1169 results for "NHMRC+youth+mental+health+evaluation+2010..2025+Australia"

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• National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK): Identification of VUR genes by exome sequencing

  Primary vesicoureteric reflux (PVUR), or non-syndromic VUR, is the most common type of congenital anomaly of the kidney and the urinary tract (CAKUT). PVUR is the single most important risk factor for pyelonephritis and renal parenchymal scarring in the pediatric age group. Renal parenchymal scarring due to PVUR is referred to as reflux nephropathy and is a major cause of end stage kidney disease requiring dialysis and kidney transplantation in children. PVUR shows familial aggregation; however, the specific genetic cause(s) of PVUR is unknown despite a number of linkage studies. Reasons for this include: variable expression of the disease, difficulty with case ascertainment, genetic heterogeneity and lack of large pedigrees that can facilitate locus identification. We have ascertained a large 97 member PVUR kindred spanning five generations. We performed a genome-wide linkage study (GWLS) on this family and obtained a significant genome-wide LOD score of 3.3 on chromosome 6p. We performed exome sequencing on affected individuals in the family and identified mutations in tenascin XB (TNXB) as a cause of familial VUR. The proposed studies have the following specific objectives: a) to define the role of tenascin genes in the etiology of PVUR, and b) to identify new PVUR causative genes. Our specific aims are (1) To perform mutation analysis in TNXB and other tenascins in a cohort of 200 individuals with familial and sporadic PVUR and define genotype/phenotype correlations. (2) To perform sequential genome wide linkage studies (GWLS) and whole exome/targeted sequencing in families with PVUR. Impact on public health: Identification of PVUR genes may provide a novel non-invasive diagnostic tool for a subset of children with PVUR. Furthermore, this research will provide insights into the pathogenesis of PVUR and further elucidate the pathways involved in the development of the kidney and genitourinary tract. Future studies will define the role of the genes in the etiology of other malformations of the kidney and urinary tract and also seek to unravel the mechanisms by which the identified gene causes PVUR and other malformations of the kidney and the urinary tract.

  Study phs000778

• HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology Clinical Sequencing Exploratory Research (CSER): Genomic Diagnosis in Children with Developmental Delay

  The overarching goal of this project is to explore the ability for whole exome and genome sequencing technologies to identify the genetic causes of unexplained developmental delay, intellectual disability (DD/ID), and related congenital anomalies in children. Such information may be useful as an endpoint to the otherwise fruitless "diagnostic odyssey" that many DD/ID affected families undergo and in some cases, identification of these genetic variants may point to better therapeutic or educational options by precisely defining the root cause(s) of the child's condition. We seek to identify causal, diagnostically relevant, genetic variants in children with developmental delay and/or intellectual disability (DD/ID). In addition, because our analytical approach includes sequencing probands and their parents (parent-offspring trios and duos; parents are sequenced when available), secondary findings will be returned to adults (parents) at their request. The aims of this research project include: 1) Use exome and whole genome sequencing to identify genetic variation that results in DD/ID. 2) Return primary genetic results (DD/ID causative) as well as secondary findings to probands and their parents, respectively. 3) Understand how the return of genomic test results affects the health and well-being of study participants. The children participating in this study are patients at, or referrals to, North Alabama Children's Specialist (NACS) in Huntsville, Alabama. All blood samples from probands and their parents will be collected at NACS (project 1). Sequencing will be completed at the HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, with validation (via Sanger sequencing) conducted at Emory University for all returned variants (project 2). The University of Louisville will oversee questionnaires, surveys and interviews aimed at understanding study participants' perception of, and response to, genetic test results, in addition to assessment of secondary findings preferences (project 3).A subset of variants, largely those determined to be diagnostic or variants of uncertain significance for study participants at the time of disclosure, have been submitted to ClinVar. These variants are listed as part of the "CSER-HudsonAlpha" study within the database.

  Study phs001089

• A Single Cell Atlas of Gene Regulatory Elements in the Human Heart

  Background: Cis-regulatory elements such as enhancers and promoters are crucial for directing gene expression in the human heart. Dysregulation of these elements can result in many cardiovascular diseases that are major leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. In addition, genetic variants associated with cardiovascular disease risk are enriched within cis-regulatory elements. However, the location and activity of these cis-regulatory elements in individual cardiac cell types remains to be fully defined. Methods: We performed single nucleus ATAC-seq and single nucleus RNA-seq to define a comprehensive catalogue of candidate cis-regulatory elements (cCREs) and gene expression patterns for the distinct cell types comprising each chamber of four non-failing human hearts. We used this catalogue to computationally deconvolute dynamic enhancers in failing hearts and to assign cardiovascular disease risk variants to cCREs in individual cardiac cell types. Finally, we applied reporter assays, genome editing, and electrophysiogical measurements in in vitro differentiated human cardiomyocytes to validate the molecular mechanisms of cardiovascular disease risk variants. Results: We defined >287,000 candidate cis-regulatory elements (cCREs) in human hearts at single-cell resolution, which notably revealed gene regulatory programs controlling specific cell types in a cardiac region/structure-dependent manner and during heart failure. We further report enrichment of cardiovascular disease risk variants in cCREs of distinct cardiac cell types, including a strong enrichment of atrial fibrillation variants in cardiomyocyte cCREs, and reveal 38 candidate causal atrial fibrillation variants localized to cardiomyocyte cCREs. Two such risk variants residing within a cardiomyocyte-specific cCRE at the KCNH2/HERG locus resulted in reduced enhancer activity compared to the non-risk allele. Finally, we found that deletion of the cCRE containing these variants decreased KCNH2 expression and prolonged action potential repolarization in an enhancer dosage-dependent manner. Conclusion: This comprehensive atlas of human cardiac cCREs provides the foundation for not only illuminating cell type-specific gene regulatory programs controlling human hearts during health and disease, but also interpreting genetic risk loci for a wide spectrum of cardiovascular diseases.

