12400 results for ""statistically+reactive"+taxa+in+microbial+community"

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• Identifying novel DNA damage response genes in radiosensitive individuals

  Ionizing radiation is an effective therapeutic agent for cancer treatment as well as a potent carcinogen. Sensitivity to the cell-killing effects of radiation can vary across human population with a subset of individuals displaying extreme hypersensitivity. It is usually attributable to inherited defects in DNA damage response pathways. The present study was designed to elucidate the genetic basis of variation in hypersensitivity to radiation exposure through exome sequencing of radiosensitive individuals, with the ultimate goal of identifying genes with the most significant effects on cellular DNA damage responses. The study participants included subjects referred for clinical testing for Ataxia-telangiectasia (A-T), Nijmegen Breakage Syndrome (NBS) or Ligase IV Syndrome. These are rare, recessive genetic disorders and hypersensitivity to radiation exposure is a common phenotype among individuals affected by all the three disorders. The study participants exhibited phenotypic characteristics similar to individuals with A-T, NBS or Ligase IV Syndrome, but lacked the causative mutations in ATM (GeneID:472) or NBN (GeneID:4683) genes. For further validation of the radiation sensitivity phenotype among the enrolled subjects, B-lymphoblastoid cells lines were established for each subject from peripheral blood lymphocytes. Each cell line was evaluated for displaying impaired survival rates relative to normal controls after exposure to ionizing radiation. 53 subjects with validated phenotype were finally included in the study and DNA extracted from their B-lymphoblastoid cell lines was used for exome sequencing. This sequencing data for radiation sensitive subjects is being made available in the dbGaP. It is hoped that this resource will be beneficial for researchers who wish to further investigate components of human cellular DNA damage response pathways and/or genetic architecture underlying radiation hypersensitivity. This data may also aid in the rational design of new radiosensitizing or radioprotective agents.

  Study phs001911

• Clonal Evolution and Heterogeneity of Osimertinib Acquired Resistance Mechanisms in EGFR Mutant Lung Cancer

  Current understanding of acquired resistance to osimertinib in EGFR-mutant lung cancer is largely based on the use of targeted sequencing platforms and cell-free DNA. In this study we examined the clonal evolution and heterogeneity of acquired resistance mechanisms to osimertinib through whole exome and RNA-sequencing of prospectively collected pre-and post-osimertinib resistant tumors and metastases at rapid autopsy. We enrolled 34 patients with histologically confirmed EGFR mutant advanced lung adenocarcinoma in a prospective Phase II clinical trial to evaluate osimertinib treatment and the use of local ablative therapy (LAT) for oligoprogressive disease (NCT02759835) in EGFR mutant NSCLC from April 2016 until data cutoff in September 2019. Patients were not selected based on oligometastatic status, rather 32/34 patients had multiple organ involvement, including lung, liver, adrenal, brain and bone. Biopsies or surgeries were performed pre-osimertinib treatment and at first progression on osimertinib. A subset of patients also underwent biopsies at second progression on osimertinib, and following end of life in-patient hospice and rapid autopsy upon death. 63% (n=15/24) of first-line osimertinib and 50% (n=5/10) of second-line osimertinib treated patients had RECIST defined partial response. Overall, 21 patients had RECIST defined first progression on osimertinib. Two patients on this trial discontinued treatment and were lost to follow up. Of the 21 patients who had RECIST defined progression, 14 patients underwent LAT (8 first-line and 6 second-line). Twelve patients had paired pre- and post-osimertinib resistant tumors and three had post-osimertinib resistant tumors available for analysis. Four patients (LAT002, LAT006, LAT014 and LAT021) consented for a rapid autopsy protocol and underwent rapid autopsy after deatH. To elucidate acquired osimertinib resistance mechanisms, we performed whole-exome (WES), targeted sequencing and RNA-seq on 66 tumors and matched germline DNA from tumor tissue obtained from a total of 15 patients.

