neither principal components analysis (PCA) nor tests of proportional identity by state (IBS) variance in PLINK identified significant levels of within or between group genetic variance. The phenotypes submitted in the phenotypes file include both uncorrected (case/control status) and corrected (age and gender corrected case/control status) phenotypes, as well as age and self-described ethnicity.

  Study EGAS00001001516

• Somatic mutation burden and copy-number variation analysis in neurofibromatosis type 1-associated plexiform neurofibromas

  Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) is a common tumor-predisposition disorder due to germline mutations in the tumor suppressor gene NF1. A virtually pathognomonic finding of NF1 is the plexiform neurofibroma (PN), a benign, likely congenital tumor that arises from biallelic inactivation of NF1. PN can undergo transformation to a malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor, an aggressive soft-tissue sarcoma. To better understand the non-NF1 genetic contributions to PN pathogenesis, we performed whole-exome sequencing and genome-wide copy-number determination for 23 low-passage Schwann cell cultures established from surgical PN material with matching germline DNA. All resected tumors were derived from routine debulking surgeries. None of the tumors were considered at risk for malignant transformation at the time, e.g., there was no pain or rapid growth. Deep (~500X) NF1 exon sequencing was also conducted on tumor DNA. Non-NF1 somatic mutation verification was performed using the Ampliseq/IonTorrent platform. We identified 100% of the germline NF1 mutations and found somatic NF1 inactivation in 74% of the PN. One individual with three PNs had different NF1 somatic mutations in each tumor. The median number of somatic mutations per sample, including NF1, was one (range 0 - 8). NF1 was the only gene that was recurrently somatically inactivated in multiple tumors. We found no recurrent non-NF1 locus copy-number variation in PN. This is the first multi-sample whole-exome sequencing study of NF1-associated PN. Taken together with concurrent copy-number data, our comprehensive genetic analysis reveals the primacy of NF1 loss as the driver of PN tumorigenesis.

  Study phs001403

• Gabriella Miller Kids First Pediatric Research Project in Microtia in Hispanic Populations

  The Gabriella Miller Kids First Pediatric Research Program (Kids First) is a trans-NIH effort initiated in response to the 2014 Gabriella Miller Kids First Research Act and supported by the NIH Common Fund. This program focuses on gene discovery in pediatric cancers and structural birth defects and the development of the Gabriella Miller Kids First Pediatric Data Resource (Kids First Data Resource). All of the WGS and phenotypic data from this study are accessible through dbGaP and kidsfirstdrc.org, where other Kids First datasets can also be accessed. Microtia is a rare congenital deformity of the external ear, the pinna. The severity of microtia is variable and ranges from subtle deformities in the pinna to absence of the external ear. Microtia is often associated with closure of the external auditory ear canal causing significant hearing loss. Microtia can be an isolated, unilateral or bilateral malformation, or occur solely with ear canal deformities, or with additional craniofacial or syndromic manifestations. Earlier studies of identical twins with microtia demonstrated a significant genetic contribution. The molecular pathogenesis for most microtia remains unknown. We propose to leverage our clinical acumen in diagnosis and treatment of microtia (R.E.), our relationship to the microtia community (M.T.) and our collected DNA samples from microtia patients to identify genetic variant(s) that contribute to this congenital malformation. Microtia prevalence is much higher among Native Americans and some Latin Americans (17 per 10000 Ecuadorian births) than among individuals of European-descent (0.6 -1.6 per 10,000 births). To capitalize on this epidemiologic data, we have recruited microtia cohorts from Latin America and the U.S, including clinical data and DNA samples.

  Study phs002172

• Analysis of Donor Pancreata Defines the Transcriptomic Signature and Microenvironment of Early Neoplastic Pancreatic Lesions

  The adult healthy human pancreas has been poorly studied given lack of indication to obtain tissue from the pancreas in the absence of disease and rapid postmortem degradation. We obtained pancreata from brain dead donors thus avoiding any warm ischemia time. We found that neoplastic lesions occur frequently in healthy organs, in donors as young as in their 3rd decade of life. Using the 10X Genomics Platform, we performed single cell RNA sequencing on 7 donor pancreata, 6 of which we separately sequenced tissue from the pancreas head and tail, for a total of 11 sequencing runs. Of note, because one of our runs (containing sequencing from pancreas head and tail) did not pass qc, our final analysis in our study utilized 6 donor pancreata, 5 of which contained pancreas head and tail sequenced separately. This is a robust single-cell dataset of healthy, nonpathologic pancreas tissue and includes acinar, ductal, and non-epithelial cells (myeloid cells, fibroblasts, endothelial cells, lymphocytes).Briefly, the donor pancreas was dissected by a clinically-trained pancreatobiliary surgeon. The organ was dissected into head, body, and tail, with portions of each placed into DMEM media with 1% BSA/10µM Y27632. Tissue was minced into 1mm3 pieces, then digested with 1 mg/mL collagenase P for 20-30 min at 37°C with gentle agitation. Digested tissue was rinsed three times with DMEM/1% BSA/10µM Y27632, then filtered through a 40µm mesh. Resulting cells were submitted to the University of Michigan Advanced Genomics Core for single cell sequencing using the 10x Genomics Platform. FASTQ files of all sequencing runs along with clinical annotation of donors is available through this dbGaP submission.

  Study phs003229

• Mechanism of Action of Vitamin E in NAFLD

  We conducted a single-center prospective mechanistic randomized trial (clinicaltrials.gov NCT01792115). Adult patients with NAFLD were enrolled between May 2013 and November 2016. All patients underwent a 12 weeks run-in period of lifestyle intervention. Following the run-in phase, patients underwent a baseline evaluation including blood tests, glucose tolerance testing, measurement of liver fat content by 1H-magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) and a percutaneous liver biopsy. Patients with no evidence of NAFLD on the entry liver biopsy ended their participation in the study at that point. Patients with histological confirmation of NAFLD (either NAFL or NASH) on the baseline biopsy were randomized at a 1:1:1 ratio to receive one of 3 doses of natural vitamin E (RRR-alpha-tocopherol, Pharmavite), 200, 400 or 800 IU/d, for 24 weeks, and were followed at a 1-8 week intervals in a parallel assigned design. While on vitamin E treatment, patients were encouraged to continue and adhere to the lifestyle and dietary guidelines of the run-in phase. On week 4 of vitamin E treatment, a repeat MRS and liver biopsy were performed. On week 24, a final MRS was performed to assess treatment response. The primary endpoint was the reduction of liver fat content by MRS from baseline (immediately prior to starting vitamin E) to week 24 of treatment, and a response was defined as a relative reduction of ≥25% in liver fat content by MRS between baseline and week 24. Early changes in the hepatic transcriptome were investigated at week 4 comparing non-responders to responder in a nested design.

  Study phs001930

• Genomic Studies of Bipolar Disorder in a Large Cohort from The Netherlands

  The transcriptomes of whole blood samples of a large cohort of individuals from the Netherlands were assayed using RNA-seq. These whole blood samples included patients diagnosed with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, family members of patients, and healthy controls. Within the whole blood dataset, about 600 of the samples were sequenced to an average of 13.9 million mapped reads per sample, while about 2,000 were sequenced to an average of 5.9 million mapped reads per sample, in order to assess changes in power to detect eQTLs based on sample size. We find that expression, defined as the log transcripts per million reads (TPMs), is highly correlated when comparing the moderate (13.9M) and lower (5.9M) coverage datasets. Additionally, a subset of about 150 individuals provided fibroblast cell lines which were assessed for the levels of gene expression using RNA-seq at an average of 50 million mapped reads per sample. We use downsampling techniques to generate synthetic datasets derived from this real fibroblast RNA-Seq data to explore the relationship between coverage and number individuals in an eQTL analysis. Corresponding individual-level genotypes for the samples included in the expression matrix are also made available. The genotypes were derived from multiple other project cohorts, each using different genotyping platforms including OmniExpress Exome, Global Screening Array, Illumina550, and PsychChip. A Plink file set of these cohorts is provided here after merging the separate project file sets and extracting only the individuals who have expression data also provided here; quality control for SNP-missingness is recommended. We demonstrate in this study that given a fixed budget, eQTL discovery power can be increased by lowering the sequencing depth per sample to allow for an a greater number of individuals sequenced. 

  Study phs002856

• Genomic Analyses of Germline and Somatic Variation in High-Grade Serous Ovarian Cancer

  The goal of this study was to identify and characterize germline and somatic genetic variation in women with high grade serous ovarian cancers treated at a single cancer center and their associations with relapse-free and overall survival. We conducted paired tumor/normal targeted next-generation sequencing of 577 genes in pathways of DNA repair, response to DNA damage, cell-cycle regulation, programmed cell death, MAPK, and P13K/AKT/MTOR signaling in 114 tumors from 71 women. In addition, we investigated single copy number alterations (SCNAs) and loss of heterozygosity in a subset of 61 tumors. We validated our results with data from ovarian tumors in TCGA. Our results were similar to other studies of high-grade serous carcinomas. As an example, we found that approximately one third of the tumors harbored loss of function variants in homologous recombination genes and that >90% had TP53 somatic mutations. Through GISTIC analysis of the OncoScan data on tumor DNA from 61 cases, we identified several regions of high copy number alterations including including NOTCH3 and PIK3R2 that were significantly associated with an increase in cancer recurrence and a reduction in overall survival. We identified few changes in mutation profiles where we had multiple tissues, either from multiple surgeries or from the primary site to metastatic sites within the same surgery. However, we did not investigate copy number alterations in multiple tissues from the same individuals, and so it may be that copy number alterations are more important. Data available through dbGAP will be the BAM files and the phenotypic data on the tumor samples, the age, race, ethnicity of the participants and their outcomes, and the Oncoscan OSCHP files.

  Study phs003198

• Addictions: Genotypes, Polymorphisms, and Function/Human Genetic Correlates of Addictive Diseases

  Drug addiction continues to be a major medical and social problem. It is estimated that one million or more persons in the United States are currently addicted to heroin or prescription opioids, with millions more worldwide. Cocaine addiction and alcohol dependence are frequent comorbid conditions in persons with heroin/opioid dependence in addition to being major primary addictions. Many studies over the past thirty years have shown that these drugs disrupt physiologic systems, and that these disruptions may contribute to drug addiction and alcohol dependence and to relapse to drug or alcohol abuse following withdrawal and abstinence. Clinical observations suggest that individuals differ in their response to heroin, cocaine, and alcohol; however, little is known about specific underlying hereditary genetic factors which might influence individual susceptibility to the addictive properties of these substances. Studies also suggest that both common and distinct heritable factors account for the genetic variance in the susceptibility to the separate addictive diseases. We hypothesize that there is a heritable as well as environmental basis for the acquisition and persistence of, and relapse to, specific addictive diseases. Using samples from individuals without and with opioid and other specific drug dependence diagnoses and psychiatric comorbidities, genetic analyses will be used to determine association and linkage. All study subjects will be extensively characterized with respect to the addictive diseases, medical history, family medical addictive disease history; psychiatric comorbidity, and psychological profile, as well as ethnic/cultural background. A better understanding of the consequences of genetic contributions with respect to protection from, or susceptibility to, heroin/opioid addiction and related codependencies and comorbid conditions, could have enormous importance in both prevention and treatment of this problem.

  Study phs001109

• Low mutation burden and frequent loss of CDKN2A/B and SMARCA2, but not PRC2, define pre-malignant neurofibromatosis type 1-associated atypical neurofibromas

  Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) is a tumor-predisposition disorder caused by germline mutations in NF1. NF1 patients have an 8-16% lifetime risk of developing a malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor (MPNST), a highly aggressive soft-tissue sarcoma, often arising from pre-existing benign plexiform neurofibromas (PN) and atypical neurofibromas (ANF). ANF are distinct from both PN and MPNST, representing an intermediate step in malignant transformation. In the first comprehensive genomic analysis of ANF, we performed tumor/normal exome sequencing (ES) of 16 ANFs. In addition, we conducted ES of three MPNSTs, copy-number meta-analysis of 26 ANF and 28 MPNST, and whole transcriptome RNA-seq analysis of five ANF and five MPNST. We identified low mutation burden (median 1, range 0-5) in the exomes of ANF (only NF1 somatic mutations were recurrent), and frequent deletions of CDKN2A/CDKN2B (69%) and SMARCA2(42%) loci. We determined that polycomb repressor complex 2 (PRC2) genes EED or SUZ12 were frequently mutated, deleted or downregulated in MPNST but not in ANF. Our gene expression study revealed upregulated NRAS, MDM2, CCND1/CCND2/CCND3 and CDK4/CDK6 in both ANF and MPNST, and overexpression of EZH2 in MPNST only. We conclude that the PN-ANF transition is primarily driven by the deletion of CDKN2A/CDKN2B in addition to already present inactivated NF1. Further progression from ANF to MPNST likely involves broad chromosomal rearrangements and frequent inactivation of the PRC2 genes, loss of the DNA repair genes, and copy-number increase of signal transduction, cell cycle and pluripotency self-renewal genes.

  Study phs001993

• Gene-Environment Interactions (GxE) and Complex Traits

  Functional variants associated with complex traits tend to fall in non-coding regions and affect regulatory mechanisms that are not yet well characterized. Furthermore, it is generally difficult to determine in which tissues and conditions they may have a functional impact. This is because the effect of a genetic variant on a molecular pathway, and ultimately on the individual's phenotype, may be modulated by "environmental" factors. We denominate such variants "gene-expression environment-specific quantitative trait nucleotides" GxE-QTNs. Achieving a better understanding of the mechanisms underlying GxE is a critical step in understanding the link between genotype and complex phenotype. It is also crucial to develop computationally efficient and statistically sound methods capable to integrate tissue/condition-specific functional genomics data to predict and validate when a sequence variant is functional. In this study we developed novel experimental and computational approaches to screen, analyze and functionally characterize genetic variants for complex traits modulated by environmental exposures. To identify and characterize genes with GxE, we analyzed allele specific gene expression in a panel of five relevant tissues (e.g. the vascular endothelium for cardiovascular diseases) under 50 controlled environmental conditions (e.g. glucocorticoids treatment, as a proxy for stress exposure). These data should be useful to develop computational tools that integrate different sources of evidence including data collected by ENCODE, RoadMap Epigenome and GTEx projects to functionally annotate GWAS variants. The experimental and computational tools developed by this project have widespread applicability, for example, can be used to tackle the functional basis of complex traits in other environmental contexts (e.g. other types of stress and hormonal levels) and genetic backgrounds. This resource represents the first comprehensive catalog of genetic variants that interact with environmental exposure in determining human complex traits.