  Study phs002204

• NHLBI GO-ESP: Family Studies (Mendelian Lipid Disorders)

  The NHLBI "Grand Opportunity" Exome Sequencing Project (GO-ESP), a signature project of the NHLBI Recovery Act investment, was designed to identify genetic variants in coding regions (exons) of the human genome (the "exome") that are associated with heart, lung and blood diseases. These and related diseases that are of high impact to public health and individuals from diverse racial and ethnic groups will be studied. These data may help researchers understand the causes of disease, contributing to better ways to prevent, diagnose, and treat diseases, as well as determine whether to tailor prevention and treatments to specific populations. This could lead to more effective treatments and reduce the likelihood of side effects. GO-ESP is comprised of five collaborative components: 3 cohort consortia - HeartGO, LungGO, and WHISP - and 2 sequencing centers - BroadGO and SeattleGO. In this study, we seek to identify the genetic cause of two monogenic lipid disorders-severe hypercholesterolemia and familial hypoalphalipoproteinemia. Monogenic severe hypercholesterolemia is clinically characterized by elevated total and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels in plasma. Elevated LDL-cholesterol levels lead to excessive deposition of cholesterol in arterial walls, which eventually results in accelerated atherosclerosis and premature cardiovascular disease (CVD). Monogenic hypercholesterolemia has a prevalence of approximately one in 500 individuals, making it one of the most common inherited disorders. To date, mutations in the LDL receptor (LDLR) ligand-binding domains of APOB and PCSK9 have been shown to cause hypercholesterolemia. While mutations in these genes can explain a large percentage of clinically diagnosed patients, the underlying molecular determinant in a substantial fraction of patients remains unknown. Familial hypoalphalipoproteinemia (low HDL-C) is defined by an HDL-C below the age- and sex- specific 10th percentile. ABCA1, LCAT, and APOA1 are known to cause familial hypoalphalipoproteinemia. We hypothesize that: (1) additional novel genes responsible for Mendelian forms of low HDL-C exist; and (2) the causal gene and mutation(s) in each family may be discovered with exome analysis of just a few affected individuals in each pedigree.

  Study phs000587

• Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Cohort

  The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study, sponsored by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI), is a prospective epidemiologic study conducted in four U.S. communities. The four communities are Forsyth County, NC; Jackson, MS; the northwest suburbs of Minneapolis, MN; and Washington County, MD. ARIC is designed to investigate the etiology and natural history of atherosclerosis, the etiology of clinical atherosclerotic diseases, and variation in cardiovascular risk factors, medical care and disease by race, gender, location, and date. ARIC includes two parts: the Cohort Component and the Community Surveillance Component. The Cohort Component began in 1987, and each ARIC field center randomly selected and recruited a cohort sample of approximately 4,000 individuals aged 45-64 from a defined population in their community. A total of 15,792 participants received an extensive examination, including medical, social, and demographic data. These participants were examined with the baseline visit occurring in 1987-89, the second visit in 1990-92, the third visit in 1993-95, the fourth visit in 1996-98, the fifth visit in 2011-13, the sixth visit 2016-17 and the seventh visit 2018-19. Follow-up occurs yearly by telephone to maintain contact with participants and to assess health status of the cohort. In the Community Surveillance Component, these four communities were investigated to determine the community-wide occurrence of hospitalized myocardial infarction and coronary heart disease deaths in men and women aged 35-84 years. Hospitalized stroke is investigated in cohort participants only. Starting in 2006, the study conducted community surveillance of inpatient (ages 55 years and older) and outpatient heart failure (ages 65 years and older) for heart failure events beginning in 2005. Community Surveillance for non-cohorts ended in event year 2014. ARIC is currently funded through 2028. The ARIC Cohort is utilized in the following dbGaP sub-studies. To view genotypes, other molecular data, and derived variables collected in these sub-studies, please click on the following sub-studies below or in the "Sub-studies" section of this top-level study page phs000280 ARIC Cohort. phs000557 ARIC_CARe phs000090 GENEVA_ARIC phs000223 PAGE_CALiCo_ARIC phs000398 GO-ESP: HeartGo_ARIC phs000668 CHARGE_ARIC phs000860 MICORTEX phs001536 CCDG_ARIC

  Study phs000280

• Temporal Lobe Epilepsy and Retrotransposons

  Idiopathic (cryptogenic) epilepsy is a common, chronic group of brain disorders, affecting 1-2% of the US population, creating a significant public health problem because of the associated morbidity and mortality. One subtype of this complex group of brain disorders, temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE), is particularly burdensome, because a substantial fraction of patients do not respond to anticonvulsant medications. If the seizure focus can be localized by imaging and/or EEG, the TLE patient often elects to have a partial resection of the affected temporal lobe, because they have daily seizures, despite multiple pharmacotherapy regimens. Although genetic risk is thought to play a role in TLE, identification of common risk alleles has had limited success. In the past 5 years, data have accumulated to prove that neuronal embryogenesis is accompanied by activation of LINE1 (L1) retrotransposons (RTPs) to an unexpected degree, such that developing neurons may accumulate de novo L1 insertions. This results in a substantial mosaicism within populations of CNS neurons. While most of these somatic de novo L1s will have little effect on neuronal function (perhaps because they occur in gene deserts or in large introns or in genes not required for that cell's function), some may interfere with normal neuronal activity because they have inserted into a gene needed by that particular neuron for normal function. If one or more functional de novo L1s occur early in CNS development, all the daughter neurons that derive from that neuronal precursor will also carry the L1 insertion, perhaps leading to a dysfunctional population of neurons destined to become an epileptic focus. This study leveraged CNS tissue (obtained at craniotomy) from patients with intractable TLE, who have undergone a therapeutic partial resection of one temporal lobe. Using fluorescence-assisted cell sorting of temporal lobe neuronal nuclei, followed by high-throughput sequencing and alignment to the reference genome, detection of de novo L1s will be done. In this manner, it is expected that de-novo intragenic L1s, contributing to idiopathic TLE, will be discovered.

