Search Results - EGA European Genome-Phenome Archive

Genetics of Kidneys in Diabetes (GoKinD) study is an initiative aimed at identifying susceptibility genes for diabetic nephropathy in type 1 diabetes. A large number of individuals with type 1 diabetes were screened to identify two subsets, one with clear-cut kidney disease and another with normal renal status despite long-term diabetes. Those who met additional entry criteria and consented to participate were enrolled. When possible, both parents were also enrolled to form family trios. Altogether, GoKinD includes 3043 participants comprising 931 cases, 944 singletons, 268 pairs of parents of cases, and 316 pairs of parents of control. Accessible as a GAIN database are 905 of the cases, 890 of the controls, 10 pairs of parents of cases and 10 pairs of parents of controls (dbGaP phs000018 Search for Susceptibility Genes for Diabetic Nephropathy in Type 1 Diabetes (GoKinD study participants), GAIN). The other parents and the remaining cases and controls are available by a separate application process through NIDDK. Interested investigators may request the DNA collection and corresponding clinical data for GoKinD participants using the instructions and application form available at http://www.niddkrepository.org or by contacting the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

Study phs000088

Count Me In (CMI): The Metastatic Prostate Cancer (MPC) Project (CMI-MPCproject)

Count Me In - The Metastatic Prostate Cancer Project: A Patient-Driven Research Initiative to Accelerate Metastatic Prostate Cancer Research The Metastatic Prostate Cancer Project (MPCproject; http://mpcproject.org/) is a research study that empowers men with metastatic and advanced prostate cancer to partner directly with researchers by sharing their samples and clinical information, with the ultimate goal of accelerating scientific discoveries that have clinical impact. The MPCproject enables any man with metastatic or advanced prostate cancer in the US and Canada to participate in cutting-edge genomic and molecular research, regardless of where they live. Metastatic or advanced prostate cancer patients visit the project website and complete an online questionnaire of basic information about themselves and their cancer. Enrolled patients are mailed saliva and blood draw kits, which can be used to extract germline DNA and cell-free DNA (cfDNA), respectively. The study team contacts participants' healthcare institutions to obtain medical records and a portion of archived tumor samples. Whole exome sequencing is performed on tumor DNA, germline DNA, and cfDNA, and transcriptome sequencing is performed on tumor RNA. De-identified data, including linked genomic, clinical, and patient-reported data, are shared via public databases on a recurring pre-publication basis. Participants are regularly provided with updates on the study.

Study phs001939

CIDR: Genome Wide Association Study in Familial Parkinson Disease (PD)

This proposal brings together the two largest NIH funded genetic studies focused on the identification of novel genes that influence the risk of PD. These two studies, PROGENI (PI: Tatiana Foroud; R01NS037167) and GenePD (PI: Richard Myers; R01NS036711) have been evaluating and recruiting families with two or more PD affected members for more than 8 years and represent the largest such cohorts world-wide. The combined sample has more than 1,000 PD families. Each study has used rigorous clinical criteria to assess their study participants. Unlike previous genome wide association studies (GWAS) in PD, all the PD cases in this proposal have a positive family history of disease. In the vast majority of these families, the index PD case has at least one sibling with the disease. Thus, the sample is unique for having substantial evidence for a genetic contribution to disease. The control group for this study consists of samples previously collected and maintained by the NINDS Repository. Genome-wide, single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotyping services were provided by the Center for Inherited Disease Research (CIDR). Data analyses will focus on the identification of SNPs associated with PD susceptibility and the age of onset of disease.

Study phs000126

Search for Susceptibility Genes for Diabetic Nephropathy in Type 1 Diabetes (GoKinD study participants), GAIN

Genetics of Kidneys in Diabetes (GoKinD) study is an initiative aimed at identifying susceptibility genes for diabetic nephropathy in type 1 diabetes. A large number of individuals with type 1 diabetes were screened to identify two subsets, one with clear-cut kidney disease and another with normal renal status despite long-term diabetes. Those who met additional entry criteria and consented to participate were enrolled. When possible, both parents were also enrolled to form family trios. Altogether, GoKinD includes 3043 participants comprising 931 cases, 944 singletons, 268 pairs of parents of cases, and 316 pairs of parents of control. Accessible as a GAIN database are 905 of the cases, 890 of the controls, 10 pairs of parents of cases and 10 pairs of parents of controls. The other parents and the remaining cases and controls are available by a separate application process through NIDDK (dbGaP phs000088 Search for Susceptibility Genes for Diabetic Nephropathy in Type 1 Diabetes (GoKinD study participants and parents), NIDDK). Interested investigators may request the DNA collection and corresponding clinical data for GoKinD participants using the instructions and application form available at Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. Consent groups and participant set Diabetic complications only (DCO): 1825 (904 cases, 881 controls, 40 others)

Study phs000018

PIEZO1 Loss of Function Compound Heterozygous Mutation in the Rare Congenital Human Disorder Prune Belly Syndrome

Prune Belly Syndrome (PBS) is a rare congenital myopathy that is incompletely understood genetically. In this IRB approved study, one white Non-Hispanic 35 year-old male PBS proband was prospectively enrolled and phenotyped. Blood lymphocyte DNA from the proband underwent paired-end Whole Exome Sequencing using the Illumina SureSelect kit and HiSeq2500 sequencer with data pipeline analysis. We aligned the subject's sequence against the GRCh38/hg19 assembly and variant calling was performed using data training sets from the 1000 Genomes Project, Omni 2.5 M SNP microarray, and HapMap phase 3.3. These variants were filtered for rare minor allele frequency ( 0.9, CADD score > 20, GERP > 4, MutationTaster = “DC”, Mutation Assessor = “M” or “NE”, and Vest > 3.00. Rare and novel candidate functional variants were screened in the ClinVar database for prior association with smooth muscle myopathy (SMM). Only variants that met these criteria were included for further analysis. Confirmed variants had inheritance analysis performed on available samples. Our WES analysis identified novel compound heterozygous variants in the PIEZO1 gene. We conducted an extensive functional analysis of the PIEZO1 PBS variants that revealed loss-of-function characteristics. Thus, PIEZO1 mutations may be causal for PBS. Our WES data will be available through dbGaP.

Study phs003475

DEMENTIA-SEQ: WGS in Lewy Body Dementia and Frontotemporal Dementia

Lewy body dementia, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis/frontotemporal dementia, and multiple system atrophy are age-related, neurodegenerative syndromes that are poorly understood. Delineating the genetic risk that is driving the pathophysiology of these neurological diseases is fundamental for understanding disease mechanisms and for developing disease-modifying treatments. In version 1 of the study/dbGaP deposition, we performed a whole-genome sequencing study consisting of 7,403 total samples, including 2,633 genomes from patients with Lewy body dementia, 2,641 frontotemporal dementia patients, and 1,980 neurologically healthy controls. Of these, 6,907 were uploaded to dbGaP as the basis of the DementiaSeq, phs001963 dataset. The data relating to these samples are available on dbGaP. In version 2 of this study/dbGaP deposition, we made much of these data available on Anvil. More specifically, data for 6,254 of these samples were also uploaded to the ALS Compute platform on AnVIL. The data for the remaining 653 samples are only available on dbGaP. The dbGaP/AnVIL Table lists the availability of dbGaP and AnVIL for each individual sample: phd008475.In version 3 of the study/dbGaP deposition, we added whole-genome sequence data generated using DNA samples obtained from 683 patients diagnosed with multiple system atrophy.

Study phs001963

NHLBI TOPMed - NHGRI CCDG: Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC)

Participants from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study, a large population-based longitudinal cohort study, have been included in this Project and whole genome sequencing will be performed to contribute to analyses of early-onset atrial fibrillation and venous thromboembolism. Additional phenotype and genotype data are available for these individuals on dbGaP and can be accessed through the parent ARIC Cohort accession (phs000280). The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) Trans-Omics for Precision Medicine (TOPMed) program is designed to generate scientific resources to enhance understanding of fundamental biological processes that underlie heart, lung, blood and sleep disorders (HLBS). It is part of a broader Precision Medicine Initiative, which aims to provide disease treatments that are tailored to an individual's unique genes and environment. TOPMed will contribute to this initiative through the integration of whole genome sequencing (WGS) and other -omics (e.g., metabolic profiles, protein and RNA expression patterns) data with molecular, behavioral, imaging, environmental, and clinical data. In doing so, this program seeks to uncover factors that increase or decrease the risk of disease, identify subtypes of disease, and develop more targeted and personalized treatments. The Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) Project is part of NHLBI's TOPMed program and serves as an initial step for the larger initiative.

Study phs001211

Emergence of oncofetal plasticity is ubiquitous in early colorectal cancers

Metastasis formation is classically considered a late-stage event in colorectal cancer (CRC) evolution. Yet, the time and patterning by which metastatic competence is acquired remain poorly understood. Here, we show that metastasis-associated oncofetal cell states already emerge at the earliest stages of CRC, concurrent with invasive front formation. However, while necessary for metastasis, we detect them ubiquitously among early non-metastatic cancers, highlighting additional bottlenecks like immune evasion. To understand how oncofetal cells first emerge, we generated multiregional organoid models that reflect successive tumor progression stages within individual early-stage CRCs. Whole-genome sequencing and growth factor-dependency assays exclude tumor cell-intrinsic acquired traits. In contrast, single-cell spatial atlases of the tumor-microenvironment before and after malignant transformation revealed stereotypic patterning of fibroblast subtypes resembling normal tissue architecture, resulting in distinct regional microenvironments. At the onset of malignant growth into the submucosa, the first cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) to appear strongly resemble submucosal trophocytes and colocalize with oncofetal cell states at invasive fronts. Functionally, fibroblast-organoid co-cultures confirm that these trophocyte-like CAFs induce plastic transitioning to oncofetal states. Thus, interactions between tumor and submucosal fibroblasts directly following malignant transformation dictate the timing and location at which oncofetal plasticity first occurs during CRC progression.