  Study phs001176

• Gene mutation and rescue in congenital diaphragmatic hernia

  Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia (CDH) is a common and life-threatening malformation. The most common phenotype is left-sided posterolateral (Bochdalek-type) hernia accompanied by pulmonary hypoplasia. Due to the high mortality, most of the cases have no family history for CDH. The rare presumed Mendelian instances of CDH have the potential to be extremely informative about the molecular mechanisms generating this phenotype. Three multiplex families were deemed meritorious for study by whole exome sequencing: Parents who were 1st cousins gave birth to 2 children with CDH (one of whom also had cleft lip and palate), both now deceased. A DNA sample was available from one child. We proposed to perform a SNP array to identify regions of homozygosity by descent and intersect these regions with variants detected on exome sequencing. This effort has led to the identification of 3 confirmed variants. We are determining which if any are expressed in the primordial developing diaphragm and are also using bioinformatic approaches to determine which of these candidates interact with known CDH genes. This non-consanguineous couple gave birth to 2 affected boys with an identical and lethal CDH phenotype (consisting of diaphragmatic hernia, epigastric hernia, and facial dysmorphism) and one healthy boy. We predicted X-linked inheritance and findings from X chromosome microsatellite marker analysis are consistent with this. Accordingly, we are focusing on sequence variants mapping to the X chromosome. We have identified a single candidate gene and confirmed that the variant follows an X-linked pattern of inheritance in all family members. Expression studies are underway. These affected males are second cousins. By virtue of their position in the pedigree, we predicted an inheritance pattern consistent with X-linked inheritance. Data from WES and microsatellite marker analysis are currently being integrated.

  Study phs000485

• Genetic Epidemiology Network of Arteriopathy (GENOA)

  The Genetic Epidemiology Network of Arteriopathy (GENOA) is one of four networks in the NHLBI Family-Blood Pressure Program (FBPP). GENOA's long-term objective is to elucidate the genetics of target organ complications of hypertension, including both atherosclerotic and arteriolosclerotic complications involving the heart, brain, kidneys, and peripheral arteries. The longitudinal GENOA Study recruited European-American and African-American sibships with at least 2 individuals with clinically diagnosed essential hypertension before age 60 years. All other members of the sibship were invited to participate regardless of their hypertension status. Participants were diagnosed with hypertension if they had either 1) a previous clinical diagnosis of hypertension by a physician with current anti-hypertensive treatment, or 2) an average systolic blood pressure ≥ 140 mm Hg or diastolic blood pressure ≥ 90 mm Hg based on the second and third readings at the time of their clinic visit. The Family Blood Pressure Program (FBPP), GENOA's parent program, is an unprecedented collaboration to identify genes influencing blood pressure (BP) levels, hypertension, and its target-organ damage. This program has conducted over 21,000 physical examinations, assembled a shared database of several hundred BP and hypertension-related phenotypic measurements, completed genome-wide linkage analyses for BP, hypertension, and hypertension associated risk factors and complications, and published over 130 manuscripts on program findings. The FBPP emerged from what was initially funded as four independent networks of investigators (HyperGEN, GenNet, SAPPHIRe and GENOA) competing to identify genetic determinants of hypertension in multiple ethnic groups. Realizing the greater likelihood of success through collaboration, the investigators created a single confederation with program-wide and network-specific goals.

  Study phs001238

• Aspirin and Inflammation: Mutations, Genes, Pathways and Prevention in Barrett's Esophagus

  Background: Use of aspirin and other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) has been shown to protect against tetraploidy, aneuploidy, and chromosomal alterations in the metaplastic condition Barrett's esophagus (BE) and to lower the incidence and mortality of esophageal adenocarcinoma (EA). The esophagus is exposed to both intrinsic and extrinsic mutagens resulting from gastric reflux, chronic inflammation and exposure to environmental carcinogens such as those found in cigarettes. Here we test the hypothesis that NSAID use inhibits accumulation of point mutations/indels during somatic genomic evolution in BE. Methods: Whole exome sequences were generated from 82 purified epithelial biopsies and paired blood samples from a cross-sectional study of 41 NSAID users and 41 nonusers matched by sex, age, smoking, and continuous time using or not using NSAIDs. Results: NSAID use reduced overall frequency of point mutations across the spectrum of mutation types, lowered the frequency of mutations even when adjusted for both TP53 mutation and smoking status, and decreased the prevalence of clones with high variant allele frequency. Never smokers who consistently used NSAIDs had fewer point mutations in signature 17, which is commonly found in EA. NSAID users had on average a 50% reduction in functional gene mutations in nine cancer-associated pathways and also had less diversity in pathway mutational burden compared to nonusers. Conclusions: These results indicate NSAID use functions to limit overall mutations on which selection can act and supports a model in which specific mutant cell populations survive or expand better in the absence of NSAIDs. Galipeau PC, et al. Genome Med. 2018 Feb 27;10(1):17. PMID: 29486792.

  Study phs001654

• 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

• Analysis of Somatic Mutations in Pediatric AML FAB-M7 Subtype by Whole Transcriptome Sequencing

  High resolution analysis of DNA copy number abnormalities and loss-of-heterozygosity on acute myeloblastic leukemia samples utilizing SNP arrays has demonstrated that in contrast to pediatric ALL, de novo AML is characterized by a very low burden of genomic alterations (Radtke, et al., PNAS, 2009). Samples for this study represented a cross-section of the different subtypes of pediatric AML. The only AML subtype that was an outlier from the above observations was acute megakaryocytic leukemia (AML FAB-M7), with the majority of these cases being characterized by complex chromosomal rearrangements and a high number of copy number alterations. To more fully define the genomic landscape of this subtype, we performed transcriptome sequence analysis on 14 pediatric FAB-M7 cases and mutation recurrence screening in a panel of 62 adult and pediatric AML FAB-M7 samples using the Illumina platform. Our results identified chromosomal rearrangements resulting in the expression of novel fusion transcripts in 11/14 cases. Remarkably, in 7/14 cases we detected an inversion on chromosome 16 that results in the juxtaposition of the CBFA2T3 gene next to the GLIS2 gene resulting in a CBFA2T3-GLIS2 chimeric gene that encoded an in frame fusion protein. This fusion led to the acquisition or preservation of self-renewal in colony forming assays, providing functional evidence for a role in leukemogenesis. In addition to novel chimeric transcripts, we found mutations in genes previously identified to play a role in megakaryoblastic leukemia that carry a proliferative advantage to the cell, such as JAK2 and MPL. These data demonstrate that AML FAB-M7 is characterized by cooperating Class I and Class II mutations leading to leukemogenesis.

  Study phs000413

• Rare Diseases Clinical Research Network (RDCRN) Vasculitis Clinical Research Consortium (VCRC) Longitudinal Protocol for Takayasu's Arteritis

  The development and validation of accurate biological markers and predictors of disease activity and outcome for Takayasu's arteritis, a form of idiopathic vasculitis, would have a major positive impact on the clinical care of patients with this rare disease, be an important advance in the design of clinical trials and feasibility of new drug development, and provide important insight into the pathogenesis of this condition. Current measures of disease activity, including erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and C-reactive protein (CRP), while helpful in selected settings, are mostly considered highly flawed and markers whose poor correlation with disease flares makes them inadequate to help guide therapy. Similarly, ESR and CRP are clearly unhelpful as diagnostic tests for vasculitis. The current state of clinical investigation for vasculitis relies heavily upon determination of disease status solely by clinical presentation and investigator opinion. Thus, discovery and validation of more precise markers that quantifiably measure activity, predict disease course, and correlate with an important biological process, would be of great importance. Knowledge to be gained from this study could potentially be highly important. Discovery of effective biomarkers of vasculitis and assessment of long term disease course and complications by the collection of clinical and diagnostic imaging studies proposed could lead to better care and less toxic treatment regimens. Furthermore, insight into the pathophysiology of vasculitis could be gained and this might lead to better treatments and improved outcomes in terms of reduction of vascular and treatment related complications. Ideally, excellent biomarkers reflect a sophisticated understanding of the pathophysiology of a disease.

  Study phs000589

• Exome Sequencing for Diseases of the Immune System: X-linked Immunodeficiency with Magnesium Defect, EBV Infection, and Neoplasia (XMEN)

  The etiologies of primary immunodeficiencies often yield novel insights about the immune system. Although a genetic etiology has been suspected for patients with abnormally low CD4+ T cells in the absence of HIV infection or any known causes of lymphopenia, no genetic mutation has been described to date for any case of primary CD4 lymphopenia. In this study, we characterized a non-consanguineous family with two non-HIV infected boys exhibiting an inverted CD4 to CD8 T cell ratio and a history of recurrent chronic viral infections since birth. Consistent with a decreased thymic output of CD4+ T cells, the percentage of CD31+ cells in the CD4+ naive population of these patients was decreased. In addition, the activation of T cells was significantly impaired in the patient upon TCR stimulation. Given the mother's T cells show completely skewed X chromosome inactivation, we suspected that the nature of this disease is X-linked. We performed X-chromosome exon-capture targeted single-end Solexa sequencing on two brothers and the mother and found a 10 base pair deletion at an intron-exon junction of Magnesium Transporter 1 (MAGT1), a Mg2+ specific transporter. We confirmed that this deletion leads to altered splicing, frameshift, early termination of the mRNA, and deficient protein expression in the lymphocytes of the two patients. Moreover, knockdown of this transporter in T cells isolated from healthy donors can recapitulate the observed T cell activation defect while its ectopic expression in the patients' lymphocytes can restore T cell stimulation. Our discovery highlights the significance of this transporter to T cell function.

  Study phs000365

• The Role of Germline Mutation and Parental Age in Autism Spectrum Disorders

  <p>We will apply whole genome sequencing of trio families to determine how patterns of germline mutation throughout the genome determine risk for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). We will investigate the nature intrinsic hypermutability and the extrinsic forces, such as paternal age, that influence rates of germline mutation. We will accomplish these goals through the following specific aims: Specific Aim 1 will characterize germline de novo mutations (DNMs) by whole genome sequencing in families. These studies will identify and validate ~8,000 de novo point mutations and structural variants in trios and controls to determine the parent of origin of DNMs. Specific Aim 2 will identify hot spots for germline mutation based on the regional density of DNMs in the genome, and determine the effects of DNA sequence features on rates of mutation. We will determine the association of mutation hotspots with ASD in the discovery sample and in genomic datasets from an independent sample of 2700 cases and 2700 controls. Specific Aim 3 will characterize the effects of extrinsic factors, including parental age and environment, on genome-wide rates of mutation. We will quantify the effect of paternal age on pathogenic and neutral alleles in sperm and investigate whether some DNMs confer a germline selective advantage. The findings of this study will provide fundamental insights into the genetic basis of autism risk and the genetic mechanism of the observed parental age effects in ASD. We will identify genes that confer significant risk for autism, and we will determine how intrinsic properties of the genome interact with extrinsic forces to determining risk for disease in offspring.

  Study phs001164

• Discovery and Characterization of Genetic Risk Loci in Sjogren's Syndrome

  The Sjögren's Genetics Network (SGENE) is an international collaboration focused on identifying and understanding the genetic variations that influence Sjögren’s pathology. Collectively, SGENE collaborators from 26 different sites (5 in the United States; 21 in foreign countries) have recruited a large cohort of geographically diverse participants of European ancestry. Recruitment, sample collection, and genotyping were performed at unique SGENE sites in compliance with local institutional review board approval. High-density SNP genotyping data were collated by the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation (OMRF) and used to perform a GWAS of Sjögren's of European ancestry. Participants underwent extensive medical assessment for Sjögren's Syndrome using internationally accepted American-European Consensus Group (AECG) classification criteria or the American College of Rheumatology/European League Against Rheumatism classification criteria. Data quality control, GWAS imputation using the Haplotype Reference Consortium, panel version 1.1, and dbGaP preparation/posting were performed at the OMRF. To facilitate research focused on understanding the genetics of Sjögren's syndrome, the Genomic Summary Results from this GWAS are being made available herein using a total of n=3232 Sjögren's cases and n=17,481 controls. A total of n=8962 controls were obtained from our SGENE collaborators or from our previous study (Lessard, et al. Nature Genetics 2013. PMID: 24097067). To achieve adequate case-to-control ratios for the GWAS analyses, population-based control GWAS data were also obtained from dbGaP (phs000428.v2.p2; phs000672.v1.p1; phs000196.v3.p1; phs000187.v1.p1). In accordance with IRB approval, subject consents, and data sharing restrictions, we are also making available the individual-level genotyping data for a subset of Sjögren's cases (n=1,199) that were genotyped at the OMRF.

  Study phs002723

• NINDS Deep Sequencing for the Detection of Viral Sequences in Primary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis Brains

  Deep sequencing allows for a rapid, accurate characterization of microbial DNA and RNA sequences in many types of samples. Deep sequencing (also called next generation sequencing or NGS) is being developed to assist with the diagnosis of a wide variety of infectious diseases. In this study, seven frozen brain samples (n = 7) from deceased subjects with recent encephalitis were investigated. RNA from each sample was extracted, randomly reverse transcribed, and sequenced. The sequence analysis was performed in a blinded fashion and confirmed with pathogen-specific PCR. This analysis successfully identified measles virus sequences in two brain samples and herpes simplex virus type-1 sequences in three brain samples. No pathogen was identified in the other two brain specimens. These results were concordant with pathogen-specific PCR and partially concordant with prior neuropathological examinations, demonstrating that deep sequencing can accurately identify viral infections in frozen brain tissue (Chan et al., 2014). Data from the primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS) brain specimens (n = 14) and Normal Control brain specimens (n = 14) are also submitted here. All the subjects studied here (encephalitis, PPMS, and controls) were selected from existing collections at the Rocky Mountain and UCLA brain banks. These selections were performed by the directors at the two centers (Dr. Corboy at RM and Nagra at UCLA) based on clinic information provided at the time of collection. All the specimens are from deidentified deceased individuals. The submitting investigators have no identifying information on any of these subjects. To avoid confusion, the dbGaP Subject IDs are identical to the brain bank identifying numbers.