  Study phs002067

• NIDDK IBD Genetics Consortium Crohn's Disease Genome-Wide Association Study

  This dataset contains data from a genome-wide association study performed with 968 Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) affected cases and 995 unrelated controls using the Illumina HumanHap300 Genotyping BeadChip. Cases were selected to have Crohn's disease with ileal involvement, and controls were matched to cases based on sex and year of birth. Subjects were drawn from two cohorts: (1) persons with non-Jewish, European ancestry (561 cases and 563 controls), and (2) persons with Jewish ancestry (407 cases and 432 controls). Genotyping was performed at the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research. Seven-hundred fifty-four of the samples (468 cases and 286 controls) were taken from the NIDDK IBD Genetics Consortium cell line repository. These samples are identified in the IBD_Sample file. The subject IDs for these individuals may be used to request corresponding samples for follow-up research through the repository. In addition, complete phenotype data for these individuals are available, together with the Consortium's phenotyping manual and the forms used to collect the data. The remaining 1,209 samples were obtained from pre-existing collections ascertained through Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Johns Hopkins University, University of Chicago, University of Montreal, University of Pittsburgh, University of Toronto, and the New York Health project (controls only). For these samples, only sex, cohort (Jewish vs. non-Jewish), and age at diagnosis (cases only) are available. Two-hundred three individuals from among the pre-existing samples did not provide consent to release their genotype data (designated as consent group 2 in the file IBD_Subject). Thus, individual genotype data are only provided for 1,760 samples. To compensate for this, we have provided summary results for each SNP. These are based on a stratified analysis testing case/control association. Fifty-one samples had a call rate less than 93% and were therefore excluded from this analysis, leaving an overall sample size of 1,963 - 51 = 1,912. X Chromosome Heterozygosity Nine samples have X chromosome heterozygosity that is neither consistent nor inconsistent with their phenotypic sex. One of these samples was found to have Turner Syndrome. The remaining 8 samples have heterozygosity ranging from 35-76%.

  Study phs000130

• National Institute on Aging (NIA) SardiNIA Study

  Sardinia is the second largest island in the Mediterranean and constitutes a genetically isolated founder population. This population has aided in the identification of genes involved in several Mendelian disorders and is attractive for genetic studies due to its organization in long-established settlements that developed from an initial group of founder settlers (~1,000) thousands of years ago. The current study has recruited 6,148 Sardinians aged 14 and older, from a cluster of four towns in the Lanusei Valley in the Ogliastra region of the province of Nuoro. This sample corresponds to approximately 62% of the population eligible in the area for recruitment. Information collected during enrollment allowed the individuals to be organized into 711 complex pedigrees, each up to five generations deep, with an average kinship coefficient of 0.1628. All volunteers have been characterized for 98 quantitative traits. Traits include anthropomorphic measures, plasma and serum markers (including cholesterol and other markers of cardiovascular disease), and personality traits (using the five-factor model). The main goal of the study is to examine phenotypic similarities between relatives that yield information on the overall contributions of genes to trait variability. Data given here provide p-values for 98 traits studied in 1,412 individuals, based on genotyping with the Affymetrix 500K chip and imputed markers using the HapMap population as a reference (N=2,259,179). Sharing this genome assessment data at high level of resolution for a variety of quantitative traits will be useful for other groups to validate newly observed associations and to investigate possible pleiotropic effects. For ulterior information, and in particular for any individual genotype information, a formal request should be addressed to the Steering Committee, c/o David Schlessinger, Chief, Laboratory of Genetics, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, NIH Biomedical Research Center, 251 Bayview Blvd., Suite 100 Baltimore, MD 21224 USA and should include IRB approval of a detailed proposal, along with a signed statement guaranteeing that no attempt will be made to identify any individual participant.

  Study phs000338

• NHLBI GO-ESP: Heart Cohorts Exome Sequencing Project (Ischemic Stroke Genetic Study, ISGS)

  The NHLBI "Grand Opportunity" Exome Sequencing Project (GO-ESP), a signature project of the NHLBI Recovery Act investment, was designed to identify genetic variants in coding regions (exons) of the human genome (the "exome") that are associated with heart, lung and blood diseases. These and related diseases that are of high impact to public health and individuals from diverse racial and ethnic groups will be studied. These data may help researchers understand the causes of disease, contributing to better ways to prevent, diagnose, and treat diseases, as well as determine whether to tailor prevention and treatments to specific populations. This could lead to more effective treatments and reduce the likelihood of side effects. GO-ESP is comprised of five collaborative components: 3 cohort consortia - HeartGO, LungGO, and WHISP - and 2 sequencing centers - BroadGO and SeattleGO. The Ischemic Stroke Genetics Study (ISGS) is a study of newly onset cases (~600) with ischemic stroke (a stroke due to sudden interruption of blood flow to a part of the brain) compared with sex- and age-matched non-stroke participants. The study was conducted to determine the genes and their variants that contribute to an individual's risk of developing an ischemic stroke. The coordination of the recruitment and flow of the samples occurred at the Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL, under the direction of James F. Meschia, MD. The University of Virginia (Stephen S. Rich, PhD) served as the analytic site for the genetic data. All GWAS data on ISGS participants have been deposited into dbGaP. As part of the NHLBI Exome Sequencing Project, DNA from a subset of ISGS participants will undergo exome sequencing. For the NHLBI ESP, a subset of 92 individuals with lacunar (small vessel) or atherosclerotic (large vessel) TOAST subtypes were selected from among all ISGS participants, excluding those individuals with TOAST subtypes of stroke of other etiology or of stroke with undetermined etiology. All 92 samples pass initial quality control metrics and 89 samples completed exome sequencing. A total of 75 participants with appropriate consent and variant calls had their genetic and phenotypic data deposited into dbGaP.