Study EGAS50000001532

Microbiomic and immunogenic biomarkers of adjuvant chemotherapy efficacy in stage III colorectal cancer

The standard treatment for stage III colorectal cancer (CRC) is surgery, followed by adjuvant chemotherapy (AC). However, the efficacy of AC is limited, and approximately 30% of patients experience recurrence. Therefore, easily assessable molecular biomarkers that can predict response to AC are needed. Here, we aimed to identify predictive biomarkers of response to AC using tumor transcriptomic data. Tumor specimens from 253 patients who underwent surgery for stage III CRC between 1997 and 2019 were analyzed using RNA sequencing. Transcriptional subtyping and analyses of gut microbiome, immune cell fractions, and T-cell receptor (TCR) were performed to identify factors associated with recurrence-free survival (RFS) in patients treated with or without AC. Of 253 patients, 118 (46.6%) received AC. Twenty phyla and 799 species of the microbiomes were identified, among which Fusobacteria were identified in 247 patients (97.6%). Multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression analysis of patients who received AC showed that intratumoral Fusobacterium and M1 macrophage abundance and diversity of TCR alpha and delta (TRAD) were independently associated with RFS. Fusobacterium and M1 macrophage abundance, and TRAD diversity were associated with the response to AC, suggesting that these factors could serve as biomarkers for personalized treatment in stage III CRC.

Study JGAS000875

Development of New Diagnostics, Therapeutics, and Prevention Methods for Personalized Medicine Based on Comprehensive Cancer-Related Gene Exome Analysis and Information Analysis Using Cancer Specimens Stored in TMDU Biobank.

Biobanked tumor samples are a valuable resource in real-world solid tumor research. Panel-based genomic profiling enables the identification of clinically significant alterations that inform personalized diagnostic and treatment decisions. This study aimed to characterize the genomic landscape of solid tumors collected through the TMDU Biobank by summarizing mutational, copy number, and gene fusion alterations in a large and diverse patient cohort. This dataset contains summary-level genomic information from 1,996 tumor samples analyzed by ACT Genomics and ACT med using the ACTOnco Comprehensive 440-Gene Cancer Panel. Data provided includes (1) gene-level mutation counts, (2) a summary of copy number alterations, and (3) a summary of detected fusion events. Clinical attributes such as ICD-10 codes, age group, sex, tumor mutational burden (TMB), and microsatellite instability (MSI) status were included at the aggregate level. Summary statistics were generated from three source tables (gene, sample, and copy number data) using standardized processing rules. Due to contractual and ethical considerations, individual-level mutation locations and raw sequence data are not included; only summary-level information is provided. This dataset will support future research in tumor-type-specific genomic patterns, molecular characterization of solid malignancies, and precision oncology.

Study JGAS000863

Myeloid cell networks govern re-establishment of original immune landscapes in recurrent ovarian cancer

Immunotherapy has produced disappointing results in recurrent ovarian cancer (OC). However, the prognostic value of tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) is largely based on the analysis of treatment-naive tumours. To understand the immunobiology of recurrent cancers, and their evolution, we profiled a total of 697 OC tumour samples (566 primary and 131 recurrent including 69 patient-matched samples) from 595 patients of five independent multi-institutional cohorts. By capturing heterogeneous TIL distributions, we identified four immune phenotypes associated with differential prognosis, TILs states and TILs:myeloid networks, which dictate malignant progression after chemotherapy and recurrence. Notably, recurrent tumours recapitulate the immunogenic landscapes of original cancers. Mirroring inflamed human OC, preclinical recurrent Brca1mut tumours maintained activated TILs:dendritic cells (DCs) niches but evaded immune control through COX/PGE2 signaling upregulation. Conversely, recurrent Brca1wt tumours displayed loss of TILs:DCs niches and accumulated immunosuppressive myeloid networks featuring Trem2/ApoEhigh TAMs and Nduf4l2high/Galectin3high malignant states. Our study highlights that persistent immunogenicity in recurrent OC is governed by the BRCA-dependent crosstalk between dissimilar myeloid cells and TILs. We propose new targets to modulate the malignant and TAM compartments which improve efficacy of standard of care chemotherapy in mouse OC models with HR deficiency.

Study EGAS50000001069

Accurate sample assignment in a multiplexed, ultra-sensitive, high-throughput sequencing assay for minimal residual disease

High throughput sequencing (HTS) (next generation sequencing) of the rearranged immunoglobulin and T-cell receptor genes promises to be cheaper and more sensitive than current methods for monitoring minimal residual disease (MRD) in patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. However, adoption of new approaches by clinical laboratories requires careful evaluation of all potential sources of error and the development of strategies to ensure the highest accuracy. Timely and efficient clinical use of HTS platforms will depend on combining multiple samples (multiplexing) in each sequencing run. Here we examine immunoglobulin heavy chain gene HTS on the Illumina MiSeq platform for MRD (HTS-MRD). We identify errors associated with multiplexing that could potentially impact on the accuracy of MRD analysis. We optimise a strategy combining high purity, sequence-optimised oligonucleotides, dual-indexing and an error-aware demultiplexing approach to minimise errors and maximise sensitivity. We present a probability-based demultiplexing pipeline, Error-Aware Demultiplexer (EAD) - that is suitable for all MiSeq sequencing strategies and accurately assigns samples to the correct identifier without excessive loss of data. Finally using controls quantified by digital PCR, we show that HTS-MRD can accurately detect as few as 1 in 106 copies of specific leukemic MRD.

Study EGAS00001001303

Mutational landscape of normal epithelial cells in Lynch Syndrome patients

Lynch Syndrome (LS) is an autosomal dominant disease conferring a high risk of colorectal cancer due to germline heterozygous mutations in a DNA mismatch repair (MMR) gene. Although cancers in LS patients show elevated somatic mutation burdens, information on mutation rates in normal tissues and understanding of the trajectory from normal to cancer cell is limited. Here we whole-genome sequenced 152 crypts from normal and neoplastic epithelial tissues from LS patients. In normal tissues the repertoire of mutational processes and mutation rates were similar to those found in wild type individuals. A morphologically normal colonic crypt with an increased mutation burden and mutational signatures consistent with MMR deficiency was identified, which may represent a very early stage of LS pathogenesis. Phylogenetic tress of tumour crypts indicated that the most recent ancestor cell of each tumour was already MMR deficient and had experienced multiple clonal evolution cycles. This study demonstrates the genomic stability of epithelial cells with heterozygous germline MMR gene mutations and highlights important differences in the pathogenesis of LS from other colorectal cancer predisposition syndromes.

Dataset EGAD00001008092

RNA-Seq in Patients with Primordial Dwarfism

Transcriptome studies in patients with rare genetic diseases can potentially aid in the interpretation of likely causal genetic variation through identification of altered transcript abundance and/or structure. RNA-Seq is the most sensitive assay for both investigating transcript structure and abundance The primary aim of this pilot project is to investigate to what degree integrating exome-Seq and RNA-Seq data on the same individual can accelerate the identification of causal alleles for rare genetic diseases. There are two main strands to this: (i) identifying which variants discovered in exome-seq appear to be having a functional impact on transcripts, and (ii) identifying transcript outliers, especially among known causal genes, that may not necessarily have a causal variant identified from exome sequencing. The latter may identify the presence of causal variants that lie far from coding regions (e.g. the formation of cryptic splice sites deep within introns, or loss of long range regulatory elements), which can be confirmed with further targeted genetic assays. Just over 50% of all disease-causing variants recorded in the Human Gene Mutation Database (HGMD) affect transcript structure and abundance (e.g. nonsense SNVs, essential splice site SNVs, frameshifting indels, CNVs). This pilot project will study RNA from lymphoblastoid cell-lines from 12 patients with primordial dwarfism syndromes, for 10 of these samples we have previously generate exome data as part of our collaboration with the group of Prof Andrew Jackson. The two remaining samples are positive controls where the causal mutation is known, and is known to affect transcript structure and/or abundance. Primordial dwarfism is a prime candidate for these RNA-seq studies because all known causal mutations to date have key roles in DNA replication and thus, unsurprisingly, the products of the causal genes are typically ubiquitously expressed. Each RNA will be sequenced, with two technical replicates (independent RT-PCR and libraries) per sample, and each replicate run in 1/2 of a HiSeq lane using 100bp paired reads. Samples preparation was as follows :The cells were grown to confluency, then pellets frozen at -80. RNA samples were prepared using the Qiagen RNeasy kit, then nanodropped and analyzed using the bioanalyzer to determine concentration and purity. 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/

Dataset EGAD00001000640

Identification of biomarkers of response to preoperative talazoparib monotherapy in treatment naïve gBRCA+ breast cancers

Germline mutations in BRCA1 or BRCA2 exist in ~2-7% of breast cancer patients, which has led to the approval of PARP inhibitors in the advanced setting. We have previously reported a phase II neoadjuvant trial of single agent talazoparib for patients with germline BRCA pathogenic variants with a pathologic complete response (pCR) rate of 53%. As nearly half of the patients treated did not have pCR, better strategies are needed to overcome treatment resistance. To this end, we conducted multi-omic analysis of 13 treatment naïve breast cancer tumors from patients that went on to receive single-agent neoadjuvant talazoparib. We looked for biomarkers that were predictive of response (assessed by residual cancer burden) after 6 months of therapy. We found that all resistant tumors exhibited either the loss of SHLD2, expression of a hypoxia signature, or expression of a stem cell signature. These results indicate that the deep analysis of pre-treatment tumors can identify biomarkers that are predictive of response to talazoparib and potentially other PARP inhibitors, and provides a framework that will allow for better selection of patients for treatment, as well as a roadmap for the development of novel combination therapies to prevent emergence of resistance.

Study EGAS00001005676

INCLUDE: Genetic Underpinnings of the Multifactorial Phenotype of Trisomy 21 Patients Unveiled by Multi-Omics Approaches

The INCLUDE (INvestigation of Co-occurring conditions across the Lifespan to Understand Down syndromE) Project is an NIH-wide collaboration that seeks to improve health and quality-of-life for people with Down syndrome. The INCLUDE Project Data Coordinating Center and partners created the INCLUDE Data Hub, a centralized data resource that allows access to large-scale clinical and multi-omics datasets specific to Down syndrome and supports collaborative, cloud-based analysis to accelerate scientific discoveries related to Down syndrome and its co-occurring conditions.Down syndrome (DS) is the most common chromosomal abnormality in livebirths with an incidence of 1 in 700 in the US. To better understand the pathophysiology of DS, this proposal will generate and analyze sequence data on 777 pediatric DS patients from the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), as well as 321 mothers and 148 fathers. We anticipate that the information derived from this deeply-phenotyped cohort will allow for improved understanding of the pathophysiology and molecular mechanisms underlying DS-associated comorbidities, which may inform on new practices for treatment or innovative future therapies.