  Study phs000715

• Glial Cell Line-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (GDNF) Polymorphisms and Anxiety, Depression

  GDNF gene variants were studied as possible risk factors of depression or anxiety on a young sample. The association study involved eight (rs1981844, rs3812047, rs3096140, rs2973041, rs2910702, rs1549250, rs2973050 and rs11111) GDNF single nucleotide polymorphisms and anxiety and depression scores measured by the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) on 708 Caucasian young adults with no psychiatric history. Results provided significant effects of two single nucleotide polymorphisms on anxiety scores following the Bonferroni correction for multiple testing (p=0.00070 and p=0.00138 for rs3812047 and rs3096140, respectively). Haplotype analysis confirmed the role of these SNPs (p=0.00029). A significant sex-gene interaction was also observed since the effect of the rs3812047 A allele as a risk factor of anxiety was more pronounced in males. This is the first demonstration of a significant association between the GDNF gene and mood characteristics demonstrated by the association of two SNPs of the GDNF gene (rs3812047 and rs3096140) and individual variability of anxiety using self-report data from a non-clinical sample. Reprinted from Kotyuk et. al., 2013 (Kotyuk, E., Keszler, G., Nemeth, N., Ronai, Z., Sasvari-Szekely, M., and Szekely, A. (2013). Glial Cell Line-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (GDNF) as a Novel Candidate Gene of Anxiety. PLoS One,8, (12) PMID: 24324616), with permission from Publisher (All content of articles published in PLOS journals is open access. You can read about our open access license here: http://www.plos.org/about/open-access/. To summarize, this license allows you to download, reuse, reprint, modify, distribute, and/or copy articles or images in PLOS journals, so long as the original creators are credited (e.g., including the article's citation and/or the image credit); Laura Perry; Staff EO;PLOS ONE)

  Study phs000713

• Binding of Epstein Barr Virus EBNA2 Unifies Multiple Sclerosis Genetic Mechanisms

  This study is focused on multiple sclerosis (MS). MS is likely caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors; however, the mechanisms contributing to these factors remain poorly understood. Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) in particular is a well-established environmental risk factor for MS. We have created a computational algorithm that systematically searches for common molecular mechanisms that might be impacted at multiple MS-associated loci. Using this algorithm, we have discovered that over 40% of MS-associated loci contain MS genetic variants that fall within regions of the human genome occupied by the EBV-encoded EBNA2 protein. The same MS-associated variants also impact gene expression levels of MS-associated genes in EBV-infected B cell lines. Our hypothesis is that allele-dependent binding of EBNA2 and its co-factors explains the allele-dependent risk at many MS genetic loci. Importantly, this hypothesis links the genetic associations of MS to the known molecular roles played by EBV and Notch signaling in disease processes.Subjects with and without MS were recruited into an Institutional Review Board (IRB)-approved protocol through the Cincinnati Autoimmune Registry and Repository. From each subject, DNA from peripheral blood was isolated for whole genome sequencing (WGS). These data will be used to identify genotype-dependent transcriptional regulation in cells assessed from patients and controls. This WGS data was deposited before the full integration of sequence data with other functional genomic data types.From each subject, 90 mL of blood is drawn for isolation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells from which primary B and T cells will be isolated. For each B cell isolation, an EBV-transformed B cell line will be derived.

  Study phs003240

• Genomic Studies in Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease

  The various forms of Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT) comprise a genetically heterogeneous set of peripheral neuropathies. Currently, >90 different CMT genes have been identified; yet, for the axonal CMT2 subtype these genes explain only 30-40% of the genetic effect. In particular, the application of exome sequencing has led to an unprecedented pace in identifying about half of those genes in the past five years. We have been at the forefront of this development with 22+ published new gene identifications in the past seven years. This success was only possible through broad national and international collaborations, data sharing, and the development of advanced analysis tools and methods. We also learned that despite an accumulation of exome sequencing data, over 50% of axonal CMT patients remain undiagnosed, suggesting even more genes are involved; additionally, our preliminary data also support the existence of non-coding variations as Mendelian allele contributors. In this study, we will continue our highly impactful work in CMT family recruitment, exome sequencing and traditional gene identification. In addition, we will expand the genetic studies to whole genome sequencing with a focus on families already explored unsuccessfully in whole exome studies. We further plan to perform the first large rare variant burden analysis in the rare disorder CMT2. This is only possible through the exceptional clinical resources we have built over the past decade. Finally, with many CMT genes available, we will perform statistical network analyses on a CMT-ome to identify gene modules and pathways that will be the starting point of polypharmacology, and provide insight into pathophysiology of peripheral nerve degeneration. All data will be available in real-time to an existing network of CMT investigators worldwide, and deposited in dbGaP annually.

  Study phs003389

• Genetic Neuroscience: How Human Genes and Alleles Shape Neuronal Phenotypes

  The goal of this collaborative, interdisciplinary project is to develop powerful, generalizable approaches for discovering how risk variants for psychiatric disorders shape neurobiological processes at multiple levels of analysis, and to identify the processes whose dysregulation underlies disease.Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) were used towards the development of these new experimental and inferential systems bridging gaps between human genetics and experimental biology. The largest publicly available collection of iPSCs (2607 lines) has been generated from 2184 donors by the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM). To expand our donor collection, an additional 44 iPSC donors from the McLean_Levy cohort were identified. We wish to share the available SNP data for 2167 CIRM lines and whole genome sequence data generated at the Broad Institute for 473 of the CIRM and 44 McLean_Levy iPSC donors. These data can be used to identify (for experiments) lines with specific genotypes of interest and lines from donors with high or low polygenic risk scores for phenotypes of interest. The data can also be used to identify acquired mutations in the iPSC lines. The CIRM iPSC lines are available through Fujifilm Cellular Dynamics iPSC Repository (https://www.fujifilmcdi.com/cirm-ipsc-products/). The McLean_Levy lines are available through the NIMH Repository & Genomics Resource (https://www.nimhgenetics.org/).Additional project data registered with the study includes data from an iPSC line derived from an SMA patient (n=1), as well as single-cell RNA sequence data and supplemental processed genomic datasets in support of project publications.Molecular DatasetsSingle-cell RNA-seq: 10X Genomics, Illumina NovaSeqSupplemental "cell village" pooled genomic sequence data: Illumina NextSeqWhole Genome Genotyping: Infinium Global Screening Array-24 Kit, Illumina HumanCore chipWhole Genome Sequencing: Illumina NovaSeq

  Study phs002032

• Aberrant Activation of Wound Healing Programs within the Metastatic Niche Facilitates Lung Colonization by Osteosarcoma Cells

  Lung metastasis is responsible for nearly all deaths caused by osteosarcoma, the most common pediatric bone tumor. How malignant bone cells coerce the lung microenvironment to support metastatic growth is unclear. This study delineates how osteosarcoma cells educate the lung microenvironment during metastatic progression.Using single-cell transcriptomics (scRNA-seq), we characterized genome– and tissue-wide molecular changes induced within lung tissues by disseminated osteosarcoma cells in both immunocompetent murine models of metastasis and patient samples. We confirmed transcriptomic findings at the protein level and determined spatial relationships with multi-parameter immunofluorescence. We evaluated the ability of nintedanib to impair metastatic colonization and prevent osteosarcoma-induced education of the lung microenvironment in both immunocompetent murine osteosarcoma and immunodeficient human xenograft models.Osteosarcoma cells induced acute alveolar epithelial injury upon lung dissemination. scRNA-seq demonstrated that the surrounding lung stroma adopts a chronic, non-resolving wound-healing phenotype similar to that seen in other models of lung injury. Accordingly, metastasis-associated lung demonstrated marked fibrosis, likely due to the accumulation of pathogenic, pro-fibrotic, partially-differentiated epithelial intermediates. Inhibition of fibrotic pathways with nintedanib prevented metastatic progression in multiple murine and human xenograft models. Our work demonstrates that osteosarcoma cells co-opt fibrosis to promote metastatic outgrowth. When harmonized with data from adult epithelial cancers, our results support a generalized model wherein aberrant mesenchymal-epithelial interactions are critical for promoting lung metastasis. Adult epithelial carcinomas induce fibrotic pathways in normal lung fibroblasts, whereas osteosarcoma, a pediatric mesenchymal tumor, exhibits fibrotic reprogramming in response to the aberrant wound-healing behaviors of an otherwise normal lung epithelium, which are induced by tumor cell interactions.

  Study phs003569

• Whole Exome Sequencing of Head and Neck Patients-Derived Tumor Organoids and Formalin Fixed Paraffin Embedded Tumor Tissue

  In this study, tissue specimens were procured from head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) patients undergoing routine diagnostic procedures as part of their standard of care. For surgical cases, only excess tissue remaining after allocation for essential pathological diagnosis was utilized for research purposes. We aimed to validate the genomic fidelity of patient-derived organoids (PDOs) compared to their originating tumors. Whole exome sequencing was performed on four paired sets of PDOs and matched surgical specimens preserved as formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) samples. The objective was to demonstrate that the in vitro PDO models maintain the genomic profile of the patient-specific tumors, thus supporting their potential application in identifying efficacious personalized treatment regimens. Comparative analyses of single nucleotide variants (SNVs) and copy number variants (CNVs) between matched PDO and FFPE pairs were conducted to assess global genomic similarity and shared HNSCC-relevant variants. The results indicated that the PDOs closely recapitulated the mutational landscape of the resected tumors from which they were derived. This finding supports the validity of the employed in vitro culture conditions for potential use in precision medicine approaches for HNSCC. The data submitted to dbGaP comprise eight whole exome sequencing profiles of matched pairs of HNSCC FFPE and PDO samples from four subjects. Novogene (Novogene Co., Ltd, CA, USA) generated these profiles from 1.0μg genomic DNA per sample, using the Agilent SureSelect Human All Exon kit (Agilent Technologies, CA, USA). Deposited files include raw BAM files of reads aligned to human genome Hg19 using BWA (v.0.7.8-r455), sorted with Samtools (v1.0), and filtered for duplicate reads using Picard (v1.111). Additionally, we've deposited VCF files of SNV variant calls from GATK (v3.8).

  Study phs003755

• Genomic Profiling of Pediatric B-cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

  Pediatric leukemia is the most common type of childhood cancer and, despite tremendous progress in treatment, remains the second leading cause of cancer deaths in children. B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) is the most common type of pediatric leukemia. Recent studies using transcriptional profiling of large cohorts of pediatric B-ALL have shown that patients can be grouped into transcriptional subtypes that are often defined by specific driver mutations. Interestingly, many of these mutational subtypes are defined by gene fusions or rearrangements that drive altered expression of transcription factors (ETV6-RUNX1, PAX5, DUX4, TCF3-PBX1, ZNF384) or in chromatin regulatory machinery (KMT2A), suggesting that transcriptional dysregulation is a major driver of B-ALL. While the transcriptional distinctions are clear, the relationship between patients in terms of their chromatin regulatory landscape remains unclear. To address this, we profiled gene expression, open chromatin, and 3D genome folding in patient derived B-ALL samples. We identified that at the level of 3D genome organization, many chromatin interactions and looping events are shared across mutational subtypes, suggesting that shared transcriptional programs, in addition to group specific driver mutations, possibly regulate the chromatin landscape in B-ALL. Using RNA-seq and ATAC-seq data, we were able to identify "latent" signatures of expression related to non-mutant transcription factors (TFs) that also contribute to expression heterogeneity across TF subtypes. These are related to patient specific patterns of 3D genome folding, and in some cases, are predictive of disease outcomes. This study helps shed light on the chromatin landscape in B-ALL and furthers our understanding of the interactions between diverse mutant TFs that drive B-ALL and non-mutant TFs that help shape the B-ALL chromatin landscape.

  Study phs003226

• Stockholm-Tartu Atherosclerosis Reverse Network Engineering Task (STARNET)

  STARNET is a genetics of RNA expression study of multiple disease-relevant tissues obtained from living patients with cardiovascular disease. Tissue samples are obtained from blood, atherosclerotic-lesion-free internal mammary artery (MAM) and atherosclerotic aortic root (AOR), subcutaneous fat (SF), visceral abdominal fat (VAF), skeletal muscle (SKLM), and liver (LIV) during open thorax surgery of 600 coronary artery disease (CAD) patients. All patients gave written informed consent. The inclusion criterion was eligibility for coronary artery by-pass graft (CABG) surgery. Patients with other severe systemic diseases, such as active systemic inflammatory disease or cancer, were excluded. The primary clinical end points were the SYNTAX score based on the extent of coronary atherosclerosis assessed from preoperative angiograms. The STARNET patients are Caucasians (31% females); 32% had diabetes, 75% had hypertension, and 67% had hyperlipidemia; and 33% had an MI before age 60. By New York Heart Association criteria, 45% were class I, 42% class II, 9% class III, and 1% class IV. TYPES AND RNA SEQUENCING: 566 DNA genotype and 3577 RNA-seq profiles from seven tissues from 600 STARNET CABG patients passed quality control (on average 511 RNA-seq profiles/tissue). DNA was genotyped with the OmniExpress Exome array (Illumina, ~900k SNPs) and imputed to a total of 14,098,063 DNA variant calls (6,245,505 with minor allele frequency >5%). The STARNET subjects mainly overlap with Caucasian of Northern European (Finnish) descent. RNA sequencing was performed using the HighSeq2000 platform, poly-A (LIV, SKLM, VAF, SF and blood) and ribo-zero (AOR, MAM) protocols with 50-100 bp read lengths, single end to 15-30 million read depth.