  Study phs000546

• CTN - 0051: Extended-Release Naltrexone vs. Buprenorphine for Opioid Treatment (X:BOT)

  The overarching goal of CTN-0051 is to foster adoption of new relapse-prevention pharmacotherapies in community-based treatment programs (CTPs) where these could have a substantial public health impact. To this end CTN-0051 will assess the comparative effectiveness of extended-release injectable naltrexone (XR-NTX, Vivitrol®), an opioid antagonist recently approved and indicated for the prevention of relapse to opioid dependence, versus buprenorphine-naloxone (BUP-NX, Suboxone®), a high affinity partial agonist indicated for maintenance treatment of opioid dependence, as pharmacotherapeutic aids to recovery. The study is conducted in 8 CTN-affiliated CTPs that provide or partner with detoxification services (inpatient/residential) which have the capacity to maintain participants opioid-free for approximately 3-7 days, have the capacity to provide medication-assisted therapy, and can provide a minimum of one group or individual counseling session per week during the 24-week treatment period. Up to 600 eligible participants will be randomized to treatment with XR-NTX or BUP-NX for 24 weeks (sufficient to include 350 participants who are randomized more than 72 hours after their last opioid). To maximize generalizability, the point of randomization is flexible, from shortly after program admission until just prior to program discharge. The primary goal of the study is to estimate the difference, if one exists, between XR-NTX and BUP-NX in the distribution of the time to relapse (i.e., loss of persistent abstinence) during the 6-month trial. The primary outcome measure is the time to the event, with the event called relapse. Secondary objectives are to: (1) compare outcome on XR-NTX versus BUP-NX across a range of clinical safety and secondary efficacy domains, (2) explore demographic, clinical, and genetic predictors of successful treatment and moderators of differential effectiveness (i.e., what variables may help clinicians choose which of these treatments is best for a given patient), and (3) collect a limited dataset to permit analyses of economic costs and benefits of the two treatments.

  Study phs002876

• NHLBI GO-ESP: Lung Cohorts Exome Sequencing Project (Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension)

  The NHLBI "Grand Opportunity" Exome Sequencing Project (GO-ESP), a signature project of the NHLBI Recovery Act investment, was designed to identify genetic variants in coding regions (exons) of the human genome (the "exome") that are associated with heart, lung and blood diseases. These and related diseases that are of high impact to public health and individuals from diverse racial and ethnic groups will be studied. These data may help researchers understand the causes of disease, contributing to better ways to prevent, diagnose, and treat diseases, as well as determine whether to tailor prevention and treatments to specific populations. This could lead to more effective treatments and reduce the likelihood of side effects. GO-ESP is comprised of five collaborative components: 3 cohort consortia - HeartGO, LungGO, and WHISP - and 2 sequencing centers - BroadGO and SeattleGO. The syndrome of pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a pulmonary disease that carries very high morbidity and mortality. Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a category of PH (WHO Group 1) that includes several entities (idiopathic or heritable PAH, and PAH associated with other diseases such as connective tissue diseases including scleroderma-associated PAH) and carries a dismal prognosis, in particular when it relates to scleroderma-associated PAH (median survival of about 4 years). It is believed that the severity of structural changes involving the pulmonary vasculature and right ventricular failure are genetically determined. The 'Genomics and Genetics of Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension' study at Johns Hopkins University aims to identify genetic determinants associated with risk of PAH in a cohort of European American and African American participants with and without PAH. The study also focuses on patients with scleroderma, who are further stratified according to those who have or do not have PAH. The broad goals of the Lung GO/ESP-GO falls into two general categories: (i) discovery of all variants (i.e., common and rare) in all protein-coding regions of the human genome (i.e., the exome) conferring risk to complex pulmonary diseases including PAH. The Johns Hopkins University PAH cohort offers a unique opportunity to elucidate genetic variants that cause PAH.

  Study phs000290

• The Institute for Genomic Medicine at Nationwide Children's Hospital Pediatric Cancer and Blood Disorder Project

  The aim of this study is to enable the unification of the clinical and research arms of comprehensive genomic profiling in the setting of cancer and hematologic disease. Increasingly, studies of the genomic etiology of cancer and hematologic diseases are being utilized for patient management, including prognostication, informing diagnosis, and evaluating eligibility for targeted therapeutics and clinical trials. Clinically available testing can be limited in scope and follow-up, and thus assessment of the impact on patient outcomes is difficult to ascertain. N-of-1 studies have the ability to more broadly impact our understanding of the mechanisms of cancer and hematologic disease, and can have benefit for the individual as well as the larger population of patients with these diseases. Thus, we seek to study and characterize the genomic underpinnings of cancer and hematologic disease through genomic profiling studies bridging both clinical and research components. We will rigorously perform and vet research sequencing and genomic studies protocols for the purpose of transitioning these assays to clinically valid testing for use in clinical patient care. We have been enrolling patients onto this comprehensive genomic profiling study since January 2018. As part of the genomic workup for these patients, we have been performing tumor and normal whole genome sequencing, whole exome sequencing and RNA-Seq. The project is largely supported by the Nationwide Children's Foundation, and we anticipate adding another 50-70 cases per year. This protocol is significant in that it expands our understanding of the etiology of cancer and hematologic disease through a comprehensive analysis aimed at detecting a broad scope of genomic aberrations. Additionally, it improves our understanding of the clinical utility of genomic profiling and has the potential to ultimately improve patient management and surveillance at both level of an individual and general populations of patients affected by these diseases. Primary Objectives: Aim 1: Use diagnostic, relapse, and/or germline samples for augmented whole exome sequencing to characterize the spectrum of germline and somatic genomic alterations in pediatric malignancies and hematologic disease. Aim 2: Examine gene expression and fusion events using whole RNA-seq "transcriptome" analysis or targeted RNA-seq analysis such as the Archer FusionPlex technology. Aim 3: Compare the results of our enhanced molecular profiling vs. that which is detectable by traditional methods as related to cytogenetic, molecular, and minimal residual disease analyses performed as part of standard of care. Aim 4: Examine the utility of comprehensive genomic profiling by collection and evaluation of outcomes data as related to enhancement/alteration in diagnosis, prognosis, treatment management, and clinical benefit. Secondary Objective: Aim 1: Use and clinically validate expanded laboratory methodologies and bioinformatic approaches to more broadly assess genomic complexity (e.g. whole genome sequencing, transcriptome sequencing, in vitro analyses, minimal residual disease testing, clonality assays, proteomics) in the setting of hematologic and oncologic disease. In so doing, we aspire to make novel discoveries and associations, as related to disease phenotypes and subtypes, variant causality, therapeutic targeting, and cancer biology.