Study phs002983

The Dynamic Landscape of Open Chromatin During Human Cortical Neurogenesis

Non-coding regions comprise most of the human genome and harbor a significant fraction of risk alleles for neuropsychiatric diseases, yet their functions remain poorly defined. We created a high-resolution map of non-coding elements involved in human cortical neurogenesis by contrasting chromatin accessibility and gene expression in the germinal zone and cortical plate of the developing cerebral cortex. To obtain a high resolution depiction of chromatin structure and gene expression in developing human fetal cortex, we dissected the post-conception week (PCW) 15-17 human neocortex into two major anatomical divisions to distinguish between proliferating neural progenitors and post mitotic neurons: (1) GZ: the neural progenitor-enriched region encompassing the ventricular zone (VZ), subventricular zone (SVZ), and intermediate zone (IZ) and (2) CP: the neuron-enriched region containing the subplate (SP), cortical plate (CP), and marginal zone (MZ). Tissues were obtained from three independent donors and three to four technical replicates from each tissue were processed for ATAC-seq to define the landscape of accessible chromatin and RNA-seq for genome-wide gene expression profiling.

Study phs001438

BrainSpan Atlas of the Human Brain

The NIH-funded BrainSpan (www.brainspan.org) and PsychENCODE (www.psychencode.org). Consortia sought to generate and analyze multi-dimensional genomics data from the developing and adult human brain in healthy and disease states. One of the main goals has been to perform large-scale and integrated analysis of the genome, transcriptome, and epigenome of the human brain to broaden our understanding of human neurodevelopment. This dataset consists of sixteen regions, including eleven neocortical areas, of human donors of both sexes and various ethnic groups. In the first stage of this project, we provide the genome-wide exon-level transcriptome data generated using the Affymetrix GeneChip Human Exon 1.0 ST Arrays, and the genome-wide genotyping data for 2.5 million markers using the Illumina Human Omni 2.5-Quad Bead Chips. In the second stage of this project, we provide whole-genome sequencing data, transcriptome data by mRNA-Seq, small RNA data by smRNA-seq, DNA cytosine methylation by Infinium HumanMethylation450 BeadChip, and epigenomic/epigenetic data by ChIP-Seq for H3K4me3, H3K27me3, H3K27ac and CTCF.

Study phs000755

Myocardial Infarction Genetics Exome Sequencing Consortium: Italian Atherosclerosis Thrombosis and Vascular Biology

Italian Atherosclerosis Thrombosis and Vascular Biology study is a prospective, nationwide, case-control study involving 125 coronary care units in Italy. The cases were patients who were hospitalised for a first MI before the age of 45 years and underwent coronary angiography. Acute MI was defined as resting chest pain lasting more than 30 minutes, accompanied by persistent electrocardiographic changes, and confirmed by an increase in total creatine kinase or in the MB fraction to more than twice the upper normal limits. The controls were healthy subjects without a history of thromboembolic disease who were unrelated to the patients, but individually matched with them by age, gender and geographical origin. They were enrolled from among the blood donors or staff of the same participating hospitals. Recruitment of cases and controls took place between 1994 and 2007. All exome sequencing was performed at the Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT; samples sequence capture was performed using Agilent SureSelect Human All Exon Kit v2 and sequencing was performed on an Illumina HiSeq 2000 or 2500.

Study phs000814

Consanguinity and rare mutations outside of MCCC genes underlie non-specific phenotypes of MCC Deficiency

3-Methylcrotonyl-CoA Carboxylase Deficiency (MCCD) is an autosomal recessive disorder of leucine catabolism, which has a highly variable clinical phenotype, ranging from acute metabolic acidosis to non-specific symptoms such as developmental delay, failure to thrive, hemiparesis, muscular hypotonia, and multiple sclerosis. Implementation of newborn screening for MCCD has resulted in broadening the range of phenotypic expression to include asymptomatic adults. The purpose of this study was to identify factors underlying the varying phenotypes of MCCD. We performed exome sequencing on DNA from 107 healthy controls and 33 cases. We examined these data for associations between either MCC mutational status, genetic ancestry or consanguinity and the absence or presence/specificity of clinical symptoms in MCCD cases. We determined that individuals with non-specific clinical phenotypes are highly inbred compared to cases that are asymptomatic and healthy controls. For five of these individuals we discovered a homozygous damaging mutation in a disease gene that is likely to underlie their non-specific clinical phenotypes previously attributed to MCCD.

Study phs000776

Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis (AIS) 1000 Exomes Study

Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) is the most common pediatric spinal deformity. Although the Bracing in AIS Trial (BrAIST) recently demonstrated the effectiveness of bracing for preventing scoliosis progression in some patients, more than 20,000 children undergo major spinal fusion surgery at an annual cost of $3 billion. Spinal fusion surgery is a major operation with considerable risks and complications. Accurate methods of predicting curve progression are needed to develop personalized prevention strategies for those at high risk and to eliminate screening and treatment of those at low risk of progression. Previously identified risk factors for scoliosis curve progression include sex, age of onset, curve type, and presence of an underlying disorder. However, currently available algorithms for predicting AIS curve progression are inaccurate, possibly because the role of genetic factors has been largely unexplored. Because there is little a priori knowledge of the genetic variants involved in AIS pathology, an unbiased genome-wide approach is likely to provide the best opportunity to comprehensively identify disease-associated genes. This is a multicenter exome sequencing study of extreme cases with severe scoliosis.

Study phs001677

Kidney Two-Hit Mapping

Germ-line genetic variants identified thus far generally account for only part of the genetic risk predicted for most cancers. A component of the remaining risk may be explained by functionally consequent genetic variants that are individually very rare (or private to that individual's family). While their identification may be highly informative for cancer etiology and biological knowledge, strategies that allow for agnostic (genome-wide) identification of such genes are not straight forward. This is particularly true for rare cancers where sufficient numbers of patients may simply not be available for appropriate statistically powered studies. In this project we have explored a study design based around the concept of "two-hit mapping" using the co-occurrence of germ-line and somatic mutations in the same gene to assist in the identification of susceptibility genes. The dataset includes 54 kidney cancer patients selected for enrichment of genetic disease, that is patients with: early age of onset and/or family history and/or bilateral disease. Germ-line and somatic (kidney cancer) tumor sequencing was carried out. These data may improve our understanding of kidney cancer.

Study phs001971

Altered Interactions between Circulating and Tissue-Resident CD8 T Cells with the Colonic Mucosa Define Checkpoint Inhibitor Colitis

Therapeutic immune checkpoint blockade has revolutionized oncology, but treatments are limited by immune-related adverse events, including checkpoint inhibitor colitis (irColitis). To define molecular drivers of irColitis, we profiled ~300,000 cells from the colonic mucosa and blood of 29 patients and controls. Patients with irColitis showed expanded mucosal Tregs (regulatory T cells), CD8 tissue-resident memory T cells expressing CXCL13 and Th17 gene programs, and recirculating ITGB2 CD8 T cells. Cytotoxic CD4 T cells, recirculating CD8 T cells, and endothelial cells expressing hypoxia gene programs were further expanded in colitis associated with anti-PD-1/CTLA-4 compared to in the presence of anti-PD-1 therapy. Luminal epithelial cells in irColitis patients expressed PCSK9, PD-L1, and interferon-induced signatures associated with apoptosis, increased cell turnover, and malabsorption.Raw data files from both colon and PBMCs from irColitis patients and controls have been provided to dbGaP. Count matrices derived from raw RNA-Seq data will be available through GEO accession GSE206301.

Study phs003418

Retinoblastoma Aqueous Humor Liquid Biopsy Repository

This study involves the use of the aqueous humor (AH, the clear fluid in the front of the eye) as an organ specific liquid biopsy for retinoblastoma. This relatively new liquid biopsy platform was started at CHLA/USC and was developed to overcome the lack of tumor tissue -- due to contraindication to biopsy -- for this cancer. We have demonstrated that the aqueous humor is an enriched source of tumor DNA. Previously tumoral information was only available after the eye was removed for treatment failure. Due to the AH liquid biopsy, we are now able to assay tumor derived molecular information from these eyes at diagnosis and longitudinally during treatment -- as opposed to only eyes that have failed therapy. We have demonstrated that using the platform we can identify the specific mutations in the RB1 gene that initiate tumorigenesis in this cancer as well as the secondary chromosomal alterations the drive further tumor growth. This database will provide sequencing information as well as associated clinical information and globe salvage outcomes.

Study phs003077

Longitudinal Immune Dynamics of Mild COVID-19 Define Signatures of Recovery and Persistence

SARS-CoV-2 has infected over 160 million and caused more than 3 million deaths to date. Most individuals (>80%) have mild symptoms and recover in the outpatient setting, but detailed studies of immune responses have focused primarily on moderate to severe COVID-19. We deeply profiled the longitudinal immune response in individuals with mild COVID beginning with early time points post-infection (1-15 days) and proceeding through convalescence to >100 days after symptom onset. We correlated data from single cell analyses of peripheral blood cells, serum proteomics, virus-specific cellular and humoral immune responses, and clinical metadata. Acute infection was characterized by vigorous coordinated innate and adaptive activation, including an early cellular and proteomic signature that correlated with the amplitude of virus-specific humoral responses after day 30. We characterized signals associated with recovery and convalescence to define a new signature of inflammatory cytokines, gene expression, and chromatin accessibility that persists in individuals with post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC).

Study phs002576

Comprehensive Genomic Data Deposition for Pancreatic Cancer Precision Medicine Studies: Clinical Trials NCT02451982 and NCT02648282

This submission includes specimens from 89 pancreatic cancer patients at Johns Hopkins Hospital, comprising 41 surgically resectable and 48 locally advanced pancreatic cancer (LAPC) cases. These samples originate from two clinical studies, NCT02451982 and NCT02648282, following the Johns Hopkins Medical Institution Institutional Review Board-approved registry protocol at the Pancreatic Cancer Precision Medicine Center of Excellence Program. Written consent for specimen use, obtained from participants in the original studies, covers additional research, including this one. Biopsy specimens collected through endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle core biopsies or surgically resected tumors are included. NCT02451982 is a platform trial evaluating immunotherapy combinations for surgically resectable pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma in the neo-adjuvant and adjuvant settings. It investigates the GVAX pancreatic cancer vaccine with immune-boosting cyclophosphamide, exploring immune cell trafficking and the impact of PD-1 blocking. NCT02648282 focuses on the efficacy and safety of combining cyclophosphamide, pembrolizumab, GVAX, and stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) in locally advanced pancreatic cancer, with an emphasis on anti-tumor activity. Both studies provide valuable insights into innovative pancreatic cancer treatment approaches.