  Study phs001203

• Efficacy and Immune Effects of Anakinra Prophylaxis for Neurologic Toxicity and Cytokine Release Syndrome in Patients with Lymphoma Receiving Axicabtagene Ciloleucel

  Chimeric antigen receptor T cells have transformed the treatment of multiple hematologic malignancies, but are limited in application due to treatment-related toxicities. Cytokine release syndrome (CRS) and neurotoxicity (NT) are the primary toxicities associated with these therapies and are thought to be mediated by broad immune activation due to robust T-cell expansion. Current treatment of these toxicities utilize anti-IL-6 directed therapy and/or systemic glucocorticoids to mitigate the consequences of this complex inflammatory cascade. We sought to use anakinra, an IL-1R antagonist, as a prophylactic strategy to prevent clinically meaningful CRS/NT, defined as grade 2 or higher toxicity necessitating clinical intervention. Although our study, in line with others, demonstrated that IL-1R antagonism is insufficient to prevent such toxicities entirely, we were able to gain insight into the molecular immune signaling associated with breakthrough CRS & NT in the presence of anakinra prophylaxis using our scRNA dataset of patients treated with and without IL-1R antagonism. We demonstrate that IL-4 and IL-10 anti-inflammatory pathways in infused CAR-T products of both anakinra and non-anakinra cohorts were negatively associated with grade 2+ toxicities. We also found that expression of IFN-gamma pathways and ligand-receptor activities, as well as cytokine levels of IFN-gamma and CXCL10 in CD14+ monocytes, were significantly enriched in patients with breakthrough toxicity in the anakinra cohort. This correlated with an increase in IFN-gamma in the peripheral blood of patients with breakthrough toxicities, among other cytokines. These data identify IFN-gamma as a potential key mechanism in the development of CAR-T cell-associated toxcities and suggest that this pathway is also targetable and not inhibited by anakinra alone.

  Study phs003655

• Genomics of Substance Use Disorders in Latin American Populations

  This is a subsample of the National Survey of Drug, Alcohol, and Tobacco Use, administered in 2016 between August and October to participants aged 12-65 in urban and rural Mexican households, named Mexican Genomic Database for Addiction Research (MxGDAR). The objective of the survey was to evaluate the patterns of use of different psychoactive substances and mental health problems in Mexico. The sample universe was made up of primary sampling units (PSUs) that were the sum of basic statistical geographic areas, stratified by state and urban-rural communities. An adult aged 18-65 was chosen randomly from each household, and an adolescent aged 12-17 was also chosen randomly from the household which has at least one member under 18. The second administration of the survey included a subsample of 13,130 respondents who agreed to give a saliva sample for DNA analysis, to be used in analyzing the relationship of mental health, addiction, and genetics. This sample was weighted according to selection probability to be representative on the national level. Mental health symptomatology for these individuals was evaluated using the Diagnostic Interview for Psychosis and Affective Disorders (DI-PAD) using the operational criteria for psychotic disorders (OPCRIT v.4.0), administered by interviewers trained in its use. It includes the evaluation of symptomatology of psychosis, depression, anxiety, obsession/compulsion, mania/hypomania, and post-traumatic stress. The study seeks to replicate genetic associations with substance use (LINC01622), psychiatric disorders (PTPRM), or comorbidity between both (MGMT) reported in following paper: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33762635/. Funding for genotyping was provided by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), one of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

  Study phs003558

• High Frequency Ventilation in Premature Infants (HIFI-BioLINCC)

  Data Access NOTE: Please refer to the “Authorized Access” section below for information about how access to the data from this accession differs from many other dbGaP accessions. Objectives: To evaluate the hypothesis that high frequency oscillatory ventilation in preterm infants would reduce the incidence of mortality and pulmonary complications compared to conventional mechanical ventilation.Background: With the introduction of mechanical ventilation in preterm infants, mortality and morbidity significantly improved but remained high. The improvement in survival that accompanied the use of mechanical ventilation also brought about an increase in the incidence of pulmonary complications. The principal complication occurs in the form of bronchopulmonary dysplasia. Barotrauma and oxygen toxicity are considered to be in the pathogenesis for this disorder. Considerable interest in high frequency ventilation for preterm infants was generated when animal studies indicated high frequency ventilation to be effective in promoting gas exchange without apparent adverse effects. High Frequency Ventilation (HFV) delivers small tidal volumes at high frequencies of 4 to 15 Hz, and animal studies had indicated that HFV was associated with effective gas exchange, less barotrauma, and lower mean airway pressure. However, the efficacy and safety of HFV in preterm infants had not been studied. The HIFI Planning Phase was initiated in August 1984, and recruitment and intervention began in February, 1986. Follow-up studies continued thru September, 1988.Participants: A total of 673 infants were enrolled.Conclusions: Bronchopulmonary dysplasia incidence was similar in the two groups as was mortality and the need for ventilatory support during the first 28 days. There was a significantly greater rate of pneumoperitoneum of pulmonary origin in the high frequency group as was a greater incidence rate of intracranial hemorrhage. (HIFI Study Group, 1989, PMID: 2643039)

  Study phs004032

• National Emphysema Treatment Trial (NETT-BioLINCC)

  Data Access NOTE: Please refer to the “Authorized Access” section below for information about how access to the data from this accession differs from many other dbGaP accessions. Available Data: The current release of the NETT study dataset includes follow-up data through May of 2013.Objectives: To compare lung-volume-reduction surgery with medical therapy for severe emphysema, and to identify participant selection criteria for lung volume reduction surgery.Background: Lung-volume-reduction surgery has been proposed as a palliative treatment for severe emphysema. Effects on mortality, the magnitude and durability of benefits, and criteria for the selection of participants have not been established.Participants: A total of 1,218 participants with severe emphysema underwent pulmonary rehabilitation and were randomly assigned at 17 centers to undergo lung-volume-reduction surgery (bilateral stapled wedge resection) or to receive continued medical treatment. Participants were randomized after a 6-10 week pulmonary rehabilitation period and participants with a forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) that was 20 percent or less of predicted and a homogeneous distribution of emphysema or carbon monoxide diffusing capacity 20 percent or less of predicted were not eligible for randomization due to poor post-surgery prognosis for death or functional improvement.Conclusions: Overall, lung-volume-reduction surgery increases the chance of improved exercise capacity but does not confer a survival advantage over medical therapy. It does yield a survival advantage for participants with both predominantly upper-lobe emphysema and low base-line exercise capacity. Participants previously reported to be at high risk and those with non-upper-lobe emphysema and high base-line exercise capacity are poor candidates for lung-volume-reduction surgery, because of increased mortality and negligible functional gain. (NEJM 2003;348:2059-2073).

  Study phs004077

• HeLa Cell Genome Sequencing Studies

  HeLa is a human epithelial adenocarcinoma cell line that was derived from biopsy specimens of a 31-year old patient named Henrietta Lacks who was being treated for cervical cancer at The Johns Hopkins University Hospital in 1951. The specimens were obtained without her knowledge or consent just before her death in 1951. HeLa is the oldest and most widely used human cell line and has been an extraordinarily important resource for researchers throughout the world. HeLa cells have served as a standard for understanding many fundamental biological processes, such as testing the polio vaccine, establishing basic techniques for cloning and in vitro fertilization, identifying the cause of cervical cancer (HPV), and advancing the development of anti-cancer drugs.This study contains all authorized whole genome sequence data of the HeLa cell line from datasets currently in dbGaP. These data have been approved for health, medical, and/or biomedical research purposes. Access to these data can be granted for one year. Accessible data will include the studies listed on this page and any additional authorized datasets that become available during this one-year period. The HeLa Genome Data Access Working Group of the Advisory Committee to the Director (ACD) will review requests from the research community for access to these datasets and assess whether the requests align with the terms of use defined in the HeLa Genome Data Use Agreement. The Working Group's findings will be reported to the ACD, and the ACD will make recommendations to the NIH Director about whether a request should be approved or disapproved. The NIH Director will decide whether access to the data will be granted.

  Study phs000640

• Center for Common Disease Genomics [CCDG] - Neuropsychiatric: Epilepsy: Epi25 Consortium

  Epilepsy genetics research is at an exciting stage where it is now feasible, with the power of a large cohort, to understand the more complex genetic components of epilepsy. The driving principle behind the Epi25 Consortium is collaboration and synergy - it is only possible to achieve this type of research by working together. The Epi25 Consortium was formed by the unification of various consortia, including Epi4K, EPIGEN, EuroEPINOMICS, the Epilepsy Phenome/Genome Project, EpiPGX, SANAD, and EpiCURE, and individual epilepsy investigators. The consortium's sample collection is the best resource in the world for this disease, both in terms of numbers of patients and quality of phenotypic information. As part of the NHGRI Centers for Common Disease Genomics (2016-2020), we aggregated a global sample collection from the various repositories for whole genome genotyping and whole exome sequencing (WES) at the Broad Institute (Cambridge, MA), initiating the largest and most ethnically diverse genetic study of epilepsy to date. The primary epilepsy phenotypes for Epi25 are based on strict standards agreed upon by the epilepsy community. The epilepsy cases contributed by Epi25 sites can be broadly defined as genetic generalized epilepsy (GGE), non-acquired focal epilepsy (NAFE), epileptic encephalopathies (EE), and lesional focal epilepsies. More information about eligibility criteria and phenotyping forms for Epi25, as well as the contributing centers, can be found here: epi-25.org The genomic data will be analyzed iteratively to identify genes and variants that explain these types of epilepsy. Summary clinical data compiled in the Epi25 clinical database will allow retrospective phenotypic analyses of groups of subjects with common genomic variant(s).

  Study phs001489

• Response to Hepatitis B vaccine

  Approximately 5-10% of individuals, who are vaccinated with a hepatitis B (HB) vaccine designed based on the HBV genotype C, fail to acquire protective levels of antibodies. Host genetic factors behind low immune response to the HB vaccine were investigated by GWAS and HLA association tests. GWAS and HLA association tests were carried out using a total of 1,193 Japanese individuals including 107 low responders (HBsAb ?10 mIU/mL), 351 intermediate responders (10 mIU/mL< HBsAb <100 mIU/mL), and 735 high responders (HBsAb ?100 mIU/mL). Classical HLA class II alleles were statistically imputed using the genome-wide SNP typing data. GWAS identified independent associations of HLA-DRB1-DQB1 haplotypes, HLA-DPB1 alleles and BTNL2 gene with immune response to the HB vaccine designed based on the HBV genotype C. Five HLA-DRB1-DQB1 haplotypes and two DPB1 alleles showed significant associations with response to the HB vaccine in a comparison of three groups of 1,193 HB vaccinated individuals. When frequencies of DRB1-DQB1 haplotypes and DPB1 alleles were compared between low immune responders and HBV patients, significant associations were identified for three DRB1-DQB1 haplotypes, and no association was identified for any of DPB1 alleles. In contrast, no association for DRB1-DQB1 haplotypes and DPB1 alleles was identified in a comparison between high immune responders and healthy individuals. The findings in this study clearly show the importance of HLA-DR-DQ (i.e. recognition of a HB vaccine related HBsAg by specific DR-DQ haplotypes) and BTNL2 molecules (i.e. high immune response to the HB vaccine) for response to a HB vaccine designed based on the HBV genotype C.

  Study JGAS000341

• Molecular evolution of metastatic clear cell renal cell carcinoma progressing under tyrosine kinase inhibitor therapy (HIPO-045)

  Background:Acquired resistance to targeted drugs is largely due to intra-tumor molecular heterogeneity and clonal selection. Objective:The objective of this study was to determine molecular alterations and mediating resistant mechanisms and to suggest additional treatment options.Design, Setting, and Participants:Four patients were enrolled into the MORE (Molecular Renal Cancer Evolution) trial. We investigated the mutational spectra of metastatic clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) at baseline and compared them to those upon clonal evolution at progression on systemic therapy with tyrosine kinase inhibitors.Outcome Measurements:DNA was isolated from tumor tissues after surgery, metastasis biopsies after progression on sunitinib or axitinib, and subjected to whole-exome sequencing (WES). In addition, the exomes of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) from two patients were sequenced at baseline and at progression.Results and Limitations:Our data provide evidence for clonal evolution and various acquired resistance mechanisms of ccRCC with subclonal mutations in FLT4, MTOR, ITGA3/5, SETD2, and VHL on metastatic progression. The limited number of shared mutations in tissue and plasma biopsies indicates that both sources provide complementary information, possibly due to mutations present in metastatic lesions which were not amenable to tissue sampling but are represented in the ctDNA. Conclusion:Acquired resistance to targeted therapies in metastatic ccRCC is due to intra-tumor heterogeneity and clonal evolution. Larger patient cohorts have to be studied to estimate the benefit of WES from biopsies and ctDNA for therapy decision in metastatic ccRCC.Patient Summary:We analyzed the molecular profiles of ccRCC patients in primary tissues and metastatic tissues upon progression on tyrosine kinase inhibitor therapy. Clinically relevant mutations upon progression were detected in the metastatic sites of all of four patients, suggesting that it might be possible to derive therapies based on sequencing the metastases.?HIPO-045

  Study EGAS00001001861

• Influence of age on molecular changes and treatment stratification in multimodal glioblastoma therapy

  Background: The increasing life expectancy has led to a rise in high-grade gliomas, particularly in patients of older age. The impact of chronological age, associated molecular changes and contributing factors on therapy response, progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) remain uncertain. Methods: Between January 1st, 2016, and December 31th, 2021, patients with glioblastoma IDH-wt (CNS WHO grade 4) were included. RNA- and T-cell receptor sequencing was performed in a subset of patients. Primary outcome parameters were extent of resection (EOR), progression free- and overall survival. Multivariate analysis was performed to identify independent predictors of survival. Results: A total of 286 patients were included. The mean age was 66.4 years. Chronological age did not correlate with overall survival (r=0.12). With age, tumor immune composition changed towards macrophages with M2 phenotype and decreased numbers of CD8+ and neutrophiles. Aging related genes were not enriched. Beyond 69.5 years of age, despite similar PFS (p=0.0783), OS (p&lt;0.0001) was significantly shorter, compared to younger patients. Extent of resection and adjuvant radiochemotherapy were significant predictors of OS (p&lt;0.0001). No difference in PFS and OS was found between younger and older patients treated with maximal safe resection, followed by concomitant RT and chemotherapy and adjuvant chemotherapy. Conclusions: This study suggests that age alone should not be the sole determinant in therapeutic decision-making for glioblastoma patients. Gross total resection and adjuvant therapy, tailored to individual clinical status, significantly impact survival outcomes. Patient-specific treatment strategies are important to minimize undertreatment and optimize therapeutic outcomes in older patients.