  Study phs001820

• National Institute of Environmental Health (NIEHS) Sciences Study of Somatic Mutation Load in Clones of Single Human Cells

  Accumulation of genetic changes with time and proliferation of cells is inevitable. We report here the genome-wide magnitude and spectra of mutations accrued in skin fibroblasts over the lifetime of healthy humans. We found that every cell contains at least one somatic chromosomal rearrangement and 600 - 13,000 base substitutions, similar to the median mutation load in human cancers. The mutation spectra and correlation of changes with epigenomic features also resemble many human cancers. Interestingly, the magnitude of ultraviolet light-characteristic mutations, representative of environmental mutagenesis, in sun-exposed skin was comparable to the number of mutations attributed to endogenous DNA damage estimated in unexposed cells. Our methodology allows delineating the precise contributions of environmental and endogenous factors to the accrual of genetic changes in the human body. This is fundamental to understanding the etiology, and improving the prognosis and prevention of cancers and other genetic diseases.

  Study phs001182

• Resolving the immune landscape of human prostate at a single cell level in health and cancer

  The prostate gland produces prostatic fluid, high in zinc and citrate and essential for the maintenance of spermatozoa. Prostate cancer is a common condition with limited treatment efficacy in castration-resistant metastatic disease, including with immune checkpoint inhibitors. We used single-cell RNA-sequencing to perform an unbiased assessment of the cellular landscape of human prostate and identified a previously unappreciated subset of tumour-enriched androgen receptor-negative luminal epithelial cells, with increased expression of cancer-associated genes. We also found a variety of innate and adaptive immune cells in normal prostate that were transcriptionally perturbed in prostate cancer. An exception was a unique, prostate-specific, zinc transporter-expressing macrophage population (MAC-MT), that contributed to tissue zinc accumulation in homeostasis, but showed enhanced inflammatory gene expression in tumours, including T cell-recruiting chemokines. Remarkably, enrichment of the MAC-MT signature in cancer biopsies was associated with improved disease-free survival, suggesting beneficial anti-tumour functions.

  Study EGAS00001005787

• EuCANCan: EUropean-CANadian Cancer network

  The EUropean-CANadian Cancer network (EuCANCan) is a project aiming to develop a federated network of aligned and interoperable infrastructures for the homogeneous analysis, management and sharing of genomic oncology data for Personalized Medicine. This initiative, funded by the European Commission and the Canadian Institutes of Health and coordinated by the Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC), is expected to process and provide the scientific community with around 30-35 thousand patient samples from different types of cancer, coming from different nodes involved in this project, during the four years of the project. Data generated as part of primary studies, often in small hospitals or research centers, is hardly reused by other projects or groups. EuCANCan is proposed to foster the homogenisation and discoverability of cancer samples from very different sources for the whole community. These efforts will help paving the way to future standardised and global genomics projects, specially for those participant countries that eventually integrate the methodology and infrastructure generated during the project. “The more data we have access to the more and better discoveries. We attempt to overcome the legal and technical limitations in order to generate, gather and exploit bigger datasets as well as answer more ambitious questions”. These were some of the words Dr. David Torrents, main coordinator of the project, shared with a regional radio during the kick-off meeting of the project, on February 11th, 2019. The EUCANCan network will be composed of reference nodes in Amsterdam, Barcelona, Berlin, Heidelberg, Paris and Toronto which have established strong research and clinical programs in the field of genomic oncology. The Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), specifically the European Genome-phenome Archive (EGA), is among the leading institutions. Its exhaustive experience in biomedical data archival and secure distribution is considered key for crucial developments within the project. It is also notable the recent inclusion of EUCANCan in the list of GA4GH driver projects. Further information and details can be found in the following links: InsideHPC BSC official description Techweek (Spanish)

  Blog eucancan

• Data Use Ontology (DUO) at EGA

  For those of you that follow the updates of GA4GH you will have seen the unanimous approval of the steering committee for DUO to be included in its suite of technical standards for the sharing of genomic and health related data. DUO has three main features: Each term has been generated by the community and includes a human readable definition that can be expanded where necessary. It is a machine-readable file that encodes how that data can be used and how a researcher intends to use the data. Can be implemented alongside an advanced search algorithm which would allow authenticated users to query and gain access to datasets pertaining to their research. e.g., an industry researcher working on cancer could potentially be matched to any dataset that is allowed for commercial use and for cancer research and offered the opportunity to fetch them automatically. So, what does this mean for EGA? EGA as a driver project has adopted this standard and will be utilizing it for two main purposes in the first instance. i) It will allow EGA users to instantly identify what terms they will need to agree to as part of any Data Access Agreements. This will save valuable time for both applicants and Data Access Committees alike - as you will be able to see if you are likely to be able to access the data based on your research intentions and working background. ii) In the future it will allow users to be able to search for data based on Data Use Ontology terms e.g., you could search for all data that can be used for General Research Use (GRU). As EGA moves forwards submitters will be asked to align their data access policies with DUO so that their dataset(s) can be tagged appropriately on our web pages. If you would like to add DUO to any of your existing datasets, or to any future datasets, do please just let us know.

  Blog data-use-ontology

• Determination of cell specific regulatory enhancers in hematopoetic models

  The BLUEPRINT project is a large-scale project investigating epigenetic mechanisms involved in blood formation, in health and disease. The human variation workpackage (WP10, led by NS) of the project seeks to characterize the effect of common sequence variation on the epigenome status of a cell. To do this, the project will use highly purified blood cells to minimise "experimental noise" and therefore enhance the power to discover modest effects. Two peripheral blood cell types, the CD14+CD16- monocyte (an important central orchestrator of adaptive immunity and a bridge between innate and adaptive immunity) and the CD65+CD9- neutrophilic granulocyte (the frontline cell for innate immunity) have been selected for this purpose. The two types of cells will be obtained at high purity from adult blood (AB) of 200 healthy males and females, respectively. Cells will be purified by using already validated and fully operational protocols that are based on density gradient centrifugation of the buffy coat obtained from whole blood, followed by magnetic bead-based purification using monoclonal antibodies against Cluster of Differentiation (CD) lineage-specific cell surface markers. Units of 475 ml of AB will be obtained from consenting volunteers of the Cambridge BioResource (CBR), a panel of 10,000 healthy volunteers local to Cambridge who have already consented to participate in biomedical research and of whom biological samples (DNA, plasma, serum) and lifestyle data have been deposited in a repository and database, respectively. We are requesting funding from the Human Diversity project to sequence the genomes of the 200 CBR volunteers at low pass (6x coverage). Nuclei, DNA and RNA will be recovered from the purified cells and made available for RNA-seq, DNA-seq and ChIP-seq and genomic DNA for entire genome sequencing will be recovered from the DNA repository.