  Study phs002001

• Spatial Transcriptomics of Vaccine Therapy With or Without Cyclophosphamide in Treating Patients Undergoing Chemotherapy and Radiation Therapy for Stage I or Stage II Pancreatic Cancer That Can Be Removed by Surgery

  Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a rapidly progressing cancer that responds poorly to immunotherapies. Intratumoral tertiary lymphoid structures (TLS) have been associated with rare long-term PDAC survivors, but the role of TLS in PDAC and their spatial relationships within the context of the broader tumor microenvironment remain unknown. Here, spatial transcriptomics data were generated from 16 pancreatic cancer patients treated with GVAX, whose tumors presented with induced intratumoral TLS. Resected tumor specimens were embedded in OCT media and freshly frozen. Sections were cut into 6.5 x 6.5 mm dimensions compatible with Visium spatial transcriptomics slides. TLS-positive tumor sections from 14 patients (14 tumor samples in total) and lymph nodes from remaining patients (2 lymph node samples in total) were selected by an expert pathologist for profiling. We used 4 Visium slides and covered the 16 capture areas with sections cut in a cryostat at 10 µm. The fresh frozen Visium protocol was followed according to manufacturer's recommendations (10x Genomics Spatial 3' v1). Tissue permeabilization and library construction was carried out according to the manufacturer's protocols. Permeabilization time was optimized to 30 minutes. The captured tissue sections were permeabilized to allow RNA to be captured onto the slide where it reverse-transcribed to cDNA. The cDNA was then amplified, and sequencing libraries were prepared using the 10x Genomics Visium Spatial Gene Expression Reagent Kit for Library Preparation. The libraries were then sequenced using an Illumina NovaSeq sequencer. The raw data obtained from the sequencing were processed using the SpaceRanger (spaceranger-1.2.0) pipeline for alignment onto the GRCh38-2020-A reference transcriptome quantification of gene expression. Unsupervised learning generated a TLS-specific spatial gene expression signature that significantly associates with improved survival in PDAC patients. These analyses demonstrate TLS-associated intratumoral B cell maturation.

  Study phs003862

• CEBP-Beta/IL-1-Beta/ TNF-alpha Feedback Loop Drives Drug Resistance to BCL2 and MDM2 Inhibitors in Monocytic Leukemia Cells

  To uncover the mechanisms of MDM2 inhibitor resistance that are mediated by IL-1, we performed RNAseq on three primary AML patient cells treated with idasanutlin in the presence or absence of IL-1β. These three leukemia samples were chosen because they exhibit high blast counts and are protected by IL-1β when treated with idasanutlin, as determined by apoptosis assay. We observed that a majority of the major p53 pathway targets remained upregulated in the presence of IL-1β. We next performed differential expressed gene (DEG) analysis following IL-1β treatment with and without idasanutlin. IL-1β treatment upregulated 3295, 1353, and 680 genes with ≥1 Log2FC, in each of the three patient samples, and a significant majority of these genes (82%, 62.4%, and 47.6%) remained upregulated in the presence of idasanutlin. Pathway analysis showed that IL-1β upregulated genes were associated with NF-κB, Interleukin-1 family signaling pathways, immune and inflammatory associated genes and myeloid maturation markers. To identify downstream targets that contribute to the protective effect of IL-1β during idasanutlin treatment, we performed DEG analysis on IL-1β + idasanutlin treatment compared to idasanutlin treatment alone. Interestingly, IL-1β induces its own expression and other pro-survival cytokines including TNF, CSF2 (GMCSF), IL-6, CSF3 (GCSF), as well as their respective receptors and/or coactivators, including IL1RL1 and multiple TNF receptors. We verified that IL-1β and TNF-α induce the upregulation of their own membrane-bound forms, their corresponding receptors, CSF2RB, and monocytic markers, as determined by flow cytometry immunophenotyping. Furthermore, IL-1β upregulated a number of pro-inflammatory chemokines, including CXCL13, CXCL2, etc. These findings highlight a pleiotropic role of IL-1β. The RNA expression of these three samples in the presence and absence of IL-1β and idasanutlin treatment will be deposited in dbGaP.

  Study phs003479

• Perceptions, Prevalence, and Patterns of Cannabis Use among Cancer Patients in NCI-Designated Cancer Centers

  This study aimed to better understand the evolving landscape of cannabis use among patients undergoing cancer treatment across diverse geographic regions. It sought to characterize patterns of use, patient perceptions, and contextual influences such as legal status and provider engagement that affect cannabis use. Given the shifting legal environment, this study addresses a critical gap in the literature by providing data on how cancer patients integrate cannabis into their care. The available delivery methods of cannabis have also undergone dramatic changes and now include edibles, oils, tinctures, topicals, and inhaled forms. State-based policy changes are rapidly changing. Yet research on cannabis use by cancer patients across a variety of geographic settings remains limited. The extent of cannabis use, the perceived and real benefits and risks of use, potential interactions with cancer treatment and other medications, and impact on comorbid conditions are uncertain. Clinicians should be aware of the extent of use in order to assess potential drug-drug interactions, side effects, and contraindications; hence, an understanding of how cancer patients and clinicians engage in discussions about cannabis use is essential. Twelve NCI-designated cancer centers were awarded supplemental funding to conduct surveys assessing cannabis use among recently diagnosed cancer patients. Selected sites were in 8 states with varied legal status for medical and recreational cannabis use at the time of the survey. The 12 cancer centers independently received approval from their institutional review boards (IRB) and collected data from September 2021 to August 2023. Eligible participants were cancer patients or survivors who resided in their respective cancer center's catchment area. Cancer centers were responsible for sampling patients within their catchment area with the goal of 1,000 completed surveys. Ten out of 12 cancer centers drew probability samples of patients from patient lists defining their catchment area with some stratifying the sample in various ways including by cancer type, by sex, by race/ethnicity or by a combination of demographic variables.