  Study EGAS00001008246

• Analysis of CD20 loss in patients treated with Mosunetuzumab

  CD20 is an established therapeutic target in B-cell malignancies. The CD20xCD3 bispecific antibody mosunetuzumab has significant efficacy in B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphomas (NHL). Since target antigen loss is a recognized mechanism of resistance, we evaluated the contribution of CD20 expression to clinical response in patients with relapsed and/or refractory NHL in the phase 1/2 GO29781 trial (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT02500407) investigating mosunetuzumab monotherapy. CD20 was studied using immunohistochemistry (IHC), RNA sequencing, and whole-exome sequencing performed centrally in biopsies collected prior to treatment, or as paired samples at pre-dose and on-treatment, or at-progression. Prior to treatment, most patients exhibited a high proportion of tumor cells expressing CD20; however, the proportion of CD20+ tumor cells in 14/293 (6%) patients was &lt;10%. Analyses of paired biopsies from patients during treatment revealed that CD20 levels were maintained in 29/30 (97%), vs patients with samples at-progression, in which 11/32 (34%) showed CD20 loss. Reduced transcription or acquisition of truncating mutations explained most but not all cases of CD20 loss. In vitro modeling confirmed the effect of CD20 variants identified in clinical samples on reduction of CD20 expression and confirmed missense mutations in the extracellular domain that could block mosunetuzumab binding. This study expands knowledge about the occurrence of target antigen loss after anti-CD20 therapeutics to CD20-targeting bispecific antibodies and elucidates the underlying mechanisms for reduced CD20 expression at disease progression that may be generalizable to other anti-CD20 targeting agents. These results also establish the utility of readily-available IHC staining for CD20 as a tool to inform clinical decisions.

  Study EGAS50000000151

• Integrated Genomic, Epigenetic, and Expression Analyses of Ovarian Cancer Cell Lines

  Epithelial ovarian carcinoma of all subtypes has one of the worst outcomes of any human cancer. To improve our understanding of underlying biology and therapeutic possibilities in this disease, we performed whole genome sequencing, methylation, and expression analyses of a comprehensive set of 47 ovarian cancer cell lines representing different histologic tumor subtypes. Given the challenges of genomic analyses in tumors without matched normal samples, we developed novel approaches for detection of somatic alterations and used these to identify sequence, copy number, and rearrangement changes and integrated these with genome-wide epigenetic and expression alterations. Ovarian cancer cell lines had molecular changes in genes involved in cell cycle, PI3K, RAS, BRCA, chromatin regulating, and p53 pathways, and displayed global mutation and methylation changes similar to primary ovarian carcinoma. We identified alterations not previously implicated in ovarian cancer including amplification or overexpression of ASXL1 and H3F3B, deletion or underexpression of CDC73 and members of the TGF beta receptor pathway, including TGFBR2, SMAD3 and SMAD4, in-frame rearrangements of YAP1-MAML2 and IKZF2-ERBB4, and fusions involving MET, NF1, FBXW7 and CCND1. Integrating cell line alterations with dose-response data using three targeted therapies revealed novel molecular dependencies, including increased sensitivity of tumors with PIK3CA and PPP2R1A alterations to PI3K inhibitor GNE-493, those with MYC amplifications to PARP inhibitor BMN673, and SMAD4 alterations to MEK inhibitor MEK162. Genome-wide analyses revealed intrachromosomal rearrangements as an improved measure of sensitivity to PARP inhibition compared to the homologous recombination defect (HRD) score. This study provides a comprehensive resource of molecular information for ovarian cancer cell line models and a pharmacogenomic platform for developing rational cancer therapeutic strategies.

  Study EGAS00001002998

• Molecular subtypes of pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors mutated in MEN1/DAXX/ ATRX explain biological variability

  Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumors (PanNETs) most probably arise from the islets of Langerhans, although direct evidence is still lacking. About 40% of non-functioning (NF) PanNETs harbour mutations in MEN1, often in conjunction with alterations in DAXX/ATRX. Despite the homogeneous genetic background, the ADM (mutation in DAXX/ATRX and MEN1) group is heterogeneous regarding molecular features and response to treatment. To explore the molecular and clinical heterogeneity within this group, we integrated transcriptomic and DNA methylation data from 36 and 93 samples, respectively. Using a multi-omic approach we described a two-level hierarchy separating PanNET subtypes mutated in MEN1, DAXX and ATRX. First, DNA methylation discriminates ADM-PanNET from PanNET mutated in MEN1 only (α-like). Compared to α-like, all ADM tumors exhibit DNA methylation changes at enhancer and lowly methylated regions as well as at peri-centromeric and telomeric regions, associated with alternative lengthening of telomeres, increased chromosomal instability, and enhanced proliferative capacity. At a second level, transcriptomic analysis revealed three distinct ADM subtypes: ADM hypoxic, ADM NST (No Special Type), and ADM immunosuppressive. The ADM hypoxic subtype is characterized by strong hypoxia signature, likely regulated epigenetically. The ADM NST subtype appears to be primarily driven by epigenetic changes that promote proliferation. The ADM immunosuppressive is highly enriched in immune component and strong metastasis-like signature. While all the three subtypes are highly associated with liver metastasis formation and invasion, the ADM immunosuppressive are significantly smaller (&lt;2.5 cm p.value=0.023) despite displaying aggressive molecular features. By defining these three novel ADM subtypes, our study provides a refined framework for understanding PanNET heterogeneity. This classification underscores potential diagnostic markers and highlights distinct biological vulnerabilities that may inform the development of subtype-tailored therapeutic strategies.

  Study EGAS00001008272

• Multi-site tumor sampling highlights molecular intra-tumor heterogeneity in malignant pleural mesothelioma

  Background:Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is a heterogeneous cancer. Better knowledge of molecular and cellular intra-tumor heterogeneity throughout the thoracic cavity is required to develop efficient therapies. This study focuses on molecular intra-tumor heterogeneity using the largest series to date in MPM and is the first to report on the multi-omics profiling of a substantial series of multi-site tumor samples. Methods:Intra-tumor heterogeneity was investigated in 16 patients from whom biopsies were taken at distinct anatomical sites. The paired biopsies collected from apex, side wall, costo-diaphragmatic or highest metabolic sites as well as 5 derived cell lines were screened using targeted sequencing. Whole exome sequencing, RNA sequencing, and DNA methylation were performed on a subset of the cohort for deep characterization. Molecular classification, recently defined histo-molecular gradients, and cell populations of the tumor microenvironment were assessed. Results:Sequencing analysis identified heterogeneous variants notably in NF2, a key tumor suppressor gene of mesothelial carcinogenesis. Subclonal tumor populations were shared among paired biopsies, suggesting a polyclonal dissemination of the tumor. Transcriptome analysis highlighted dysregulation of cell adhesion and extracellular matrix pathways, linked to changes in histo-molecular gradient proportions between anatomic sites. Methylome analysis revealed contribution of epigenetic mechanisms in two patients. Finally, significant changes in the expression of immune mediators and genes related to immunological synapse, as well as differential infiltration of immune populations in the tumor environment were observed and led to a switch from a hot to a cold immune profile in three patients. Conclusions:This comprehensive analysis reveals patient-dependent spatial intra-tumor heterogeneity at the genetic, transcriptomic and epigenetic levels and in the immune landscape of the tumor microenvironment. Results support

  Study EGAS00001005328

• Whole-exome Sequencing Combined with Functional Genomics Reveals Novel Candidate Driver Cancer Genes in Endometrial Cancer

  Endometrial cancer is the most common gynecological malignancy, with more than 280,000 cases occurring annually worldwide. Although previous studies have identified important common somatic mutations in endometrial cancer, they have primarily focused on a small set of known cancer genes and have thus provided a limited view of the molecular basis underlying this disease. Here we developed an integrated systems biology approach to identifying novel cancer genes contributing to endometrial tumorigenesis. We first performed whole-exome sequencing on 13 endometrial cancers and matched normal samples, systematically identifying somatic alterations with high precision and sensitivity. We then combined bioinformatics prioritization with high-throughput screening (including both shRNA-mediated knockdown and expression of wild type and mutant constructs) in a highly sensitive cell viability assay. Our results revealed 12 potential driver cancer genes including 10 tumor suppressor candidates (ARID1A, INHBA, KMO, TTLL5, GRM8, IGFBP3, AKTIP, PHKA2, TRPS1 and WNT11) and two oncogene candidates (ERBB3 and RPS6KC1). The results in the “sensor” cell line were recapitulated by siRNA-mediated knockdown in endometrial cancer cell lines. Focusing on ARID1A, we integrated mutation profiles with functional proteomics in 222 endometrial cancer samples, demonstrating that ARID1A mutations frequently co-occur with mutations in the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) pathway and are associated with PI3K pathway activation. siRNA knockdown in endometrial cancer cell lines increased AKT phosphorylation supporting ARID1A as a novel regulator of PI3K pathway activity. Our study presents the first unbiased view of somatic coding mutations in endometrial cancer and provides functional evidence for diverse driver genes and mutations in this disease.

  Study EGAS00001000318

• Whole genome and transcriptome analysis of a sporadic and recurring parathyroid carcinoma

  Parathyroid carcinoma is an extremely rare endocrine malignancy with an estimated incidence of less than 1 per million population. Excessive secretion of parathyroid hormone, extremely high serum calcium level and the deleterious effects of hypercalcemia are the clinical manifestations of the disease. Up to 60% of patients develop multiple disease recurrences and although long-term survival is possible with palliative surgery, permanent remission is rarely achieved. Molecular drivers of sporadic parathyroid carcinoma have remained largely unknown. Previous studies, mostly based on familial cases of the disease, suggested a potential role for the tumor suppressor MEN1 and proto-oncogene RET in benign parathyroid tumorigenesis while the tumor suppressor HRPT2 and proto-oncogene CCND1 may also act as drivers in parathyroid cancer. Here, we report the complete genomic analysis of a sporadic and recurring parathyroid carcinoma. Mutational landscapes of the primary and recurrent tumor specimens were analyzed using high throughput sequencing technologies. Such molecular profiling allowed for identification of somatic mutations never previously identified in this malignancy. These included single nucleotide point mutations in well characterized cancer genes such as mTOR, MLL2, CDKN2C and PIK3CA. Comparison of acquired mutations in patient-matched primary and recurrent tumors revealed loss of PIK3CA activating mutation during the evolution of the tumor from the primary to the recurrence. Structural variations leading to gene fusions and regions of copy loss and gain were identified at a single-base resolution. Loss of short arm of chromosome 1 along with somatic mis-sense and truncating mutations in CDKN2C and THRAP3, respectively, provide new evidence for the potential role of these genes as tumor suppressors in parathyroid cancer. The key somatic mutations indentified in this study can serve as novel diagnostic markers as well as therapeutic targets.

  Study EGAS00001000484

• Genesis of Two Most Prevalent Variants Causing Combined Pituitary Hormone Deficiency in 21 Populations

  Two variants (c.[301_302delAG];[301_302delAG] and c.[150delA];[150delA]) in the PROP1 gene are the most common genetic causes of recessively inherited combined pituitary hormones deficiency (CPHD). Our objective was to analyze in detail the origin of the two most prevalent variants. In the multicentric study were included 237 patients with CPHD and their 15 relatives carrying c.[301_302delAG];[301_302delAG] or c.[150delA];[150delA] or c.[301_302delAG];[ 150delA]. They originated from 21 different countries worldwide. We genotyped 21 single nucleotide variant markers flanking the 9.6Mb region around the PROP1 gene that are not in mutual linkage disequilibrium in the general populations - a finding of a common haplotype would be indicative of ancestral origin of the variant. Haplotypes were reconstructed by Phase and Haploview software, and the variant age was estimated using an allelic association method. We demonstrated ancestral origin of both variants: c.[301_302delAG] was carried on 0.2Mb-long haplotype in a majority of European patients arising approximately 101 generations ago (confidence interval 90.1-116.4). Patients from the Iberian Peninsula displayed a different haplotype which was estimated to have emerged 23.3 (20.1-29.1) generations ago. Subsequently, the data indicated that both haplotypes were transmitted to Latin American patients approximately 13.8 (12.2-17.0) and 16.4 (14.4-20.1) generations ago, respectively. The c.[150delA] variant that was carried on a haplotype spanning about 0.3Mb was estimated to appear 43.7 (38.4-52.7) generations ago. We present strong evidence that the most frequent variants in the PROP1 gene are not a consequence of variant hot-spots as previously assumed, but are founder variants.

  Study EGAS00001001165

• Tracing the origin of disseminated tumor cells in breast cancer using single-cell sequencing

  Background Single-cell micro-metastases of solid tumors often occur in the bone marrow. These disseminated tumor cells (DTCs) may resist therapy and lay dormant or progress to cause overt bone and visceral metastases. The molecular nature of DTCs remains elusive, as well as when and from where in the tumor they originate. Here, we apply single-cell sequencing to identify and trace the origin of DTCs in breast cancer. Results We sequence the genomes of 63 single cells isolated from six non-metastatic breast cancer patients. By comparing the cells DNA copy number aberration (CNA) landscapes with those of the primary tumors and lymph node metastasis, we establish that 53% of the single cells morphologically classified as tumor cells are DTCs disseminating from the observed tumor. The remaining cells represent either non-aberrant ‘normal’ cells or aberrant cells of unknown origin that have CNA landscapes discordant from the tumor. Further analyses suggest that the prevalence of aberrant cells of unknown origin is age-dependent, and that at least a subset is hematopoietic in origin. Evolutionary reconstruction analysis of bulk tumor and DTC genomes enables ordering of CNA events in molecular pseudo-time and traced the origin of the DTCs to either the main tumor clone, primary tumor subclones, or subclones in an axillary lymph node metastasis. Conclusions Single-cell sequencing of bone marrow epithelial-like cells, in parallel with intra-tumor genetic heterogeneity profiling from bulk DNA, is a powerful approach to identify and study DTCs, yielding insight into metastatic processes. A heterogeneous population of CNA-positive cells is present in the bone marrow of non-metastatic breast cancer patients, only part of which are derived from the observed tumor lineages.