Study phs003600

ScRNA-seq of human kidney immune cells of patients with ANCA-associated glomerulonephritis, Lupus Nephritis against a "healthy" nephrectomy control

ANCA-associated glomerulonephritis (AGN) associates with a high risk of end-stage kidney disease. The role of kidney immune cells in local inflammation remains unclear. Here, we investigate kidney immune cell diversity and function. Kidney tissue from AGN patients (n=5) and a lupus nephritis (LN) patient (n=1) were aquired during a biopsy procedure for a clinical indication. Needle-core biopsies were obtained for histopathological examination, and an additional pass was performed to retrieve kidney tissue for scRNA-seq. Healthy kidney tissue (n=1) was obtained from a kidney that was surgically removed do tue due to a (non-invasive) papillary urothelial carcinoma. Immediately after collection, kidney tissue was processed into a single-cell suspension and sorted using a 4-color flow cytometry panel to isolate living, CD45+ immune cells. To aid in the multi-omic characterization, surface markers and T and B cell repertoires were sequenced in 2 samples (1 AGN patient and the nephrectomy control). These samples were incubated with an oligo-antibody TotalSeq-C cocktail containing 130 unique cell surface antigens.

Study EGAS50000000159

Gene expression adaptation of metastases to their host tissue

The adaptation of metastatic cells to their host tissue critically determines the pathogenicity of a cancer and therefore patient survival. Yet, it remains elusive to what extent the host environment drives gene expression programs in metastatic cells. Here we identify adaptive mechanisms that enable metastases to establish themselves in a novel tissue context. We performed single-cell RNA-sequencing on malignant and benign tissue samples from untreated donors with colorectal adenocarcinoma and liver metastasis to deduce tissue adaptive expression patterns. A novel computational approach identified genes and pathways that consistently adapted to the host tissue at the transition from the primary tumor to the paired metastasis across donors. This analysis revealed that the majority of expression changes in the metastasis reflect an expression signature reminiscent of benign liver epithelial cells. Cellular processes adapting to the liver environment include basic cellular functions such as energy metabolism, as well as tissue-specific pathways such as the regulation of lipid metabolism by PPAR-α. These adaptations potentially increase the pathogenicity of the metastatic cells and may provide new therapeutic strategies.

Study EGAS50000000817

Synthetic - FEGA Sweden Heilsa synthetic dataset December 2023

Synthetic - This submission contains a subset of a synthetic dataset derived from the project Heilsa Tryggvedottir - a Nordic collaboration on sharing sensitive human data. Heilsa Tryggvedottir is funded by the Nordic e-Infrastructure Collaboration (NeIC), the ELIXIR nodes of Finland, Norway, and Sweden, Computerome in Denmark, and the Estonian Scientific Computing Infrastructure (ETAIS). In the synthetic data creation process, it was attempted to strike a fine balance between the usability of the datasets (e.g. technical FEGA development, testing, user training, and basic bioinformatics) and compliance with GDPR. File names and file content (e.g. headers in fastq) are anonymized. Moreover, the X, Y, and mitochondrial sequences have been discarded from the original data since these data can be used for maternal, paternal, or ethnic origin tracing. The dataset does not follow natural haplotype distribution (inherent to imputation panels). The only inputs derived from real sequence data are variant distribution density per chromosome and learning sequencing error models. The synthetic dataset consists of two fastq files, a cram file, a vcf file, and two index files.

Study EGAS50000000086

Fetal Genomics Consortium (FGC)

Many of the congenital anomalies and associated genomic variants identified during prenatal care are rare, requiring aggregation and harmonization to assure their appropriate clinical interpretation and to support the expanding utility of genomics in perinatal medicine. The primary step in accomplishing this is the creation of interoperability allowing collection, collaborative storage, dissemination and use of harmonized and vetted genomic and phenotypic data. The overall goal of this project is to generate a prenatal repository for both clinical care and research ensuring data are Findable; Accessible; Interoperable; and Reusable. The specific goals are: (1) collect and organize data contributions from multiple sites using the cloud-based Terra platform; (2) establish a governance structure for data contributions across sites; (3) develop and implement a pipeline for phenotype driven analysis and implementation of fetal specific Phenopackets on Terra; (4) generate a searchable callset of genomic variants and phenotype features on Terra; and (5) explore methods for facilitating broad access and sharing of longitudinal phenotype and genomic data facilitating genomic analysis in the prenatal space.

Study phs003193

Characterization of High-Grade Serous Ovarian Cancer Subtypes via Single-Cell and Spatial-Transcriptomics Profiling

We measured gene expression in single-cell RNA sequencing samples from patients with high-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC), for a study on improving HGSOC subtype definition by taking into account varying cell type proportions within tumors. The initial dataset (added October, 2020) contains 3 samples (3 individuals). The next dataset (added November, 2022) contains 34 samples from 8 individuals. The samples in the second dataset were sequenced in five different ways: 1) rRNA depletion and bulk RNA sequencing of tumor chunks, 2) rRNA depletion and bulk RNA sequencing of dissociated cells, 3) poly-A capture and bulk RNA sequencing of dissociated cells, 4) poly-A capture and scRNA sequencing of dissociated cells, 5) barcoding and pooling cells and scRNA sequencing (2 pools of 4 samples each). The third dataset (added June, 2024) contains data from one spatially resolved transcriptomics experiment (4 samples, one per Visium capture area, describing one tumor from one individual) and scRNA sequencing on 5 samples (5 individuals).

Study phs002262

Chromatin accessibility in stem cells unveils progressive transcriptional reprogramming in myelodysplastic syndrome

Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) originate from hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) clones with acquired gene mutations/deletions. However, our knowledge on the epigenetic properties of MDS stem cells are limited. Here, we examined chromatin accessibility of MDS stem cells. Chromatin accessibility profiles of MDS stem cells represented the disease status better than progenitor cells and unveiled the process of stem cell reprograming during disease progression. Characterization of differentially accessible regions (DARs) revealed that MDS stem cells acquire progenitor-like chromatin accessibility with disease progression, resulting in imprecise stem-progenitor hierarchy. Profiling of transcriptional factor binding motifs at DARs revealed precocious inactivation and activation of HSC and myeloid transcriptional networks, respectively, in MDS stem cells. Increased chromatin accessibility at CEBP target sites well represented the myeloid reprograming of MDS stem cells and stratified MDS into distinct subgroups. Newly developed "Progenitor scores" based on chromatin accessibility well stratified the disease status and correlated with prognosis. These results highlight that the chromatin properties of MDS stem cells define the cell-autonomous behavior of MDS and disease progression.

Study JGAS000718

The brain neurovascular epigenome and its association with dementia

Cerebral small vessel disease (SVD) is frequently comorbid with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and vascular brain endothelial cells (BECs) are enriched for the expression of genes associated with AD genetic risk. However, the gene regulatory landscapes of neurovascular cells and their intersection with genetic risk for disease remains unexplored. Here we have generated gene regulomes for human BECs, mural cells and other brain cell types to show that AD heritability is primarily immune-related and that it shows modest enrichment in BECs. By contrast, genetic risk for SVD is enriched across cells of the neurovascular unit, including astrocytes. Enhancer-to-gene interactomes implicate amyloid processes in both AD and SVD, though the risk genes are mostly distinct for the two disorders. Motifs for putative partners of lineage transcription factors in microglia and BECs were enriched for AD and SVD variants at genes linked to disease pathways. Gene prioritization and enrichment analyses further identified potential repurposable drugs for AD. Our findings highlight novel regulatory mechanisms and therapeutic targets within the neurovascular system.

Study EGAS50000001160

Genomic Copy-Number Variants Drive Apoptotic Resistance and Relapses on Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors

We investigated the genomic mechanisms underlying acquired resistance (AR) to immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) across tumor types, specifically by examining how copy number variant (CNV)-driven subclonal evolution contributes to clinical relapses in melanoma patients. We analyzed longitudinal clinical melanoma samples from patients who experienced relapses on ICI therapy, complemented by isogenic human melanoma cell line models (M486) and murine melanoma tumor systems. Single-cell whole-genome sequencing (scWGS) was employed to resolve subclonal CNV patterns in AR tumors. The scWGS data revealed that AR-dominant subclones systematically deleted pro-apoptotic genes while amplifying anti-apoptotic genes and innate resistance pathway components. Notably, shared and private AR subclonal CNVs preexisted selective pressure, with convergent evolution targeting apoptosis-regulatory pathways and resulting in downregulated apoptotic/mitochondrial priming that enables ICI resistance. scWGS datasets from isogenic human melanoma cell lines, patient-matched tumor samples, and murine melanoma models will be made available through dbGaP, enabling researchers to access high-resolution subclonal CNV profiles that define the genomic landscape of acquired ICI resistance evolution.

Study phs004102

Fragmentomics Uncover Non-Mutational HRD Features

Homologous recombination deficiency (HRD) is a key biomarker in prostate cancer (PCa), predicting response to PARP inhibitors and platinum-based therapies. However, current diagnostics often rely solely on BRCA1/2 mutations or genomic scars, missing cases driven by other mechanisms. Tissue-based testing is further limited by tumor heterogeneity and biopsy challenges in metastatic bone disease. Here, we applied a comprehensive multimodal approach to assess HRD in 106 advanced PCa patients using circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA). This included targeted sequencing of homologous recombination repair (HRR) genes, low-pass WGS for genomic instability (sHRD), WES for mutational signatures, and cfDNA fragmentomics and chromatin accessibility profiling. BRCA2 was the most frequently altered gene, often co-occurring with PTEN loss. High sHRD scores correlated with BRCA2/RB1 loss, somatic copy number alterations, and poor survival. HRD tumors showed enrichment of SBS3/ID6 signatures, altered fragment lengths, and reduced accessibility at zinc finger transcription factor sites. These results support ctDNA-based multimodal profiling as a non-invasive strategy for HRD detection and stratification.