  Dataset EGAD00001002205

• Evaluation Study of Congestive Heart Failure and Pulmonary Artery Catheterization Effectiveness (ESCAPE-BioLINCC)

  Accessing Data Please refer to “Authorized Access” below regarding accessing data through the BioData Catalyst ecosystem. The data from this accession is not available for download through dbGaP. Objectives To test whether pulmonary artery catheter use was safe and could improve clinical outcomes in participants hospitalized with recurrent heart failure. Background Pulmonary artery catheters have been used to guide adjustment of therapy in multiple settings, but recent studies have raised concern that pulmonary artery catheters may lead to increased mortality in hospitalized participants. Participants A total of 433 participants at 26 sites were enrolled, and randomly assigned to receive therapy guided by clinical assessment and the pulmonary artery catheter or clinical assessment alone. Patients with acute decompensation in which the attending heart failure physician considered pulmonary artery catheterization (PAC) was required or likely to be required within the next 24 hours were entered into a PAC registry. A total of 439 patients were added to the registry. Conclusions Therapy to reduce volume overload during hospitalization for heart failure led to marked improvement in signs and symptoms of elevated filling pressures, with or without the pulmonary artery catheter. Addition of the pulmonary artery catheter to careful clinical assessment did not impact overall mortality and hospitalization. Future trials should test noninvasive assessments with specific treatment strategies that could be used to better tailor therapy for both survival time and survival quality as valued by participants. (Binanay, C. et al., JAMA, 2005)

  Study phs003782

• Whole Genome Scan for Pancreatic Cancer Risk in the Pancreatic Cancer Cohort Consortium and Pancreatic Cancer Case-Control Consortium (PanScan)

  Within the framework of the NCI-sponsored Cohort Consortium, investigators from 12 prospective epidemiologic cohorts formed the Pancreatic Cancer Cohort Consortium in 2006. This study, also known as "PanScan", is funded by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and involves conducting a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of common genetic variants to identify markers of susceptibility to pancreatic cancer. In 2007, the study was expanded to include 8 case-control studies. The study team includes scientists from the cohorts comprising the Consortium, the NCI and the Pancreatic Cancer Case Control Consortium (PanC4). PanScan I and II were conducted in 12 cohort studies and 8 case-control studies, leading to the discovery of four novel regions in the genome associated with risk for pancreatic adenocarcinoma. The third phase of PanScan (PanScan III) was conducted using recently identified incident pancreatic cancer cases drawn from fourteen cohorts from the cohort consortium, including nine prospective cohorts who participated in PanScan I, and five newly joined cohorts. The nine cohort studies that participated in PanScan I and had new genotyping of cases in PanScan III include ATBC, CPS-II, EPIC, HPFS, NHS, PHS, PLCO, SMWHS, and WHI; the five newly joined cohort studies include the Agricultural Health Study (AHS), the Multiethnic Cohort Study (MEC), the Melbourne Collaborative Cohort Study (MCCS), the Vitamins and Lifestyle Study (VITAL), and Selenium and Vitamin E Cancer Prevention Trial (SELECT). In addition to the cases from cohorts, we also included cases from the Gastrointestinal Cancer Clinic of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Study (DFCI-GCC); from the University Hospital in Heidelberg, Germany, which is part of a larger European clinical case-control study (PANDoRA); and from clinic-based cases from eastern Spain (PANKRAS-II). The dbGaP datasets available include all subjects previously made available from PanScan I and II, plus 1,582 new incident pancreatic cancer cases of European descent from prospective cohorts, case-control studies or case series (genotyped as part of PanScan III). Also included are 61 pancreatic cancer cases and 67 control subjects from PanScan I as well as 173 pancreatic cancer cases from PanScan III of Asian ancestry from the Shanghai Men's and Women's Health Study (Supplemental Table 10, Wolpin et al. (Nat Genet, 2014)). The control population used in the analysis for the Wolpin et al. manuscript included cancer-free individuals from the prospective cohorts that contributed pancreatic cancer cases to PanScan III and controls from the Spanish Bladder Cancer SBC/EPICURO study that were previously genotyped using the OmniExpress, Omni 1M or Omni 2.5M SNP arrays. The data from these control subjects were posted to dbGaP under the GWAS in which they were initially genotyped and will not be made available in duplicate under this dbGaP study.The summary statistics for PanScan I-III were generated as detailed in Wolpin BM. et al., Genome-wide association study identifies multiple susceptibility loci for pancreatic cancer, Nature Genetics 2014; 46(9):994-1000 (https://www.nature.com/articles/ng.3052), and Klein, A. et al., Genome-wide meta-analysis identifies five new susceptibility loci for pancreatic cancer, Nature Communications, 2018;9(1):556 (https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-018-02942-5). The dataset includes results from an association study of 5,117 individuals diagnosed with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) and 8,845 control individuals, or a total of 13,962 subjects of European ancestry (as compared to the genotype and phenotype information under this project that includes 9,437 individuals (PanScan I and II PDAC case and control individuals and PanScan III PDAC cases only). This is due to the fact that PanScan III “borrowed” GWAS data from control individuals genotyped separately from the PanScan GWAS project and are therefore not included as raw genotypes in phs000206.v5.p3. Association analysis was performed separately for PanScan I-II and PanScan III, followed by a meta-analysis of the two datasets. Results were filtered based on a minor allele frequency (MAF) < 0.01, an imputation INFO score < 0.3 and a heterogeneity P-value < 1x10-10 leaving a total of 9,758,390 variants. Columns in the summary statistics dataset are as follows: ID: variant rsIDChr: chromosome numberPosition: position in the chromosome, genome build GRCh37/hg19MarkerName: variant identifierAllele1: reference alleleAllele2: alternative alleleFreq1: allele frequency for allele2FreqSE: standard error of the allele frequencyMinFreq: the minimal allele frequency across studiesMaxFreq: the max allele frequency across studiesEffect: effect size for allele2StdErr: standard errorP-value: meta-analysis p-valueDirection: summary of effect direction for each studyHetISq: I^2 statistic which measures heterogeneity on scale of 0-100%HetChiSq: chi-squared statistic in simple test of heterogeneityHetDf: degrees of freedom for heterogeneity statisticHetPVal: P-value for heterogeneity statistic