  Study EGAS00001002102

• RNA seq on 19 samples of Radiation-Induced Meningiomas

  Purpose: Majority of pediatric cancers require the irradiation of the central nervous system (CNS), and as more patients survive into adulthood from improved oncological therapy the sequelae of brain radiation are increasing in prevalence. Radiation-induced meningiomas (RIMs), one such secondary effect, demonstrate a clinically more aggressive behaviour than sporadic meningiomas (SMs). We aimed to describe the genomic mutational landscape of RIMs.Methods: We analyzed a principal cohort of 18 RIMs, with 31 RIMs overall, from patients who received childhood radiation therapy and 30 SMs, as a comparator population. We performed a multiplatform integrative genomic analysis; including methylation, whole exome and RNA sequencing. Results: RIMs exhibited a five-fold increase in copy number alterations, commonly the loss of chromosome 1p (17/18 RIMs) and 22q (17/18 RIMs), which was significantly more than observed in sporadic meningiomas. Furthermore, RNA sequencing data revealed an NF2 gene fusion event in 35.3% of RIMs. In all 6 cases, there was a complete NF2 exon spliced into a complete exon of a reciprocal gene, suggesting that the breakpoints of genomic rearrangement are intronic. All tumours with the NF2 fusion also possessed monosomy of chromosome 22q, rendering the cells with homozygous disruption of NF2. Clinically, RIMs with the NF2 fusion exhibited ill-defined borders and a tendency to develop in anatomic frontal location. Also, targeted sequencing panel confirmed that RIMs had fewer nonsynonymous NF2 mutations (6.5% vs. 30% in SM) and absence of mutations in TRAF7, SMO, KLF4, PIK3CA and AKT1, genes traditionally involved in SMs.Conclusion: Our study demonstrates that RIMs have distinct genomic drivers of oncogenesis as compared to SMs, specifically NF2 inactivation through fusion event. Radiation therapy possibly triggers genomic structural rearrangements through error-prone repair of double-stranded DNA breaks.

  Study EGAS00001002318

• ExomeSeq Neoantigen Immunogenicity Landscapes

  Immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) therapy is a cornerstone of oncologic treatment for patients with advanced stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and other malignancies. Neoantigen immunoediting drives ICB efficacy, yet the fundamental physiochemical characteristics of neoantigens and how neoantigen immunogenicity shapes treatment response remains poorly understood. To help address these questions, a prospective clinical trial of NSCLC patients treated with nivolumab was conducted. We assessed genomic alterations in tumors from 58 patients and performed large-scale neoepitope immunogenicity analyses, before and during treatment (CheckMate153, CA209-153). Tumors were analyzed by whole-exome and transcriptome sequencing. In responding patients, loss of mutation and neoantigen burden early during therapy associated with clinical benefit. We evaluated the immunogenicity of 1,453 candidate neoantigens and identified 502 neopeptides that bound to MHC I and 196 neopeptides that were immunogenically recognized by T cells in the setting of nivolumab treatment. These T cell reactive neoantigens were differentially present in clonal populations that underwent distinctive evolutionary trajectories across responders and nonresponders. Mapping these neoantigens to tumor clonal dynamics and clinical response revealed strong selection against immunogenic neoantigen harboring clones compared to non-immunogenic clones. Using this large collection of neoantigens, we identified position specific amino acid features related to immunogenicity, which we used to develop and validate an immunogenicity score. Changes in the genomic and neoantigen immunogenicity landscapes were accompanied by temporal changes in the tumor microenvironment. Nivolumab-induced microenvironmental evolution in NSCLC shared some similarities with that in melanoma, yet critical differences in immunologic programs were apparent from comparative network analysis between tumor types. This study provides unprecedented molecular portraits of the neoantigen landscapes underlying nivolumab’s mechanism of action.

  Study EGAS00001007508

• Sequencing of paediatric High Grade Gliomas and DIPG

  Paediatric high grade glioma (pHGG) and diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG) are a phenotypically diverse collection of tumours which molecular profiling studies have refined into age- and location-based subgroups driven by unique genetic and epigenetic alterations. Despite this, the rarity of these tumours means individual studies are underpowered to investigate subgroup-specific changes and to identify low frequency events recurrently targeting specific pathways. We have collated genomic data from 143 unpublished cases up to 30 years of age along with those from 18 previously published datasets in an integrated analysis comprising 1067 unique patients across all anatomical compartments of the CNS, with histone mutation status available for 893 cases (n=67 H3.3G34R/V, n=316 H3.3K27M, n=68 H3.1/H3.2K27M). Distinct clinicopathological and molecular subgroups are defined by these histone mutations, with several novel co-segregating mutations identified through these aggregated analyses, including loss of FBXW7 in H3.3G34R/V, TOP3A rearrangements in H3.3K27M, and BCOR mutations in H3.1K27M. Histone wild-type subgroups can be further refined by the presence of key oncogenic events (PDGFRA or EGFR amplification/mutations) or methylation profiles which molecularly more closely resemble pleomorphic xanthoastrocytoma or other low grade gliomas. The burden of genomic aberrations decreases with age, highlighting the infant population as biologically and clinically distinct. Across the whole cohort, we identify novel previously unrecognised pathway dysregulation in small subsets of tumours (e.g. splicing, WNT, immune response) which make up the umbrella classification of paediatric diffusely infiltrating gliomas. The integrated dataset helps to further define the molecular diversity of the disease, opening up novel avenues for biological study and providing a basis for functionally defined future treatment stratification.

  Study EGAS00001002314

• Exome sequencing in bipolar disorder families

  Bipolar disorder (BD) is a major psychiatric disorder affecting around 1% of the global population. BD is characterized by recurrent manic and depressive episodes, and has an estimated heritability of around 70% Research has identified the first BD susceptibility genes. However, the underlying pathways and regulatory networks remain largely unknown. Since research has shown that the cumulative impact of common alleles with small effect appears to explain only around 25-38% of the phenotypic variance for BD, rare variants of high penetrance may also contribute to BD risk. The present study investigated the role of rare, nonsynonymous, and potentially functional variants via whole exome sequencing in 15 BD cases from two large, multiply affected families from Cuba. The high prevalence of BD in these pedigrees renders them promising in terms of the identification of genetic risk variants with large effect sizes. In addition, SNP array data were used to calculate polygenic risk scores for affected and unaffected family members. After correction for multiple testing, polygenic risk scores for common, BD-associated genetic variants were not significantly higher in BD cases than in healthy relatives. Exome sequencing identified a total of 17 rare and potentially damaging variants in 17 genes. The identified variants were shared by all investigated BD cases in the respective pedigree. The most promising variant was located in the gene SERPING1 (p.L349F), which has been reported as a genome-wide significant risk gene for schizophrenia. A further promising variant was located in CAPN2, which has been implicated in synaptic plasticity. The present data suggest novel candidate genes for BD susceptibility, and may facilitate the discovery of disease-relevant pathways and regulatory networks.

  Study EGAS00001003085

• Enhanced detection of circulating tumor DNA by fragment size analysis

  Existing methods to improve detection of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) have focused on sensitivity for detecting genomic alterations but have rarely considered the biological properties of plasma cell-free DNA (cfDNA). We hypothesized that differences in fragment lengths of circulating DNA could be exploited to enhance sensitivity for detecting the presence of ctDNA and for non-invasive genomic analysis of cancer. We surveyed ctDNA fragment sizes in 344 plasma samples from 200 cancer patients using low-pass whole-genome sequencing (0.4×). To establish the size distribution of mutant ctDNA, tumor-guided personalized deep sequencing was performed in 19 patients. We detected enrichment of ctDNA in fragment sizes between 90–150 bp, and developed methods for in vitro and in silico size selection of these fragments. Selecting fragments between 90–150 bp improved detection of tumor DNA, with more than 2-fold median enrichment in &amp;gt;95% of cases, and more than 4-fold enrichment in &amp;gt; 10% of cases. Analysis of size-selected cfDNA identified clinically actionable mutations and copy number alterations that were otherwise not detected. Identification of plasma samples from patients with advanced cancer was improved by predictive models integrating fragment length and copy number analysis of cfDNA, with AUC&amp;gt; 0.99 compared to AUC &amp;lt; 0.80 without fragmentation features. Increased identification of cfDNA from patients with glioma, renal, and pancreatic cancer was achieved with AUC &amp;gt; 0.91, compared to AUC &amp;lt; 0.5 without fragmentation features. Fragment size analysis and selective sequencing of specific fragment sizes can boost ctDNA detection. This could reduce the required depth of cfDNA sequencing for clinical applications, earlier diagnosis and study of tumor biology.

  Study EGAS00001003258

• RNA-seq as a tool for evaluating human embryo competence

  The majority of embryos that are created through IVF do not implant. One possibility for this inefficiency is an incomplete understanding of the molecular factors affecting embryo competence. Currently, the process of selecting an embryo for uterine transfer utilizes an ad-hoc combination of morphological criteria, the kinetics of development, and genetic testing for aneuploidy. However, no single criterion can ensure selection of a viable embryo. In contrast, RNA-sequencing of embryos could yield highly dimensional data, which may provide additional insight and illuminate the discrepancies among current selection criteria. Indeed, recent advances enabling the production of RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) libraries from single cells have facilitated the application of this technique to the study of some transcriptional events in early human development. However, these studies have not assessed the quality of their constituent embryos relative to commonly used embryological criteria. Here, we perform proof-of-principle advancement to clinical selection procedures by generating high quality RNA-seq libraries from a trophectoderm biopsy as well as the remaining whole embryo. We combine state-of-the-art embryological methods with low-input RNA-seq to develop the first transcriptome-wide approach for use in future predictive embryology studies. Specifically, we demonstrate the capacity of RNA-seq as a promising tool in preimplantation screening by showing that biopsies of an embryo can capture valuable information content available in the whole embryo from which they are derived. Furthermore, we show that this technique can be used to generate a RNA-based digital karyotype, and to develop a foundational dataset for identifying candidate competence-associated genes. Together, these data establish the foundation for a future RNA-based diagnostic in IVF.

  Study EGAS00001003667

• Limited Association between HRR Gene Alterations and HRD in Molecular Tumor Board Cancer Samples: Who should be tested for HRD?

  Alterations in Homologous Recombination Repair (HRR) Pathway genes have been found to be associated with HR-Deficiency (HRD), which is an approved biomarker for PARP Inhibitor (PARPi) treatment. The aim of a Molecular Tumor Board (MTB) is to identify molecular alterations in cancer patients with advanced tumors that may suggest off-label treatment options. So far, few studies have analyzed the presence of HRR gene mutations and their association with HRD outside of clinical studies. Currently, no data on HRD testing in the setting of a MTB have been published. For the present study, a cohort of 237 patients encompassing 24 different tumor entities was collected from the MTB of the Comprehensive Cancer Center Erlangen-EMN. We show that an elevated Genomic Instability Score (GIS ≥ 42) can occur in samples with and without mutations in HRR-related genes. Overall, 38.1% of cancer samples with BRCA1/2 mutations, 10.9% of tumors with alterations in HRR genes other than BRCA1/2, and 4.3% of cancer samples without HRR gene mutations harbored an elevated GIS. Notably, our data show that various inactivating BRCA1/2 mutations are not associated with an elevated GIS. Taken together, panCancer assessment of HRD in addition to BRCA1/2 and other HRR gene mutational analysis is recommended to guide decisions regarding PARPi treatment. Further studies are needed to establish thresholds for GIS in non-ovarian cancer entities. Finally, HRD can be observed in 4.3% of BRCA1/2 and other HRR gene wildtype cancer samples, and may emerge as an independent biomarker for PARPi in the future.

  Study EGAS00001008063

• Genomic diversity of the African-descent Makranis of Pakistan

  From the eighth century onward, the Indian Ocean was the scene of extensive trade of sub-Saharan African slaves, via sea routes controlled by Muslim Arab and Swahili traders. Several populations in present-day Pakistan and India are thought to be the descendants of such slaves, yet their genetic ancestries and history of admixture and natural selection remain largely undefined. Here we studied the genome-wide diversity of the African-descent Makranis, residing on the Arabian Sea coast of Pakistan, together with that of four neighboring Pakistani populations, to investigate the genetic legacy, population dynamics and tempo of the Indian Ocean slave trade. We show that the Makranis result from an admixture event between local Baluch tribes and Bantu-speaking populations from eastern/southeastern Africa, which we dated to ~300 years ago during the Omani Empire domination. Levels of inbreeding, measured through cumulative runs of homozygosity, were found to be similar across Pakistani populations, suggesting that the admixed Makranis rapidly adopted the traditional practice of endogamous marriages. Finally, we searched for signatures of post-admixture selection at several traits evolving under positive selection, including skin color, lactase persistence and resistance to malaria. We demonstrate that the African-specific Duffy-null blood group — believed to confer resistance against Plasmodium vivax infection — was recently introduced to Pakistan through the slave trade and evolved under positive selection in this vivax malaria-endemic region. Collectively, our study reconstructs the genetic and adaptive history of a neglected episode of the African Diaspora, and illustrates the impact of recent admixture on the diffusion of adaptive traits across human populations.

  Study EGAS00001002558

• The Human Phenotype Project (HPP) is a large-scale deep-phenotype prospective longitudinal and ethnically diverse cohort

  The Human Phenotype Project (HPP) is a large-scale deep-phenotype prospective longitudinal and ethnically diverse cohort and biobank that we established. To date, approximately 28,000 participants have enrolled in the study, with over 13,000 having completed their initial visit. The project is aimed at identifying novel molecular signatures with diagnostic, prognostic and therapeutic value, and at developing AI-based predictive models for disease onset and progression. A unique feature of the HPP is its deep and longitudinal profiling that includes medical history, lifestyle and nutritional habits, vital signs, anthropometrics, blood tests, continuous glucose and sleep monitoring, imaging modalities and molecular profiling of the transcriptome, genetics, gut, vaginal and oral microbiome, metabolome and immune system. For several of these modalities, the HPP is the first or largest cohort of its kind. Our analyses of this data provide novel insights into the variation of phenotypes with age and ethnicity, highlighting the importance of having ethnically diverse cohorts and the need for establishing age-dependent norms. We demonstrate how the HPP can be used to unravel personalized molecular signatures of disease by comparison to patient-specific and disease-specific matched healthy controls. Leveraging the extensive dietary and lifestyle HPP data, we systematically identify associations between lifestyle factors and health outcomes. Finally, we present a multi-modal foundation AI model that is trained using self-supervised learning on diet and CGM data and outperforms existing methods in predicting future onset of disease. We extend this AI framework to integrate all data modalities of each subject as a continuous sequence of diverse medical events, creating a digital twin that can simulate interventions and predict health trajectories and outcomes.