  Study phs004046

• In this study, blood-brain barrier (BBB)-forming brain endothelial-like cells were generated from apolipoprotein E gene allele E4 (APOE4, high AD risk) and allele E3 (APOE3, lower AD risk) carrying patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). Cells were subsequently exposed to focused ultrasound and microbubbles (FUS+MB) to induce BBB opening and their transcriptome analysed. RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) results demonstrated minimal changes in the gene expression following FUS+MB suggesting safety of FUS+MB application in the clinical setting.

  The blood-brain barrier (BBB) is a major impediment to therapeutic intracranial drug delivery for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Focused ultrasound applied together with microbubbles (FUS+MB) is a novel technique to transiently open the BBB and increase drug delivery. Evidence suggests that FUS+MB is safe, however the effects of FUS+MB on human BBB cells, especially in relation to AD, remain sparsely investigated. Here we developed a human sporadic AD BBB cell platform to investigate the effects of FUS+MB on BBB cells and screen for the delivery of two potentially therapeutic AD antibodies. We generated BBB cells from apolipoprotein E gene allele E4 (APOE4, high AD risk) and allele E3 (APOE3, lower AD risk) carrying patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). We utilized this robust and reproducible platform to demonstrate increased delivery of potentially therapeutic antibodies across the BBB, including an analogue of Aducanumab (AduhelmTM) following FUS+MB treatment. Our results also demonstrate the safety of FUS+MB indicated by minimal changes in the cell transcriptome as well as little or no changes in cell viability and inflammatory responses within first 24 h post FUS+MB, with potentially important implications in a clinical setting. Finally, we report a more physiologically relevant hydrogel-based 2.5D BBB model as a key development for FUS+MB-mediated drug delivery screening, with potentially higher translational utility. Our results provide an important advancement for identifying FUS+MB-deliverable drugs and screening for cell- and patient-specific effects of FUS+MB, accelerating its use as a therapy in AD.

  Study EGAS00001005944

• Characterization of genetic intratumor heterogeneity in colorectal cancer and matching patient-derived spheroid cultures.

  Patient-derived in vitro cultures of colorectal cancer (CRC) may help guide treatment strategies prior to patient treatment. However, most previous studies have been performed on a single biopsy per tumor. The purpose of this study was to analyze multiple spatially distinct biopsies from CRCs and see how well intratumor heterogeneity (ITH) was recapitulated in matching patient-derived spheroids. Three to five biopsies were collected from six CRC tumors. Each biopsy was split in two; one half was used for spheroid culturing, the other half was used for direct DNA and RNA purification. For two of the patients, lymph node metastases were analyzed. Somatic mutations were called from whole exome sequencing data. Each tumor contained multiple mutations shared across all biopsies and spheroids, including major CRC drivers such as APC, KRAS, and TP53. At the same time, all tumors exhibited ITH on both mutation and copy number level. The concordance between biopsies and spheroids ranged between 40-70% for coding mutations. For three of the patients the biopsy and spheroid from matching areas clustered together, meaning that the spheroid resembled the area of origin more than the other areas. However, all biopsies and spheroids contained private mutations. Thereby, multiple cultures from spatially distinct sites of the tumor increase the insight into the genetic profile of the entire tumor. RNA sequencing based molecular subtyping was stable and seemed independent of genetic ITH. In conclusion, all examined CRC tumors contained genetic ITH on mutation and copy number level. Spheroid cultures partly reflected this ITH, meaning that multiple cultures from distinct sites of the tumor improved the representation of the different genetic subclones in the primary tumor. This should be taken in to account when establishing patient-derived models for drug screening.