Study EGAS00001008190

SNP array files, IDAT files, from 34 members of a Family with a high prevalence of psychosis

We investigated the genetic causes of major mental disorders (MMDs) including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder I, major depressive disorder, and attention deficit hyperactive disorder, in a large family pedigree from Alpujarras, South of Spain, a region with a high prevalence of psychotic disorders. We applied a systematic genomic approach based on karyotyping (N=4), genotyping by genome-wide SNP array (N=33), whole-exome sequencing (N=4), and whole-genome sequencing (N=12). We performed genome-wide linkage analysis, family-based association analysis, and polygenic risk score estimates. Significant linkage was obtained at chromosome 9 (9q33.1-33.2, LOD score= 4.11), a suggestive region that contains five candidate genes ASTN2, BRINP1, C5, TLR4, and TRIM32, previously associated to MMDs. Comprehensive analysis associated the MMD phenotype with genes of the immune system with dual brain functions. Moreover, the psychotic phenotype was enriched for genes involved in synapsis. These results should be considered once studying the genetics of psychiatric disorders in other families, especially the ones from the same region, since founder effects may be related to the high prevalence.

Study EGAS00001004592

TGF-β attenuates tumour response to PD-L1 blockade by contributing to exclusion of T cells.

We examined tumours from a large cohort of patients with metastatic urothelial bladder cancer (mUC) treated with an anti–PD-L1 agent (atezolizumab) and identified major determinants of clinical response and immune escape. Whole transcriptome profiles were generated for 368 patients using TruSeq RNA Access technology (Illumina). Somatic mutations were determined via whole exome sequencing for a subset of these patients. - Response was associated with CD8+ T effector cell phenotype and, to an even greater extent, high neoantigen or tumour mutation burden (TMB). On the other hand, lack of response was associated with a transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) signature, particularly in patients with CD8+ T cells preferentially residing in collagen-rich matrix surrounding tumours. Integration of these three independent biological features provided the best basis for understanding outcome in this setting. -

Study EGAS00001002556

Ovarian cancer organoid biobank

Ovarian cancer (OC) is a heterogeneous disease usually diagnosed at a late stage. Experimental in vitro models that faithfully capture the hallmarks and tumor heterogeneity of OC are limited and hard to establish. We present a novel protocol that enables efficient derivation and long-term expansion of OC organoids. Utilizing this protocol, we have established 56 organoid lines from 32 patients, representing the spectrum of ovarian neoplasms, including non-malignant borderline tumors, as well as mucinous, clear-cell, endometrioid, low- and high-grade serous carcinomas. OC organoids recapitulate histological and genomic features of the pertinent lesion from which they were derived, illustrating intra- and inter-patient heterogeneity, and can be genetically modified. We show that OC organoids can be used for drug screening assays and capture different tumor subtype responses to the gold standard platinum-based chemotherapy, including acquisition of chemoresistance in recurrent disease. Finally, OC organoids can be xenografted, enabling in vivo drug sensitivity assays. Taken together, this demonstrates their potential application for research and personalized medicine.

Study EGAS00001003073

Multiple Myeloma follow-up sequencing study

A total of 40 Multiple Myeloma (MM) patients at clinical relapse who progressed during Proteasome Inhibitors (PIs) or Immunomodulating Drugs (IMiDs)-based therapies and who are assigned to antiCD38-based salvage treatments, will be enrolled. We will collect bone marrow (BM) and peripheral blood (PB) samples from patients at specific timepoints: baseline (BM, PB and buccal swab) every 3 month (PB) achievement of response (≥ Very Good Partial Response (VGPR)) (BM and PB) relapse or refractory status to antiCD38-based treatments (BM and PB) Samples will be processed and stored in the "Hematological Laboratory" located in the University of Turin (Italy) for various proposed analyses: at specific time-points CD138+ (Plasma Cells-PCs) awill be immunomagnetically enriched from the BM mononuclear cells and frozen as viable cells in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO); PB mononuclear cells (PBMCs) will be isolated from whole blood by density-gradient centrifugation, and frozen as above; plasma fraction from PB and BM will be obtained by centrifugation and stored frozen; Neutrophils will be obtained at the time of enrollment as a source of control germline DNA and stored frozen.

Study EGAS00001007092

Analysis of four key cell types (epithelial, fbroblast, myeloid and T cells)

Alterations of the normal prostate epithelial cell genome trigger the emergence of carcinoma, however cancer-only analyses of genomic aberrations have resulted in little clinical translation. A deep understanding of the tumor microenvironment is likely to inform on key drivers of disease progression and novel therapeutic opportunities. We investigated the role of key cell types along disease progression, profiling the RNA abundance of 52 samples from 13 patients enriched for one of four key cell types, spanning a wide CAPRA-S risk score range. Using a novel differential transcription Bayes method, TABI, we avoided a priori patient stratification, and mapped transcriptional alteration events to specific risk scores. The developmental and cell-type resolution yielded a landscape of concurrent transcriptional alterations from the tumour microenvironment, including key hallmarks. These transcriptional signatures permitted the identification of a “high survival” patient cluster in an independent prostate cancer dataset. Most importantly, together with our integrated transcriptional analysis, differential tissue composition analysis provided evidence for a key role for monocytes and macrophages in prostate cancer progression and disease recurrence.

Study EGAS00001003579

Immunogenomics of colorectal cancer response to immune checkpoint blockade

Molecular and cellular determinants of response to immune checkpoint inhibitors are mostly unknown. Here we use whole exome, RNA and T cell receptor sequencing, imaging mass cytometry, immunohistochemistry and PD1-PDL1 interaction detection to profile 543 regions from 16 colorectal cancers (CRCs) subsequently treated with Pembrolizumab or Nivolumab. Independent of treatment response, CRCs express low levels of PD1 and PDL1 proteins and form less PD1-PDL1 complex than other cancers. Non hypermutated CRCs have no benefit from treatment, show WNT activation and low T cell infiltrates. Among hypermutated CRCs, those with durable benefit have clonal immunogenic alterations, clonally expanded T cells and potential for immune escape through dysfunctional antigen presentation. Responsive tumours are enriched in PD1-expressing cytotoxic and proliferating CD8 T cells and PDL1-expressing antigen presenting macrophages, which form high-density clusters of interacting cells. Our study shows that immune checkpoint inhibitors are most effective in highly infiltrated CRCs where they may release the interactions between macrophages and CD8 T cells thus promoting their priming and expansion in intra-tumour niches.

Study EGAS00001004438

Targeted sequencing of Burkitt lymphoma tumour samples from the UK's Haematological Malignancy Research Network

The UK’s Haematological Malignancy Research Network (www.HMRN.org) was established in 2004 to provide robust generalizable data to inform clinical practice and research. HMRN is a collaboration between researchers in the Epidemiology &amp; Statistics Group (ECSG) at the University of York, a unified Clinical Network operating across 14 hospitals, and an integrated Haematological Malignancy Diagnostic Service (HMDS) in Leeds. Covering a population of around 4 million, HMRN collects detailed information about all patients diagnosed with a haematological malignancy within the HMRN region, accruing around 2,400 new diagnoses each year. The population has a similar socio-demographic profile to the country as a whole, and HMRN’s maturing data present an increasingly valuable resource to address real questions of concern to haematologists, commissioners and health service researchers – locally, nationally and internationally. This study forms part of a larger project employing targeted exome sequencing on tumour samples from patients diagnosed with a variety of both lymphoid and myeloid malignancies. The results for samples collected from 39 Burkitt lymphoma patients, diagnosed within HMRN from 2005 to 2012, are provided.

Study EGAS00001004649

Engineering of a promoterless anti-viral RNAi hairpin into an endogenous miRNA locus

Short hairpin RNA (shRNA) expression strategies that allow safe and persistent target mRNA knockdown are key to the success of many in vitro or in vivo RNAi applications. Here, we propose a novel solution which is expression of a promoterless miRNA-adapted shRNA (shmiRNA) from an engineered genomic miRNA locus. For proof-of-concept, we genetically “vaccinated” liver cells against a human pathogen, by using TALEns or CRISPR to integrate an anti-hepatitis C virus (HCV) shmiRNA into the liver-specific miR-122/hcr gene. Reporter assays and qRT-PCR confirmed anti-HCV shmiRNA expression as well as miR-122 integrity and functionality. Specificity and safety of shmiRNA integration were validated via PCR, cDNA and miRNA profiling, and whole genome sequencing. A subgenomic HCV replicon and a full-length reporter virus, but not a Dengue virus control, were significantly impaired in the modified cells. Our original combination of DNA engineering and RNAi expression technologies should benefit numerous applications, from basic miRNA research, to human cell and gene therapy.

Study EGAS00001001252

Clinical Cancer Genomic Profiling by Three-Platform Sequencing of Whole Genome, Whole Exome and Transcriptome

To evaluate the potential of an integrated clinical test to detect diverse classes of somatic and germline mutations relevant to pediatric oncology, we performed three-platform whole-genome (WGS), whole exome (WES) and transcriptome (RNA-Seq) sequencing of tumors and normal tissue from 78 pediatric cancer patients in a CLIA-certified, CAP-accredited laboratory. Our analysis pipeline achieves high accuracy by cross-validating variants between sequencing types, thereby removing the need for confirmatory testing, and facilitates comprehensive reporting in a clinically-relevant timeframe. Three-platform sequencing has a positive predictive value of 97-99%, 99% and 91% for somatic SNVs, indels and structural variations, respectively, based on independent experimental verification of 15,225 variants. We report 240 pathogenic variants across all cases, including 84 of 86 known from previous diagnostic testing (98% sensitivity). Combined WES and RNA-Seq, the current standard for precision oncology, achieved only 78% sensitivity. These results emphasize the critical need for incorporating WGS in pediatric oncology testing.

Study EGAS00001002217

Whole exome sequencing of longitudinal samples from a melanoma patient receiving MEK plus CDK4/6 inhibitor therapy.

Combined MEK and CDK4/6 inhibition (MEKi+CDK4i) has shown promising clinical outcomes in NRAS mutant melanoma patients. Here, we interrogated longitudinal biopsies from a patient who initially responded to MEKi+CDK4i therapy but subsequently developed resistance. Whole exome sequencing and functional validation identified an acquired PIK3CAE545K mutation as conferring drug resistance. We demonstrate that PIK3CAE545K pre-existed in a rare subpopulation that was missed by both clinical and research testing, but was revealed upon multi-region sampling due to PIK3CAE545K being non-uniformly distributed. This resistant population rapidly expanded after the initiation of MEKi+CDK4i therapy and persisted in all successive samples even after immune checkpoint therapy and distant metastasis. Functional studies identified activated S6K1 as both a key marker and specific therapeutic vulnerability downstream of PIK3CAE545K-induced resistance. These results demonstrate that comprehensive analysis of pre-treatment samples can reveal rare pre-existing resistant subpopulations and also posit S6K1 as a common downstream therapeutic nexus for the MAPK, CDK4/6, and PI3K pathways.