  Study EGAS00001008040

• Whole exome sequencing of cell-free DNA reveals temporo-spatial heterogeneity and identifies treatment-resistant clones in neuroblastoma

  Background: Neuroblastoma (NB) displays important clinical and genetic heterogeneity, with emergence of new mutations at tumor progression. Patients and Methods: To study clonal evolution during treatment and follow-up, an innovative method based on circulating cell-free DNA (cfDNA) analysis by whole exome sequencing (WES) paired with target sequencing was realized in sequential liquid biopsy samples of 19 NB patients. Results: WES of the primary tumor and cfDNA at diagnosis showed overlap of Single Nucleotide Variants (SNVs) and Copy Number Alterations (CNAs), with 41% and 93% of all detected alterations common to the primary NB and cfDNA. CfDNA WES at a second time point indicated a mean of 22 new SNVs for patients with progressive disease. Relapse-specific alterations included genes of the MAPK pathway and targeted the protein kinase A signaling pathway. Deep coverage target sequencing of intermediate timepoints during treatment and follow-up identified distinct subclones. For 17 seemingly relapse-specific SNVs detected by sequencing detected these alterations in minor subclones, with relapse-emerging SNVs targeting genes of neuritogenesis and cell cycle. Furthermore a persisting, resistant clone with concomitant disappearance of other clones was identified by a mutation in the ubiquitin protein ligase HERC2. Conclusion: Modelisation of mutated allele fractions in cfDNA indicated distinct patterns of clonal evolution, with either a minor, treatment-resistant clone expanding to a major clone at relapse, or minor clones collaborating towards tumor progression. Identification of treatment-resistant clones will enable development of more efficient treatment strategies.cfDNA WES at relapse but not tumor or cfDNA WES at diagnosis, deep coverage target.

  Study EGAS00001002705

• UK10K NEURO IMGSAC

  In the UK10K project we propose a series of complementary genetic approaches to find new low frequency/rare variants contributing to disease phenotypes. These will be based on obtaining the genome wide sequence of 4000 samples from the TwinsUK and ALSPAC cohorts (at 6x sequence coverage), and the exome sequence (protein coding regions and related conserved sequence) of 6000 samples selected for extreme phenotypes. Our studies will focus primarily on cardiovascular-related quantitative traits, obesity and related metabolic traits, neurodevelopmental disorders and a limited number of extreme clinical phenotypes that will provide proof-of-concept for future familial trait sequencing. We will analyse directly quantitative traits in the cohorts and the selected traits in the extreme samples, and also use imputation down to 0.1% allele frequency to extend the analyses to further sample sets with genome wide genotype data. In each case we will investigate indels and larger structural variants as well as SNPs, and use statistical methods that combine rare variants in a locus or pathway as well as single-variant approaches.The IMGSAC cohort is an international collection of families containing children ascertained for ASDs (autism spectrum disorders). The affected individuals are have been phenotyped, including using the ADI-R and ADOS instruments. Individuals with a past or current medical disorder of probable etiological significance or TSC have been excluded. Where possible, karyotyping has been performed on one affected individual per family to exclude Fragile X syndrome. Many of the samples have been genotyped, using the Affymetrix 10k and Illumina 1M platforms. All samples to be included in the current study are of UK origin.For further information on this cohort please contact Jeremy Parr (jeremy.parr@newcastle.ac.uk).

  Study EGAS00001000120

• Pharmacological and genomic profiling identifies NFκB-targeted treatment strategies for mantle cell lymphoma

  Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) is an aggressive malignancy characterized by poor prognosis, underscoring the need for novel therapeutic strategies1. In this study, we employed large-scale pharmacological profiling of 16 pathway inhibitors across more than 100 hematological cell line models to identify novel therapeutic approaches. This screen identified a subset of MCL cell lines that were highly sensitive to the B-cell receptor (BCR) signaling inhibitors ibrutinib and sotrastaurin (STN), which are currently in clinical trials2, 3. Sensitive MCL models exhibited chronic activation of the CARD11-BCL10-MALT1 (CBM) complex and dependency on downstream classical NFκB signaling. In contrast, insensitive cell lines displayed activation of the alternative NFκB pathway. Massively parallel transcriptome sequencing identified mutations in negative regulators of the alternative NFκB pathway in ibrutinib-insensitive cell lines. Notably, sequencing of 165 MCL patient samples revealed that components of the alternative NFκB pathway, particularly TRAF2 and BIRC3, are mutated in roughly 15% of MCL patients. Functional analyses of patient-derived BIRC3 mutant alleles indicated that these are loss-of-function mutants that constitutively activate alternative NFκB signaling. While being associated with insensitivity to ibrutinib, genetic lesions in the alternative pathway conferred dependence on NIK, a kinase that mediates signaling downstream of the TRAF2/3-BIRC2/3 complex. Thus, NIK represents a novel therapeutic target for MCL treatment, particularly for tumors refractory to BCR pathway inhibitors. Collectively, these findings reveal a pattern of mutually exclusive activation of the CBM-NFκB or alternative NIK-NFκB pathways in MCL and provide critical insights into patient stratification strategies for NFκB-pathway targeted agents.

  Study EGAS00001000622

• Histone chaperone CHAF1A promotes proliferation and tumorigenicity in gastric cancer and impacts prognosis via context-depedent regulation of gene expression

  The histone chaperone CHAF1A is associated with some tumors, but its mechanisms in tumor biology remain elusive. Gastric cancer (GC) has significant heterogeneity among patients, and novel prognostic markers and therapeutic targets may improve its outcomes. The role of CHAF1A in GC is unknown. In this study, we demonstrated that CHAF1A was overexpressed in GC tissues accompanied by low expression of wild-type P53 and high expression of the proliferation marker MKI67. In vitro, CHAF1A knockdown inhibited cell proliferation, induced cell cycle arrest and promoted apoptosis, while CHAF1A overexpression had contrary effects. In vivo, CHAF1A knockdown inhibited tumorigenicity of GC cells. A microarray assay with CHAF1A inhibition and a PathScan signaling antibody array with CHAF1A overexpression showed that CHAF1A inhibited the P53 pathway, activated stress response and induced glycolytic metabolism. In 665 patients, the expression level of CHAF1A protein was an independent predictor for overall survival and disease-free survival in non-cardia GC and also had survival associations in patients with small or perineural invasion-negative tumors. Tumor mRNA analyses based on next-generation sequencing in patients indicated that CHAF1A promoted the Warburg effect by depressing oxidative phosphorylation and increasing glycolysis. Furthermore, the heterogeneous clinical significance of CHAF1A among patient subgroups was associated with its differential regulation of gene expression involved with glycolysis and cell proliferation and survival, indicating that the role of CHAF1A is depended on patient characteristics. These results reveal critical roles and clinical values for CHAF1A in GC. CHAF1A may have context-dependent effects in GC, which increases understandings for GC heterogeneity.

  Study EGAS00001003064

• The phase II Neo-Pembro trial: neoadjuvant pembrolizumab in stage IV high-grade serous ovarian cancer

  While immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have revolutionized cancer treatment, their efficacy in high-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC) remains limited. Nevertheless, some patients achieve lasting responses, emphasizing the need to understand how the tumor microenvironment and molecular characteristics influence ICI response. We hypothesized higher efficacy of ICI when used in the neoadjuvant setting and preceded by induction chemotherapy. The phase 2 Neo-Pembro study (NCT03126812) included 33 untreated patients with stage IV HGSOC who were planned for 6 cycles of carboplatin-paclitaxel and interval cytoreductive surgery. Pembrolizumab (pembro) was added from cycle two and continued for one year. The primary objective was to assess intratumoral immune activation, through multiplexed immunofluorescence and immune-related gene expression. Our data provide evidence of immune activation, characterized by an increase in CD3+, CD8+, CD8+/FOXP3+ ratio, and TNF-α and interferon-γ signaling, and was most evident in major pathologic responders, which were 9/33 patients (27%, 95%CI 14-46) at time of surgery. Pathologic response was strongly associated with overall survival. At a median follow-up of 52.8 months, 8/9 major responders were alive, including 6 patients without recurrence, and 4 of 24 minor responders were alive, including one patient without recurrence. PD-L1 expression and homologous recombination deficiency were predictive of major response and may serve as potential biomarkers, warranting further exploration. In a post-hoc comparison, major responders treated with pembro had significantly better overall survival than major responders in a historic cohort treated without pembro. Our data indicate that immune activation was stronger in the subset of major pathologic responders and these patients may derive long-term survival benefits from the addition of neoadjuvant pembro.

  Study EGAS50000000781

• Single-cell Transcriptome Profiling of Treatment-naïve and Post-treatment Colorectal Cancer: Insights into Putative Mechanisms of Chemoresistance

  Drug resistance remains a major clinical challenge in the treatment of colorectal cancer (CRC) with conventional chemotherapy. Investigation of cancer cells and tumor microenvironment (TME) following chemotherapy is critical for unraveling the mechanisms of resistance. In this study, we analyzed scRNA-Seq data from 56 CRCs including treatment-naïve tumors (25 microsatellite stable (MSS) tumors and 7 tumors with microsatellite instability (MSI)); and tumors treated with standard chemotherapy with the known response status (18 responders and 6 progressors). We observed in treatment-naïve MSS CRC that right-sided tumors are more immunogenic with higher numbers of B cells and CD8+ T memory effector cells than left-sided tumors. MSI CRC were even more immunogenic then MSS CRC and were characterized by elevated Tregs in their TME. In the post-treatment CRC there was a high prevalence of dendritic cells (DC) in the TME in the response group. The DC-derived signature was associated with better survival in a large CRC cohort from the TCGA. We also observed two fibroblast subtypes in CRC, one of which was enriched in progressors and was associated with poor survival in a CRC-TCGA cohort. Progressors also showed elevated exhausted CD8+ T memory cells and monocytes suggesting a pro-inflammatory TME. In tumor cells in progressor group we identified specific expression of chemo-protective markers MTRNR2L1 and CDX1; and their co-expression with stemness-related marker CD24. In summary, scRNA-Seq provides a valuable information for the discovery of prognostic markers, and reveals distinct features of CRC based on location, metastasis status, MSI status and treatment response status.

  Study EGAS50000000830

• Accurate mutation detection in leukemia by re-sequencing a cancer gene set

  With the advent of whole-genome and whole-exome sequencing, high-quality catalogs of recurrently mutated cancer genes are becoming available for many cancer types. Increasing access to sequencing technology, including bench-top sequencers, provide the opportunity to re-sequence a limited set of cancer genes across a patient cohort with limited processing time. Here, we re-sequenced a set of cancer genes in T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) using the Roche/454 technology coupled with Nimblegen sequence capture. First, we investigated how a maximal sensitivity and specificity of mutation detection can be achieved through a benchmark study. We tested nine combinations of different mapping and variant-calling methods, varied the variant calling parameters, and compared the predicted mutations with a large independent validation set obtained by capillary re-sequencing. We found that the combination of two mapping algorithms, namely BWA-SW and SSAHA2, coupled with the variant calling algorithm Atlas-SNP2 yields the highest sensitivity (95%) and the highest specificity (93%). Next, we applied this analysis pipeline to identify mutations in a set of 58 cancer genes, in a panel of 18 T-ALL cell lines and 15 T-ALL patient samples. We confirmed mutations in known T-ALL drivers, including PHF6, NF1, FBXW7, NOTCH1, KRAS, NRAS, PIK3CA, and PTEN. Interestingly, we also found mutations in several cancer genes that had not been linked to T-ALL before, including JAK3. Finally, we re-sequenced a small set of 39 candidate genes and identified recurrent mutations in TET1, SPRY3 and SPRY4. In conclusion, we established an optimized analysis pipeline for Roche/454 data that can be applied to accurately detect gene mutations in cancer, which led to the identification of several new candidate T-ALL driver mutations.

  Study EGAS00001000268

• Prenatal lead exposure is associated with decreased cord blood DNA methylation of the glycoprotein VI gene involved in platelet activation and thrombus formation

  Early-life lead exposure impairs neurodevelopment and later exposure affects the cardiovascular system. Lead has been associated with reduced global 5-methylcytosine DNA methylation, suggesting that lead toxicity acts through epigenetic mechanisms. The objective of this study is to clarify how early life lead exposure alters DNA methylation of specific genes, using an epigenomic approach. We measured lead concentrations in urine (gestational week, GW, 8) and erythrocytes (GW 14), using ICP-MS, for 127 pregnant mothers recruited in the MINIMat food and supplementation cohort in rural Bangladesh. Cord blood DNA methylation was analyzed with the Infinium HumanMethylation450K BeadChip and top sites were validated by methylation-sensitive high-resolution melt curve analysis. Maternal urinary lead concentrations (divided into quartiles) showed significant (after adjustment for FDR) inverse associations with methylation at nine CpGs. Three of these sites were in the 5’ end, including the promoter, of glycoprotein IV (GP6); cg18355337 (q=0.029, β=-0.30), cg25818583 (q=0.041, β=-0.18) and cg23796967 (q=0.047, β=-0.17). The methylation in another CpG site in GP6 was close to significant (cg05374025, q=0.057, β=-0.23). The erythrocyte lead concentrations (divided into quartiles) were also inversely associated with CpG methylation in GP6, although this was not statistically significant after FDR-adjustments. Eight CpG sites in GP6 constituted a differentially methylated region in relation to urinary lead (p=0.005, q=0.48) and erythrocyte lead (p=0.007, q=0.46). In conclusion, we found that moderate prenatal lead exposure appear to epigenetically affect GP6, a key component of platelet aggregation and thrombus formation, suggesting a novel link between early lead exposure and cardiovascular disease later in life.