  Study EGAS00001002684

• Best Practices for DACs

  Best Practices Data access committees (DACs) are institutional safeguards responsible for ensuring a balance between data protection and accessibility. However, there are no procedural standards that apply across DACs, which can lead to inconsistencies in their reviews and compromise their quality and effectiveness. Standardising DAC processes can foster trust and mutual recognition, paving the way for greater coordination, collaboration, and delegation between DACs and other oversight bodies to improve the efficiency of data access without sacrificing protection. To provide guidance, the following are suggestions for actions a DAC might take upon receiving a data access request: Aim to respond to all initial requests in less than 2 weeks. Failure to do so may result in follow-up emails from the EGA, journals, and ultimately dataset withdrawal. First, check that the data/EGAD number is consistent with your data submission. In other words, ensure that the requester has contacted the correct DAC. Verify that the user will be using the data within the terms of consent by asking them to sign up to the terms within the DAA. Ensure that data users who are granted access to the data comply with the terms of a Data Access Agreement (DAA) and to use the data only in approved ways. Look for an institutional email address for the requester. Search for evidence that the requester is "appropriately qualified/bona fide" for using the data, for example on PubMed, Research Gate, LinkedIn, etc. Confirm that the affiliated organisation is real and that the requester still works there. Inquire with the requester about who should have accounts created at the EGA under the terms of the agreement. If a negative decision is made, promptly communicate it to the requester and support it with the terms of the Data Access Policy that the requester has not met or cannot meet. Keep the information in the DAC up to date. If you leave your institution and are unable to manage data access requests on their behalf, you should add your replacement as a new contact in the DAC. Assist with data access requests for any further questions related to your data. The EGA can only check information that has been deposited in the repository. If the user has a specific question that the EGA cannot answer, we will redirect the user to the DAC. All the EGA studies and datasets referenced in a publication under your DAC must be publicly searchable on the EGA website before the paper is released. If possible, describe the permitted purposes for subsequent research projects, including associated limits and conditions, for all resources hosted in a repository using a common ontology, such as the GA4GH Data Use Ontology (DUO). It is considered best practice to try and release data only to those with an institutional email address. This gives reassurance to the EGA, research participants, and the general public that an appropriate individual is accessing and using the data. To prevent potential data breaches and ensure adherence to GDPR regulations, it is essential that the European Genome-Phenome Archive (EGA) is informed via the Helpdesk team of any changes to the Data Access Committee (DAC). This should be done in addition to any changes being made on the DAC portal. Data Controllers (as per the definition in the DPA) are also responsible for notifying the previous DAC of any modifications. Without proper notification, changes might not be automatically updated in our system, leading to the risk of incorrect permissions being applied and potential data access issues. Therefore, it is imperative that all Data Controllers follow this protocol to maintain data integrity and security.

  Documentation access/data-access-committee/best-practices

• Mutation of FOXL2 in granulosa cell tumors of the ovary

  We generated paired-end RNA-Seq data using the Illumina Genome Analyzer II platform for four adult granulosa cell tumours (GCTs) of the ovary (1 primary, 3 recurrent). We screened this data for the presence of GCT specific sequence variants and detected a non-synonymous mutation in the FOXL2 gene that was found to be recurrent in 97% of 89 additional GCTs. To measure genomic stability of the four index cases, we generated Affmetrix SNP 6.0 data and analysed these data for copy number changes. Raw sequence reads as well as Affymetrix CEL files are available to applicants.

  Study EGAS00000000040

• 300BCG study ATAC-seq data: human population variation of trained immunity

  ATAC-seq dataset for the paper: Title Multi-omics analysis of human population variation in immune function and in vivo response to BCG vaccination Abstract Immune responses are tightly regulated, yet highly variable between individuals. To investigate human population variation of trained immunity, we immunized healthy individuals with Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG). This live attenuated vaccine induces not only an adaptive immune response against tu-berculosis, but also triggers innate immune activation and memory. We established personal immune profiles and chromatin accessibility maps over a time course of BCG vaccination in 323 individuals. This large resource uncovered genetic and epigenetic predictors of baseline immunity and BCG vaccine response. We found that BCG vaccination enhances the innate immune response only in individuals with dormant immune states at baseline, suggesting that exogeneous induction of trained immunity is not a universal booster of innate immunity, but specifically elevates weak innate immune responses. This study advances our understanding of BCG’s heterologous immune-stimulatory effects and trained immunity in humans. Moreover, our results highlight the value of epigenetic cell states as an “endo-phenotype” that connects immune function with genotype and the environment.

  Dataset EGAD50000000123