Study EGAS00001002846

Analysis of translatome, truncating mutations, lncRNA, circRNA and microproteins of 80 human DCM cases and controls

The regulation of gene expression in healthy and diseased human tissues is incompletely understood and has primarily been studied on the transcriptional level. Here, we quantify the impact of translation on gene expression and annotate novel translational events in 80 human hearts. These include 65 tissues from patients with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) - the most common cause of heart transplantation – and 15 unaffected controls. We show that translational regulation modulates disease-associated molecular processes. Further, we evaluate ribosome dynamics at protein truncating variants revealing incomplete termination of translation at titin-truncating variants (TTNtv) that commonly cause DCM. Finally, we identify dozens of unknown microproteins translated from lncRNAs and circRNAs and link these to mitochondrial processes. Several microproteins are expressed from lncRNAs with previously demonstrated function, suggesting a dual coding and noncoding role. This resource will stimulate novel functional investigations into cardiac biology in health and disease and may serve as a blueprint for characterizing the translational landscape of other human tissues.

Study EGAS00001003263

The dataset of Southeast Borneo individuals (Banjar and Ngaju ethnic groups) was used as comparative data to determine the Asian parental population of the Malagasy. Our study found strong support for an origin of the Asian ancestry of Malagasy among the Banjar.

Malagasy genetic diversity results from an exceptional proto-globalisation process that took place over a thousand years ago across the Indian Ocean. Previous efforts to locate the Asian origin of Malagasy have highlighted Borneo broadly as a potential source, but so far no firm source populations have been identified. Here, we have generated genome-wide data from two Southeast Borneo populations, the Banjar and the Ngaju, together with published data compiled from populations across the Indian Ocean region. We find strong support for an origin of the Asian ancestry of Malagasy among the Banjar. This group emerged from the long-standing presence of a Malay Empire trading post in Southeast Borneo, which favoured admixture between the Malay and an autochthonous Borneo group, the Ma’anyan. Reconciling genetic, historical and linguistic data, we show that the Banjar, in Malay-led voyages, were the most probable Asian source among the analysed groups in the founding of the Malagasy gene pool.

Study EGAS00001001841

Mapping the breast cancer metastatic cascade onto circulating tumour DNA using genetic and epigenetic clonal tracking

Circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA) allows tracking the evolution of human cancers at high resolution, overcoming many limitations of tissue biopsies. However, exploiting ctDNA to determine how a patient’s cancer is evolving in order to aid clinical decisions remains difficult. This is because ctDNA is a mix of fragmented alleles, and the contribution of different cancer cell subpopulations from distinct lesions to ctDNA remains largely unknown. Profiling of ctDNA almost invariably requires prior knowledge of what genomic alterations to track. Here we leverage on a rapid autopsy programme to demonstrate that unbiased genomic characterisation of several metastatic sites and concomitant ctDNA profiling at whole-genome resolution reveals the extent to which ctDNA is representative of widespread disease. We also present a ctDNA methylation profiling method that allows tracking evolutionary changes in the cancer cell population at single-molecule resolution without prior knowledge. These results have critical implications for the use of liquid biopsies to monitor cancer evolution in humans and potentially guide treatment.

Study EGAS00001004014

Comprehensive pharmacogenomic characterization of gastric cancer

Gastric cancer is among the most lethal human malignancies. Previous studies have identified molecular aberrations that constitute dynamic biological networks and genomic complexities of gastric tumors. However, the clinical translation of molecular-guided targeted therapy is hampered by challenges. Notably, solid tumors often harbor multiple genetic alterations, complicating the development of effective treatments. To address such challenges, we established a comprehensive dataset of molecularly annotated patient derivatives coupled with pharmacological profiles for 60 targeted agents to explore dynamic pharmacogenomic interactions in gastric cancers. We identified lineage-specific drug sensitivities based on histopathological and molecular subclassification, including substantial sensitivities toward VEGFR and EGFR inhibition therapies in diffuse- and signet ring-type gastric tumors, respectively. We identified potential therapeutic opportunities for WNT pathway inhibitors in ALK-mutant tumors, a significant association between PIK3CA-E542K mutation and AZD5363 response, and transcriptome expression of RNF11 as a potential predictor of response to gefitinib. Collectively, our results demonstrate the feasibility of drug screening combined with tumor molecular characterization to facilitate personalized therapeutic regimens for gastric tumors.

Study EGAS00001004106

Molecular origins of mpMRI visibility

Multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (mpMRI) has transformed the landscape of prostate cancer (PCa) management. Prostate Imaging Reporting and Data System (PI-RADSv2) scores reflect function and correlate phenotypic features with tumor aggressiveness, is an independent predictor of biochemical recurrence, and may distinguish low-risk tumors requiring no treatment from high-risk tumors requiring aggressive management. We hypothesize that differences in functional mpMRI of prostate tumors reflect the genetic and epigenetic heterogeneity of PCa. We profiled the genomes and transcriptomes of 40 Gleason score 3+4 tumors, of which 20 tumors were mpMRI invisible (not PI-RADSv2 3-5) and 20 tumors were visible (PI-RADSv2 5). Genomes of visible tumors were more unstable than those of invisible tumors. We identified 62 enriched transcripts, including numerous snoRNAs, Relaxin 1 and SCHLAP1, in visible tumors. These data suggest a confluence of aggressive pathological and microenvironmental phenomenon in PI-RADSv2 5 tumors reminiscent of nimbosus, while linking the molecular profiles of tumor aggressiveness with their functional features on mpMRI.

Study EGAS00001003179

Molecular stratification of endometrioid ovarian carcinoma predicts clinical outcome

Endometrioid ovarian carcinoma (EnOC) is an under-investigated type of ovarian carcinoma. Here, we report the largest genomic study of EnOCs to date, performing whole exome sequencing of 112 cases following rigorous pathological assessment. High frequencies of mutation were detected in CTNNB1(43%), PIK3CA(43%), ARID1A(36%), PTEN(29%), TP53(26%) and SOX8(19%), a novel target of recurrent mutation in EnOC. POLE and mismatch repair protein-encoding genes were mutated at lower frequency (6%, 18%) with significant co-occurrence. A molecular taxonomy was constructed using a novel algorithm (PRISTINE), identifying clinically distinct EnOC subtypes: TP53m cases demonstrated greater genomic complexity, were frequently FIGO stage III/IV at diagnosis (48%) and incompletely debulked (44%), and demonstrated inferior survival; conversely, CTNNB1m cases demonstrated low complexity and excellent clinical outcome, were predominantly stage I/II at diagnosis (89%) and completely resected (87%). Tumour complexity provides further resolution within the TP53wt/CTNNB1wt group. Moreover, we identify the WNT, MAPK/RAS and PI3K pathways as good candidate targets for molecular therapeutics in EnOC.

Study EGAS00001004366

Salivary Gland Cancer TSO500 dataset

Salivary gland cancer (SGC) is a rare cancer for which systemic treatment options are limited. Therefore, it is important to characterize its genetic landscape in search for actionable aberrations. This research aimed to identify these actionable aberrations by NGS-based analysis of DNA (single and multiple nucleotide variants, copy number variants, microsatellite instability and tumor mutational burden) in a large cohort of SGC patients. DNA was extracted from archival tissue of 119 patients with various SGC subtypes and sequenced using a targeted NGS panel encompassing 523 cancer related genes (TruSight Oncology 500, TSO500). The 119 patients included 46 AdCC patients, 43 SDC patients, 15 MEC patients, 9 AciCC patients and 6 patients with other subtypes (1 secretory carcinoma, 1 polymorphic adenocarcinoma (PAC), 1 adenocarcinoma NOS, 1 myoepithelial carcinoma, 1 epithelial/myoepithelial carcinoma and 1 mixed PAC/myoepithelial carcinoma). Median exon coverage ranged from 80-904 (median 308) unique reads and the median percentage of exon coverage with at least 100 unique reads was median 96.6% in these 119 samples.

Study EGAS00001006232

Genotype data from 'Dense sampling of ethnic groups within African countries reveals fine-scale genetic structure and extensive historical admixture.'

Previous studies have highlighted how African genomes have been shaped by a complex series of historical events. Despite this, genome-wide data has only been obtained from a small proportion of present-day ethnolinguistic groups. By analysing new autosomal genetic variation data of 1333 individuals from over 150 ethnic groups from Cameroon, Republic of the Congo, Ghana, Nigeria and Sudan, we demonstrate a previously underappreciated fine-scale level of genetic structure within these countries, for example correlating with historical polities in western Cameroon. By comparing genetic variation patterns among populations, we infer that many northern Cameroonian and Sudanese groups share genetic links with multiple geographically disparate populations, likely resulting from long-distance migrations. In Ghana and Nigeria, we infer signatures of intermixing dated to over 2000 years ago, corresponding to reports of environmental transformations possibly related to climate change. We also infer recent intermixing signals in multiple African populations, including Congolese, that likely relates to the expansions of Bantu language-speaking peoples.

Study EGAS00001006944

Deep whole genome ctDNA chronology of treatment-resistant prostate cancer

Circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) in blood plasma is an emerging tool for clinical cancer genotyping and longitudinal disease monitoring. We performed deep whole-genome sequencing of serial plasma and synchronous metastases in patients with aggressive prostate cancer. We comprehensively assess all classes of genomic alterations and demonstrate that ctDNA harbors multiple dominant populations whose evolutionary histories frequently indicate whole-genome doubling and shifts in mutational processes. Although tissue and ctDNA showed concordant clonally-expanded cancer driver alterations, each individual metastasis contributed only a minor share of total ctDNA. By comparing serial ctDNA before and after clinical progression on potent androgen receptor (AR) pathway inhibitors, we reveal population restructuring converging solely on AR augmentation as the dominant genomic driver of acquired treatment-resistance. Finally we leverage nucleosome footprints in ctDNA to infer mRNA abundance in synchronously biopsied metastases, including treatment-induced changes in AR pathway transcriptional activity.