  Study phs000206

• Treatment of Pulmonary Hypertension and Sickle Cell Disease with Sildenafil Therapy (Walk-PHaSST)

  Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a progressive condition characterized by narrowing or stiffening pulmonary arterioles resulting in increased pulmonary blood pressure and reduced delivery of oxygenated blood to the body. It is a common complication of sickle cell disease and initially presents with the symptom of shortness of breath (dyspnea) on exertion. As the condition worsens, other symptoms such as dizziness, lower extremity edema, and chest pain can develop. The drug, sildenafil, works by relaxing blood vessels in the lungs which reduces pulmonary blood pressure and allows more oxygenated blood to circulate. Increased levels of oxygenated blood allows individuals with PAH to tolerate more activity, but guidelines for using sildenafil in patients with PAH and sickle cell disease were unavailable at the time of the Walk-PHaSST trial.Participants were screened for the existence of pulmonary hypertension with a six minute walk test and a Doppler echocardiogram that assessed TRV, diastolic function, and valvular and systolic function. Subjects with TRV ≥ 2.7 m/s received further clinical evaluation for possible causes of pulmonary hypertension. Other screening data included medical history, a physical exam, and standard laboratory testing. For individuals with moderate to severe pulmonary hypertension (TRV ≥ 3.0), a cardiac catheterization was done at the baseline and week 16 data collection periods.Subjects eligible for the main intervention trial based on screening results were randomized in a 1:1 double blind fashion to receive sildenafil or placebo for 16 weeks. Subjects received 20 mg of oral sildenafil or matching placebo 3 times daily for 6 weeks, followed by 40 mg 3 times daily for 4 weeks, followed by 80 mg 3 times daily for 6 weeks, as tolerated. Participants could also receive other therapies as needed to manage sickle cell and related complications. The primary outcome measure of the trial was change in the six minute walk test, a standard indicator of a person's heart and lung function and exercise capacity, from baseline to week 16. After completing the study treatment (or placebo), participants could choose to be part of the open-label follow-up phase of the study and continue to be assessed for up to one year.The study was intended to screen about 1000 subjects and randomize 132 subjects, however it was terminated early due to the unforeseen increase in adverse events in participants treated with sildenafil as compared to placebo. When the study was stopped, 33 participants had completed the trial. Subjects continued to be monitored, but were instructed to taper sildenafil treatment over three to seven days.There was no evidence that treatment with sildenafil impacted the six minute walk distance from baseline to week 16. In addition, treatment with sildenafil appeared to increase rates of hospitalization due to sickle cell disease pain.Due to in part to the early termination of the trial, the majority of subject data was collected from the screening phase of the study (n=720), as opposed to the main intervention trial (n=74).Instructions for requesting individual-level data are available on BioData Catalyst at https://biodatacatalyst.nhlbi.nih.gov/resources/data/. Apply for data access in dbGaP. Upon approval, users may begin accessing requested data in BioData Catalyst. For questions about availability, you may contact the BioData Catalyst team at https://biodatacatalyst.nhlbi.nih.gov/contact.

  Study phs002383

• Drug development for pediatric cancers: the importance of patient' s genomic data re-use

  Cancer in children is uncommon and the overall prognosis for most pediatric cancers is good. However, while the combined survival rates have improved over the last decades, certain childhood malignancies, such as high-grade gliomas or metastatic sarcomas, still remain incurable in most patients. New strategies for targeting those devastating diseases are imperative, and patient genomic data can become a key asset in the process [1]. The Pediatric Cancer Genome Project’s datasets At EGA, we store over 500 datasets with sequencing data from pediatric cancer patients. A remarkable case is the datasets belonging to the Pediatric Cancer Genome Project (PCGP) from St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital–Washington University (Table 1 - EGAS list). PCGP is an ambitious effort to identify the mutations that drive childhood cancer and find new cures. Those datasets include 600 patients with complete tumor and normal genomes from 15 different tumor types. PCGP datasets have been an important resource for various studies that pooled genomic data from different public and in-house datasets to perform extensive genomic characterizations and publish comprehensive pan-cancer pediatric studies [2],[3]. Other interesting pediatric cancer datasets are from the Pediatric Brain Tumor Consortium, Sickkids or ICGC PedBrain project. How data reuse impacts drug development for pediatric cancers Recently, in October 2024, Nature Communications published a work led by the University of Michigan where authors used data from EGA (PCGP) check the table below as part of their strategy to pursue the identification of new tumor vulnerabilities susceptible to becoming novel therapeutic targets in diffuse midline glioma. Diffuse midline gliomas (DMG) are treatment-resistant and uniformly fatal pediatric brain tumors. The prognosis of this brainstem tumor is dismal with a median overall survival of 9–12 months from diagnosis. In this study, the authors first developed a lab model of the disease and reanalyzed data from the EGA to identify genes potentially linked to tumor severity. This approach revealed involvement of specific metabolic pathways, suggesting new possibilities for therapeutic intervention. In mice, the study shows that the use of statins can improve survival. For a brief overview of the underlying science, diffuse midline gliomas present intratumor heterogeneity with subpopulations of less-differentiated oligodendrocyte precursors and more differentiated astrocytes. Authors established in vitro models to recapitulate both phenotypes and identify metabolic programs in both subpopulations. To determine the clinical relevance, the authors re-used gene expression data from 76 DMG patients identifying a gene signature predicting decreased overall survival. After extensive metabolic characterization of subpopulations, authors defined strategies to target specific metabolic vulnerabilities. Pre-clinical experiments in mice using OXPHOS inhibitors and statins showed a reduction in tumor burden and increased overall survival [4]. In this scenario, the re-use of high-quality patient’s sequencing data appeared as an advantageous strategy to support the clinical relevance of in-vitro and pre-clinical findings. On the other hand, in rare conditions such as childhood cancer, the availability of public datasets and the possibility of pooling data from different sources can be the only way to obtain impactful results that lead to improvements for patients. References Davidoff, A. M. Pediatric Oncology. Seminars in pediatric surgery 19, 225–233 (2010). Gröbner, S. N. et al. The landscape of genomic alterations across childhood cancers. Nature 555, 321–327 (2018). Venu Thatikonda et al. Comprehensive analysis of mutational signatures reveals distinct patterns and molecular processes across 27 pediatric cancers. Nature Cancer 4, 276–289 (2023). Mbah, N. E. et al. Therapeutic targeting of differentiation-state dependent metabolic vulnerabilities in diffuse midline glioma. Nature Communications 15, (2024). Datasets and Studies ID Title Access Policy Year EGAD00001000134 Driver mutations in histone H3.3 and chromatin remodelling genes in paediatric glioblastoma McGill-DKFZ Pediatric Brain Tumour Consortium 2016 EGAS0000100192 Somatic Histone H3 Mutations in Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Gliomas and Non-Brainstem Paediatric Glioblastomas St. Jude Children's Research Hospital - Washington University Pediatric Cancer Genome Project 2017 EGAS00001000575 Whole genome sequencing and whole exome sequencing of DIPG tumors and matched normal tissue The hospital for sick children ("SickKids") 2016 EGAD00001000792 Exome sequencing reads of paediatric glioblastoma McGill-DKFZ Pediatric Brain Tumour Consortium 2016 EGAD00001002006 Whole genome sequencing of paediatric glioblastoma in the ICGC PedBrain project ICGC PedBrain project 2016