  Study EGAS00001001575

• Whole-exome sequencing of human pancreatic cancers and characterization of genomic instability caused by MLH1 haploinsufficiency and complete deficiency

  Whole-exome sequencing (Exome-Seq) has been successfully applied in several recent studies. We here performed Exome-Seq of 15 pancreatic tumor-normal pairs. We captured 162,073 exons of 16,954 genes and sequenced the targeted regions to a mean coverage of 56 folds. This study identified a total of 1,517 somatic mutations and validated 934 of them by transcriptome sequencing. We detected recurrent mutations in 56 genes. Among them, 41 have not been described. The mutation rates varied widely among tumors. The diversity of mutation rates was significantly correlated with the distinct MLH1 copy-number status. Exome-Seq revealed intensive genomic instability in a tumor with MLH1 homozygous deletion, indicated by a dramatically elevated mutation rate of somatic substitutions, small insertions/deletions (indels), as well as indels presented at microsatellites. Notably, we detected MLH1 allelic loss in 4 tumors. MLH1 expression was decreased by nearly half in these cases. While they were negative in the conventional microsatellite instability assay, they showed a 10.5-fold increase in the mutation rate of somatic indels, e.g. truncating indels in TP53 and TGFBR2, indicating MLH1 haploinsufficiency in correction of DNA indel errors. We further analyzed the exomes of 15 renal cell carcinomas (RCCs) and confirmed MLH1 haploinsufficiency. We observed a significant increase in the mutation rate of somatic indels in affected cases and identified recurrent truncating indels in several cancer genes such as VHL, PBRM1 and JARID1C. Together, our data suggest that MLH1 hemizygous deletion, through increasing the mutation rate of somatic indels, could drive the development and progression of sporadic cancers.

  Study EGAS00001000149

• 18 Whole Exome Sequencing for Radiation Induced-Meningiomas

  Purpose: Majority of pediatric cancers require the irradiation of the central nervous system (CNS), and as more patients survive into adulthood from improved oncological therapy the sequelae of brain radiation are increasing in prevalence. Radiation-induced meningiomas (RIMs), one such secondary effect, demonstrate a clinically more aggressive behaviour than sporadic meningiomas (SMs). We aimed to describe the genomic mutational landscape of RIMs.Methods: We analyzed a principal cohort of 18 RIMs, with 31 RIMs overall, from patients who received childhood radiation therapy and 30 SMs, as a comparator population. We performed a multiplatform integrative genomic analysis; including methylation, whole exome and RNA sequencing. Results: RIMs exhibited a five-fold increase in copy number alterations, commonly the loss of chromosome 1p (17/18 RIMs) and 22q (17/18 RIMs), which was significantly more than observed in sporadic meningiomas. Furthermore, RNA sequencing data revealed an NF2 gene fusion event in 35.3% of RIMs. In all 6 cases, there was a complete NF2 exon spliced into a complete exon of a reciprocal gene, suggesting that the breakpoints of genomic rearrangement are intronic. All tumours with the NF2 fusion also possessed monosomy of chromosome 22q, rendering the cells with homozygous disruption of NF2. Clinically, RIMs with the NF2 fusion exhibited ill-defined borders and a tendency to develop in anatomic frontal location. Also, targeted sequencing panel confirmed that RIMs had fewer nonsynonymous NF2 mutations (6.5% vs. 30% in SM) and absence of mutations in TRAF7, SMO, KLF4, PIK3CA and AKT1, genes traditionally involved in SMs.Conclusion: Our study demonstrates that RIMs have distinct genomic drivers of oncogenesis as compared to SMs, specifically NF2 inactivation through fusion event. Radiation therapy possibly triggers genomic structural rearrangements through error-prone repair of double-stranded DNA breaks.

  Study EGAS00001002317

• Accurate detection and classification of pediatric sarcomas based on cell-free DNA fragmentation patterns

  Sequencing of cell-free DNA in the blood of cancer patients (“liquid biopsy”) provides attractive opportunities not only for early diagnosis, but also for minimally invasive monitoring of treatment response and disease courses. To unlock liquid biopsy analysis for pediatric tumors with few genetic aberrations, we developed an integrated genetic/epigenetic analysis method and applied it to 241 deep whole-genome sequencing profiles of 95 patients with Ewing sarcoma and 31 patients with other pediatric sarcomas. We achieved sensitive detection and classification of circulating tumor DNA in peripheral blood independent of any genetic alterations. We evaluated different metrics for cell-free DNA fragmentation analysis and developed LIQUORICE, a bioinformatic tool for detecting circulating tumor DNA based on tumor-specific chromatin structure. Using machine learning methods, we combined several fragmentation-based metrics into an integrated approach for liquid biopsy analysis tailored to cancers with low mutation rates but widespread epigenetic deregulation. Clinical associations highlighted the potential value of cfDNA fragmentation patterns as prognostic biomarkers in Ewing sarcoma. Additionally, we performed low coverage whole-genome-sequencing on 43 tumor biopsy samples from patients with Ewing sarcoma, in order to compare copy number aberrations detected in cell-free DNA and biopsy samples of the same patients. For validation of the epigenetic signatures inferred from cell-free DNA, we further performed reduced representation bisulfite sequencing (RRBS) on 38 matched biopsy samples from patients with Ewing sarcoma. In summary, our study provides a comprehensive analysis of circulating tumor DNA beyond recurrent somatic mutations, and it renders the benefits of liquid biopsy more readily accessible for childhood cancers.

  Study EGAS00001005127

• Matching of actionable mutations with therapies in cancer patients: comparison of three commercial decision support platforms

  Purpose: In oncology, precision medicine centers on tailoring the most appropriate therapy to a patient according to their tumor molecular profile. We addressed the question whether there is a consensus in the classification of actionability of somatic variants and their alignment to treatment recommendations. To this end, we evaluated three commercial clinical decision support tools to assess their variant classification and drug matching strategies.Methods: In this two centers study 48 patients with metastatic breast (n=12), colorectal (n=17) or non-small cell lung cancer (n=19) were recruited based on circulating tumor DNA levels in peripheral blood. In individual patients’ plasma samples, we established somatic copy number alterations and somatic mutations across a 77 cancer-associated gene panel and exposed the obtained molecular profiles to the decision support packages NAVIFY Mutation Profiler (NMP; Roche), Qiagen Clinical Insight (QCI) Interpret (Qiagen) and CureMatch Bionov (CureMatch).Results: In the plasma samples, altogether 492 somatic alterations were assessed. Each decision support platform varied in their format of data input, mode of variant classification and strategies for identifying druggable targets and clinical trials, which resulted in discrepancies in tier classification as well as designations of actionability. The frequency of concordant actionable events for tier I-A or tier I-B classifications, i.e. those with the strongest clinical evidence, was only 4.3%, 9.5% and 28.4% when comparing NMP with QCI, NMP with CureMatch, and CureMatch with QCI, respectively. As a consequence, the obtained treatment recommendations differed drastically, and alignment of treatment recommendations was limited to established predictive markers.Conclusions: The lack of standards for the extraction of treatment recommendations from comprehensive tumor molecular profiling data challenge the promising concepts of precision oncology.

  Study EGAS00001004383

• Tumor-specific expression of let-7i and miR-192 is associated with resistance to cisplatin-based chemoradiotherapy in patients with larynx and hypopharynx cancer

  Background: The majority of patients with locally advanced larynx or hypopharynx squamous cell carcinoma are treated with organ preserving chemoradiotherapy (CRT). Clinical outcome following CRT varies greatly. We hypothesized tumor microRNA (miRNA) expression is predictive for outcome following CRT. Methods: Next-generation sequencing (NGS) miRNA profiling was performed on 37 formalin fixed paraffin embedded (FFPE) tumor samples. Patients with a recurrence free survival (RFS) of less than 2 years (“poor outcome”) and patients without recurrence within 2 years (“good outcome”) were compared by differential expression analysis. Tumor-specific miRNAs were selected based on normal mucosa miRNA expression data from The Cancer Genome Atlas database. A model was constructed to predict outcome using group-regularized penalized logistic ridge regression. Candidate miRNAs were validated in the initial sample set by RT-qPCR as well as in 46 additional tumor samples.Results: 1,938 known mature miRNAs were detected. Thirteen miRNAs were differentially expressed (p&lt;0.05, FDR&lt;0.1) according to outcome group. Initial class prediction in the NGS cohort (n=37) resulted in a model combining five miRNAs and disease stage, able to predict CRT outcome with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.82. In the RT-qPCR cohort (n=83), 25 patients (30%) experienced early recurrence (median RFS 8 months; median follow-up 42 months). Class prediction resulted in a model combining let-7i-5p and miR-192-5p and disease stage, able to discriminate with an AUC of 0.80 patients with good versus poor clinical outcome.Conclusion: The combined miRNA expression and disease stage prediction model is superior to using either factor alone. ¬¬¬This study indicates NGS miRNA profiling using FFPE specimens is feasible, resulting in clinically relevant biomarkers.

  Study EGAS00001004001

• Analysis of RAD51C promoter methylation using targeted bisulfite sequencing (amplicon sequencing) in ovarian cancer pre-clinical models and patient samples.

  In high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma (HGSC), deleterious mutations in the DNA repair gene RAD51C are established drivers of defective homologous recombination and are emerging biomarkers of PARP inhibitor (PARPi) sensitivity. RAD51C promoter methylation (meRAD51C) is detected at similar frequencies to mutations, yet its effects on PARPi responses remain unresolved. In this study, three HGSC patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models with methylation at most or all examined CpG sites in the RAD51C promoter show responses to PARPi. Both complete and heterogeneous methylation patterns were associated with RAD51C gene silencing and homologous recombination deficiency (HRD). PDX models lost meRAD51C following treatment with PARPi rucaparib or niraparib, where a single unmethylated copy of RAD51C was sufficient to drive PARPi resistance. Genomic copy number profiling of one of the PDX models using SNP arrays revealed that this resistance was acquired independently in two genetically distinct lineages. In a cohort of 11 patients with RAD51C-methylated HGSC, various patterns of meRAD51C were associated with genomic 'scarring', indicative of HRD history, but exhibited no clear correlations with clinical outcome. Differences in methylation stability under treatment pressure were also observed between patients, where one HGSC was found to maintain meRAD51C after 6 lines of therapy (4 platinum-based), whilst another HGSC sample was found to have heterozygous meRAD51C and elevated RAD51C gene expression (relative to homozygous meRAD51C controls) after only neo-adjuvant chemotherapy. As meRAD51C loss in a single gene copy was sufficient to cause PARPi resistance in PDX, methylation zygosity should be carefully assessed in previously treated patients when considering PARPi therapy.

  Study EGAS00001005395

• Proteom characterization in primary colorectal cancer and corresponding liver metastasis

  Colorectal adenocarcinomas (CRC) are one of the most commonly diagnosed tumors worldwide. Colorectal adenocarcinomas primarily metastasize into the liver and (less often) into the peritoneum. Patients suffering from CRC-liver metastasis (CRC-LM) typically present with a dismal overall survival compared to non-metastasized CRC patients. The metastasis process and metastasis promoting factors in patients with CRC are under intensive debate. However, CRC studies investigating the proteome biology are lacking. Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue specimens provide a valuable resource for comprehensive proteomic studies of a broad variety of clinical malignancies. The presented pilot study compares the proteome of primary CRC and patient-matched CRC-LM. The applied protocol allows a reproducible and straightforward identification and quantification of over 2,600 proteins within the dissected tumorous tissue. Subsequent unsupervised clustering reveals distinct proteome biologies of the primary CRC and the corresponding CRC-LM. Statistical analysis yields multiple differentially abundant proteins in either primary CRC or their corresponding liver metastases. A more detailed analysis of dysregulated biological processes suggests an active immune response in the liver metastases, including several proteins of the complement system. Proteins with structural roles, e.g. cytoskeleton organization or cell junction assembly appear to be less prominent in liver metastases as compared to primary CRC. Immunohistochemistry corroborates proteomic high expression levels of metabolic proteins in CRC-LM. We further assessed how the in vitro inhibition of two in CRC-LM enriched metabolic proteins affected cell proliferation and chemosensitivity. The presented proteomic investigation in a small clinical cohort promotes a more comprehensive understanding of the distinct proteome biology of primary CRC and their corresponding liver metastases.

  Study EGAS00001005641

• 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

• DNA methylation-based prognostic subtypes of chordoma tumors in tissue

  Chordomas are rare malignant bone cancers of the skull-base and spine. Patient survival is variable and not reliably predicted using clinical factors or molecular features. This study identifies prognostic epigenetic chordoma subtypes that are detected noninvasively using plasma methylomes. Methylation profiles of 68 chordoma surgical samples were obtained between 1996 and 2018 across three international centers along with matched plasma methylomes where available. Consensus clustering identified two stable tissue clusters with a disease-specific survival difference that was independent of clinical factors in a multivariate Cox analysis (HR = 14.2, 95%CI: 2.1–94.8, P = 0.0063). Immune-related pathways with genes hypomethylated at promoters and increased immune cell abundance were observed in the poorperforming “Immune-infiltrated” subtype. Cell-to-cell interaction plus extracellular matrix pathway hypomethylation and higher tumor purity were observed in the better-performing “Cellular” subtype. The findings were validated in additional DNA methylation and RNA sequencing datasets as well as with immunohistochemical staining. Plasma methylomes distinguished chordomas from other clinical differential diagnoses by applying fifty chordoma-versusother binomial generalized linear models in random 20% testing sets (mean AUROC = 0.84, 95%CI: 0.52–1.00). Tissue-based and plasma-based methylation signals were highly correlated in both prognostic clusters. Additionally, leave-one-out models accurately classified all tumors into their correct cluster based on plasma methylation data. Here, we show the first identification of prognostic epigenetic chordoma subtypes and first use of plasma methylome based biomarkers to noninvasively diagnose and subtype chordomas. These results may transform patient management by allowing treatment aggressiveness to be balanced with patient risk according to prognosis.

  Study EGAS00001006406