Dataset EGAD00001008460

Accurate Immune Repertoire Sequencing Reveals Malaria Infection Driven Antibody Lineage Diversification in Young Children

This study describes a novel Immune Repertoire Sequencing technique, termed Molecular Identifier Clustering-based Immune Repertoire Sequencing (MIDCIRS), to reduce sequencing error while maintaining extremely high coverage and applies this technique to investigate the differential immune response to malaria between infants and toddlers. Despite a lower somatic hypermutation load, we found an unexpectedly high level of competency within the infant antibody repertoire, particularly the ability to diversify B cell clonal lineages upon acute infection. Detailed clonal lineage analysis encompassing lineages containing sequences from both pre- and acute malaria timepoints revealed an increase in somatic hypermutations upon acute infection. Further analysis on pre-malaria memory B cell containing lineages in toddlers who had previously been exposed to malaria provides evidence for the capacity of memory B cells to continue to mutate and isotype switch.

Study phs001209

Genomic Correlates of Response and Resistance to Immune Checkpoint Blockade in Solid Tumors

Immune checkpoint inhibitors yield clinical benefit in many cancer types, but molecular predictors of response have not yet been robustly characterized. In this study, we pursued whole exome sequencing (WES) of pre-treatment tumors from patients treated with immune checkpoint therapies - including monoclonal antibodies targeting programmed cell death-1 (PD-1) and cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein-4 (CTLA-4). Using these data, we aim to apply computational pipelines for mutation-calling, neoantigen prediction, and other analyses to validate pre-existing hypotheses regarding response to immune checkpoint therapies and discover new relationships with greater power. Further, by pursuing genomic characterization of tumors from patients with a variety of cancer types, we hope to describe molecular features of intrinsically sensitive or resistant tumors that are both context-specific and shared across cancer types.

Study phs001565

Profiles of Extracellular RNA in Cerebrospinal Fluid and Plasma from Subarachnoid Hemorrhage Patients

Brain injury resulting from hemorrhagic stroke is clinically challenging to manage and results in high rates of morbidity and mortality. The pathophysiology of brain damage resulting from aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) is largely unknown, and methods to treat and monitor patients are variable with no meaningful correlations to patient outcome. Prediction of patient risk for serious neurological complications is currently a significant clinical obstacle. An extracellular RNA (exRNA) biomarker to predict onset and severity of brain damage would improve patient outcomes. We sequenced plasma and CSF samples from adult patients with SAH. Samples were collected from post bleed day 1 to day 7. Total exRNA was isolated from each sample. In addition, we prepared a subset of 140 CSF samples, isolating the RNA contained within extracellular vesicles and vesicle-depleted biofluid.

Study phs001759

Nature and Contribution of Noncoding, Regulatory Mutations in Neurodevelopmental Disorders

This dbGaP study contains variant call files generated from whole-genome sequencing data of families with autism. The variant callers include FreeBayes, GATK, Platypus, and Strelka2. A family-level VCF file, from each caller, is provided for each family in the study. The families included in this study are from the Simons Simplex Collection (SSC), the Study of Autism Genetics Exploration (SAGE), and The Autism Simplex Collection (TASC); sequencing was performed at the New York Genome Center, as part of the Centers for Common Disease Genomics (CCDG) Consortium. The analysis to generate the variant callsets was supported by a K99 Pathway to Independence grant to Dr. Tychele Turner (1K99MH117165-01). *Access to phenotype data at the individual level for Simons Simplex Collection (SSC) subjects can be requested from SFARI Base: https://www.sfari.org/resource/sfari-base/.

Study phs001874

Emory University African American Vaginal, Oral, and Gut Microbiome in Pregnancy Cohort Study

The Emory University African American Microbiome in Pregnancy Cohort Study prospectively enrolls African American women between 18-40 years of age without chronic medical conditions into a longitudinal follow-up study that involves completing microbiome sampling and data collection at two time points in pregnancy (8-14 weeks gestation and 24-30 weeks gestation). The study is investigating the role of the oral, vaginal, and gut microbiome on preterm birth and other pregnancy outcomes as well as biobehavioral factors that shape the microbiome among this socio-demographically diverse group of women. Microbiome sampling involves the oral, vaginal, and gut sites. Biobehavioral factors that are being explored for their association with microbiome composition at the three body sites include measures of sociodemographic status as well as diet and nutrition, infectious and stress exposures.

Study phs001865

Natural History of and Genetic Modifiers in Spinocerebellar Ataxias

Spinocerebellar ataxias (SCA) are genetic neurological diseases that cause imbalance, poor coordination, and speech difficulties. There are different kinds of SCA and this study will focus on types 1, 2, 3, and 6 (SCA 1, SCA 2, SCA 3, also known as Machado-Joseph disease and SCA 6). The diseases are rare, slowly progressive, cause increasingly severe neurological difficulties and are variable across and within genotypes. The purpose of this research study is to bring together a group of experts in the field of SCA for the purpose of learning more about the disease. The research questions are: How does the disease progress over time? What are the best ways to measure disease progression? Do some genes, other than the gene that is abnormal in the SCA disease, have any effect on the way the disease behaves?

Study phs001332

Modeling Malignant Progression in Glioma

Gliomas are the most common primary brain tumor in humans. Low-grade gliomas (WHO grade II) invariably progress to high-grade gliomas (WHO grade III or IV). Although malignant progression may take many years, the survival rate after transformation to a high-grade glioma is poor, often only 12-15 months. In this data set, we have identified low-grade gliomas that have progressed to high-grade gliomas or high-grade gliomas that have progressed from low-grade gliomas. Some cases are matched pairs (meaning we have both the original low-grade tumor and the subsequent high-grade tumor). The samples deposited have been analyzed with bulk-RNA sequencing. They are also de-identified but are clinically annotated. When available, genetic information including IDH mutation status, 1p/19q deletion and histological subtype are also included.

Study phs002607

Validation of Gene Array to Predict Bacterial Co-infection In Adults Hospitalized with Viral Lower Respiratory Tract Infections (LRTI)

Accurate tests for microbiologic diagnosis of lower respiratory tract infections (LRTI) are needed. Gene expression profiling of whole blood represents a powerful new approach for analysis of the host response during respiratory infection that can be used to supplement pathogen detection testing. Using qPCR, we prospectively validated the differential expression of 10 genes previously shown to discriminate bacterial and non-bacterial LRTI confirming the utility of this approach. In addition, a novel approach using RNAseq analysis identified 141 genes differentially expressed in LRTI subjects with bacterial infection. Using "pathway-informed" dimension reduction, we identified a novel 11 gene set (selected from lymphocyte, α-linoleic acid metabolism, and IGF regulation pathways) and demonstrated a predictive accuracy for bacterial LRTI (nested CV-AUC=0.87). RNAseq represents a new and an unbiased tool to evaluate host gene expression for the diagnosis of LRTI.

Study phs001248

A Phase 2 Study of Lamivudine in Patients with p53 Mutant Metastatic Colorectal Cancer

This was an open-label, single-arm Phase II study of lamivudine in patients who had progressed on systemic therapy for advanced colorectal cancer with TP53 mutations. The phase II study had a two-stage design, with a target accrual of 20 evaluable patients for the first stage and a total of 32 patients for the whole study. The first 9 patients were treated with lamivudine at 150 mg PO bid continuously for 28-day cycles. Subsequent patients (10-32) received a higher dose of 600 mg PO bid continuously for 28-day cycles. Tumor assessments were performed every 8 weeks until documented disease progression by Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) or drug intolerance. Whole genome sequencing (WGS) and total RNA-seq were performed on pre- and post- treatment biopsies on this trial.

Study phs002833

The CHOP Pediatric Genetic Sequencing (PediSeq) Project : Applying Genomic Sequencing in Pediatrics

The purpose of this research study is to learn more about newer types of genetic testing called whole exome sequencing and whole genome sequencing. Current genetic testing usually examines one gene or a few genes at a time. Exome and genome sequencing allow us to test most of a person's genes at one time with a single test. This testing might identify the reason for a person's unexplained condition or diagnosis. We hope this study will help us identify the best methods for: Educating patients and families about exome and genome sequencing Analyzing exome and genome sequencing data to identify results relevant to patients Giving results to families in a clear, appropriate, and informative manner The current data only includes WES for 159 samples. The WGS samples for 20 samples will be uploaded in the near future.

Study phs000935

PDAC Prognosis Biomarkers in Genomic and Transcriptomic Molecular Data

Our study was designed to identify biomarkers related to the prognosis of Pancreatic Ductal AdenoCarcinoma (PDAC) patients using genomic variants and gene expression in coding regions of the human genome (exome). PDAC is the 7th cause of cancer deaths and is among types of cancer having the poorest prognosis. To improve treatment outcomes of PDAC, biomarkers related to PDAC prognosis are needed. The goals of our study are to find genomic and transcriptomic biomarkers, which can classify prognosis subtype of PDAC patients, and eventually to predict subtypes or prognosis for each patient. In this study, we generated Whole Exome Sequencing (WES) and exome capture RNA sequencing data of 450 tumor and matched normal samples from 150 PDAC patients. Our data may be useful for understanding genomic and transcriptomic features, prognosis prediction, and precision medicine for PDAC.

Study phs002347

Association Between Telomere Length and Falciparum Malaria Endemicity in Sub-Saharan Africans

The goal of this study was to identify the genetic and environmental drivers of telomere length variation in an ethnically diverse African cohort. It comprises 1,818 participants from Cameroon, Tanzania, Ethiopia, and Botswana. For each participant, leukocyte telomere length was measured using the Southern blotting of the terminal restriction fragment methodology. 1,758 of the individuals with phenotype data also had genetic data, and these individuals were subjected to a genome-wide association study which accounted for age, sex, and genetic relatedness. Individuals were genotyped on one of two genotyping arrays (Illumina Infinium Omni5 array or Illumina H3Africa consortium array). Genetic datasets were merged, and missing genotypes were imputed for a final genetic dataset of 11,001,107 genetic variants. Correlations between telomere length and a variety of environmental factors, including malaria endemicity, were also examined in this study.

Study phs003567

Childhood Cancer Data Initiative (CCDI): Identification and Targeting of Treatment Resistant Progenitor Populations in T-cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

Our goal with this study was to identify the mechanisms of treatment resistance in T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) using single-cell genomics. We profiled 40 T-ALL cases from the Children's Oncology Group AALL0434 clinical trial using CITE-seq/snATAC-seq, capturing a breadth of immunophenotypes, including early T-cell precursor (ETP) and near-ETP/non-ETP subtypes. By integrating analyses of T-ALL cells with the normal T-cell developmental trajectory, the study identified a specific subgroup of leukemia cells resembling bone marrow progenitors (BMP-like cells). These BMP-like cells were associated with treatment failure and poor overall survival in T-ALL patients. Overall, this study reveals comprehensive multiomic signatures for rapidly assessing risk and tailoring targeted treatment for high-risk T-ALL patients.

Study phs003432

Genomic Alterations and Transcriptional Phenotypes in Circulating Tumor DNA and Matched Metastatic Tumor

We analyzed a prospective cohort of 49 plasma samples obtained before, during, and after treatment from 20 patients with recurrent small cell lung cancer. We conducted cfDNA low-pass whole genome sequencing (0.1X coverage) and exome sequencing (130X coverage) in comparison with time-point matched tumor characterized using whole-exome (130X) and transcriptome sequencing. A direct comparison of cfDNA and tumor biopsy revealed that cfDNA not only mirrors the mutation and copy number landscape of the corresponding tumor, but also identifies clinically relevant resistance mechanisms and cancer driver alterations not detected in matched tumor biopsies. Longitudinal cfDNA analysis reliably tracks tumor response, progression, and clonal evolution. Sequencing coverage of plasma DNA fragments around transcription start sites showed distinct treatment-related changes and captured the expression of key transcription factors n the corresponding SCLC tumors.

Study phs003689

Stress and Treatment Response in Puerto Rican and African American Children with Asthma (STAR)

The Stress and Treatment Response in Puerto Rican and African American Children with Asthma Study (STAR) was a 6-week study of response to inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) in youth aged 8-20 years recruited at the University of Puerto Rico Medical Center and UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh from June 5, 2018 to May 16, 2022. At a baseline visit, participants completed questionnaires and underwent collection of nasal specimens. After nasal sampling, participants were treated with daily medium-dose inhaled Mometasone for 6 weeks, with adherence measured using a dose-counter. Spirometry and fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) measurements were conducted at baseline and after 6 weeks of ICS. STAR was approved by the institutional review boards (IRBs) of the University of Puerto Rico and the University of Pittsburgh. Written parental consent and assent were obtained from participants

Study phs004052

Comprehensive benchmarking of methods for mutation calling in circulating tumor DNA

This study provides a comprehensive benchmarking resource for somatic variant detection in cell-free DNA (cfDNA) from cancer patients. Longitudinal plasma samples from colorectal and breast cancer cohorts were selected to create patient-matched dilution series spanning ultra-low to high circulating-tumour-DNA (ctDNA) fractions, while preserving each individual’s germline and clonal haematopoiesis background. Deep whole-genome sequencing (150×) and ultra-deep whole-exome sequencing (2,000×) generated a reference call set of ~37,000 single-nucleotide variants and ~58,000 insertions/deletions. These data enabled systematic evaluation of nine somatic variant callers across variable ctDNA levels and sequencing depths, and were further used to explore machine-learning–guided parameter tuning. The resulting dataset offers an openly accessible framework for developers and clinicians to assess and optimize somatic variant calling in liquid biopsy applications.

Study EGAS50000001313

Long-read sequencing of saliva collected and stablized at room temperature in Oragene devices on the PacBio Revio

Saliva collected in Oragene™ devices and extracted with Nanobind kits yields high‑molecular‑weight DNA suitable for PacBio HiFi whole‑genome sequencing, offering a convenient alternative to blood collection (“High-quality HMW DNA was obtained from all samples…”). Sequencing of paired saliva and blood samples on the Revio system produced comparable HiFi read lengths, yields, and 30–39× genome coverage. Methylation profiles were also highly similar, with minor differences attributable to small amounts of non‑human DNA present in saliva (“DNA extracted from saliva is typically ~75–95% human…”). Variant calling using PacBio WGS pipelines showed high concordance between saliva and blood from the same donor for both SNVs and structural variants. These results demonstrate that saliva enables reliable, high‑throughput HiFi sequencing workflows with performance equivalent to blood.

Study EGAS50000001666

Cell-type, allelic and genetic signatures in the human pancreatic beta cell transcriptome

Pancreatic beta cells within the islets of Langerhans are centrally involved in the pathogenesis of both type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Describing the differentiated state of the human beta cell has been hampered so far by technical (low resolution microarrays) and biological limitations (whole islet preparations rather than isolated beta cells). We circumvent these by deep RNA sequencing of purified beta cells from 11 individuals, presenting here the first characterization of the human beta cell transcriptome. Additionally, we perform the first comparison of gene expression profiles between beta cells, whole islets (N=7) and beta cell depleted islet preparations (N=5), revealing thus beta cell specific expression signatures. Finally, we combine this with whole-genome sequencing data for 7 of our donors, describing here the first set of genetic variants controlling inter-individual variability in beta cell gene expression.

Study EGAS00001000442

Ensilication as a Cold‑Chain–Free Solution for High‑Fidelity DNA Preservation in tumor samples

Nucleic acid preservation requires continuous refrigeration at -20 °C to -80 °C, creating infrastructure barriers limiting genomic medicine access globally. While ambient-temperature preservation methods exist, their effects on DNA integrity and sequence fidelity remain incompletely characterized. The project aims to evaluate ensilication as a method for preserving DNA at ambient temperatures and to determine whether it can match or exceed the fidelity of conventional ultra‑low‑temperature storage. It seeks to assess the technology’s ability to maintain diagnostic accuracy, including detection of clinically actionable variants in tumor samples. Another goal is to compare sequencing‑related artifact rates between ensilicated and cryogenically stored DNA to quantify improvements in data quality. Ultimately, the project aims to establish ensilication as a cold‑chain‑independent solution that enables more accessible global genomic testing and biobanking.

Study EGAS50000001698

Molecular dissection of germline chromothripsis in a developmental context

Complex germline genomic rearrangements can affect many genes and regulatory elements, but the precise mechanisms that caused the phenotype of patients with such rearrangements are often unknown. To dissect the impact of germline chromothripsis in a relevant developmental context, we performed trio-based RNA expression analysis on blood cells,induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells and iPS-cell derived neuronal cells from a patient with de novo germline chromothripsis and both healthy parents. In addition, we performed Hi-C on iPS cell-derived neural progenitors of the patient and the father to study the effects of the chromothripsis rearrangements on the architecture of the derivative chromosomes. We demonstrate that a combination of patient-derived iPS cell differentiation and trio-based molecular profiling is a powerful approach to improve the interpretation of pathogenic complex genomic rearrangements.

Study EGAS00001001896

Genome-wide DNA methylation profiles by MeDIP-seq of cord blood cells and cord blood mononuclear cells obtained from twins conceived through in vitro fertilization and naturally conceived controls

The study included 47 newborn twins conceived though in vitro fertilisation (IVF) and 60 non-IVF-conceived twins from the Peri/postnatal Epigenetic Twins Study (PETS). Cord blood was collected at birth and used to process mononuclear cells. Whole blood cells (WBCs) from cord blood of 98 twins (40 IVF and 58 non-IVF) and cord blood mononuclear cells (CBMCs) of 82 twins (35 IVF and 47 non-IVF) were subjected to DNA methylation profiling. Methylated DNA immunoprecipitation followed by deep sequencing (MeDIP-seq) was applied to generate genome-wide DNA methylation profiles in a total of 180 samples. Single-end reads were mapped onto hg19 using BWA. Methylation levels were quantified using MEDIPS and used to identify IVF-associated differentially methylated regions.

Study EGAS00001002248

Spatial heterogeneity in medulloblastoma

Spatial heterogeneity of transcriptional and genetic markers between physically isolated biopsies of a single tumor poses major barriers to the identification of biomarkers and the development of targeted therapies that will be effective against the entire tumor. We analyzed the spatial heterogeneity of multiregional biopsies from 35 patients, using a combination of transcriptomic and genomic profiles. Medulloblastomas (MBs), but not high-grade gliomas (HGGs), demonstrated spatially homogeneous transcriptomes, which allowed for accurate subgrouping of tumors from a single biopsy. Conversely, somatic mutations that affect genes suitable for targeted therapeutics demonstrated high levels of spatial heterogeneity in MB, malignant glioma, and renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Actionable targets found in a single MB biopsy were seldom clonal across the entire tumor,which brings the efficacy of monotherapies against a single target into question. Clinical trials of targeted therapies for MB should first ensure the spatially ubiquitous nature of the target mutation.

Study EGAS00001001014

12291 results for ""statistically+reactive"+taxa+in+microbial+community"

in 39.75 milliseconds.

DAC for study Population Structure and Genetic Diversity in Argentinean populations

DAC for genome-wide association study of prognosis in Crohn's disease

Identification of fungal species in brain of AD patients by NGS

DAC for study Treg in breast cancer and healthy individuals

Genome-wide association study of cervical cancer in East Asian populations

Data Access Committee for Rare Coding Variants in Lupus Risk Genes

Transcriptomics of dried blood spots in ELGANs Barcelona study

Total RNAseq in the sporadic ALS and healthy control motor cortex

Long-read isoform in breast cancer - Data Access Commitee

Characterizing microbiome-directed fibre snacks in gnotobiotic mice and humans

Differential Presence of Exons in Cell-Free DNA (NIMGenetics/IIS-FJD)

Longitudinal dynamics in relapsed and refractory Hodgkin lymphoma Data Commitee

Early dexamethasone therapy does not influence pulmonary fibroproliferation in COVID-19

Enhancer-gene rewiring in the pathogenesis of Quebec Platelet Disorder

Accelerated single cell seeding in relapsed multiple myeloma

Whole-genome sequencing of lymphomas in immune-privileged sites

Cell of Origin and Early Evolution of Leukemia in Down Syndrome

Genetic Effects on the Skin Methylome in Healthy Older Twins

Characterization of alternative promoter usage in advanced prostate cancer

NGS based Aspergillus detection in liquid biopsies of immunocompromised patients

DAC_ADARIO

Aberrant EZHIP Expression Drives Tumorigenesis in Osteosarcoma

Fasting-mimicking diet reshapes antitumor immunity in cancer patients

Whole genome sequencing to identify structural variants in early-stage breast cancer

Search for Susceptibility Genes for Diabetic Nephropathy in Type 1 Diabetes (GoKinD study participants and parents), NIDDK