  Blog drug-development-for-pediatric-cancers

• Genome-Wide Association Study of Breast Cancer in the African Diaspora - the ROOT study

  The paucity of data on the genetic epidemiology of breast cancer for racial/ethnic groups other than those of European ancestry hinders the development of innovative interventions to reduce health disparities. Women in the African Diaspora experience a disproportionate burden of pre-menopausal breast cancer in comparison to all other races for reasons that remain unknown and understudied. This higher proportion of early-onset breast cancer might suggest a stronger genetic component in these populations. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have revealed several genetic loci that confer risk of breast cancer. Because all GWAS started the discovery stage in women of European ancestry and replicated mainly in women of European ancestry, we propose a novel approach for a GWAS in indigenous African women to identify alleles associated with breast cancer risk which will then be replicated in other populations. This innovative design builds on our current understanding of the etiologic heterogeneity in breast cancer and the distribution of breast cancer molecular subtypes which differ between women of African ancestry and women of European ancestry. The major objective of the proposed studies is to get to the "root" causes of breast cancer by identifying breast cancer risk alleles in a pooled sample of women of African ancestry and to replicate our findings in other populations. To achieve this objective, we conducted a case control study of breast cancer in women of African ancestry, including Africans living in Nigeria, African Americans and African Barbadians. We will genotype ~3800 individuals using the Illumina HumanOmni2.5-Quad platform. We will conduct both standard and novel genetic analyses of the data to map genes associated with breast cancer susceptibility, verify genotyping and carry out fine-mapping studies in genes or regions showing association with breast cancer risk, and replicate in other African American and non-African American populations. By pooling unique resources from studies throughout the African Diaspora, this study has the potential to identify risk alleles in several genes that contribute to increased breast cancer risk and may have implications for early detection, prognosis and treatment of breast cancer in ALL women. This should ultimately lead to improved outcomes for those who suffer a disproportionate burden of early-onset breast cancer.

  Study phs000383

• GEI Studies - Psoriasis

  The GEI Studies Project was started as an NIH consortium involving 5 disease groups with funding provided through the Genes, Environment, and Health Initiative (GEI). The objective of the project was to optimize strategies for identifying rare variants as a follow up to genome-wide association studies (GWAS) using next-generation sequencing technology. One of the five targeted diseases, Psoriasis, is a multifactorial skin disease characterized by epidermal hyperproliferation and chronic inflammation that affects approximately 2% of Americans. Because only about one-third of all patients with psoriasis have a relative who is also affected with the disorder, psoriasis is not widely recognized as a genetic disease. However, previous research on families and identical twins has shown psoriasis has a strong genetic component, although environmental factors (such as infections, stress, and injuries) are also important. Although no definite psoriasis gene has yet been identified, research during the last ten years has revealed over forty potential gene locations that may contribute to the disease. Large amounts of data generated using next-generation sequencing technology would provide a more detailed characterization of sequence variation which would in turn increase the likelihood of detecting causative loci. With the presumption that rare variants are frequently the cause of a large portion of phenotypic variation, it was necessary to use large sample sets. In the main body of this study, we sequenced 4,966 samples (812 dermatologist-diagnosed cases of purely cutaneous psoriasis (PsC), 1,497 cases of rheumatologist-diagnosed psoriatic arthritis, 665 cases of cutaneous psoriasis with uncertain psoriatic arthritis status (PsV) and 1,992 controls) across 5.7 Mb of sequence containing 100 psoriasis candidate loci and 769 genes. For each candidate locus, we considered sequences within 250 kb of the strongest association signal. Within this window, three strategies were employed. For ten of the strongest psoriasis signals, we used a whole-region approach which included non-coding intergenic and intronic sequence. For four established loci of lesser significance, we targeted all full transcription units within the +/- 250 kb interval. For the remaining signals, we targeted the exons of all transcription units within the +/- 250 kb interval. Due to complexities of high-efficiency targeting of HLA genes we selected 5 specific candidate genes for sequencing near the HLA-C gene.

  Study phs000766

• Cooperative Study of Sickle Cell Disease (CSSCD)

  The Cooperative Study of Sickle Cell Disease was initiated in 1977 to determine the natural history of sickle cell disease (SCD) from birth to death in order to identify those factors contributing to the morbidity and mortality of the disease. Specific objectives included: 1) to study the effect of sickle cell disease on growth and development from birth through adolescence 2) to study the conditions or events that may be related to the onset of painful crises 3) to obtain data on the nature, duration, and outcome of major complications of SCD 4) determine the nature, prevalence, and age- related incidence of organ damage due to SCD, and 5) study the role of SCD and its interaction with selected health events.Phases 2 and 3 of the study involved followup of the infant cohort. A total of 709 infants (age less than 6 months) were enrolled during Phase 1 of the Cooperative Study of Sickle Cell Disease (CSSCD), and Phases 2 and 3 of the CSSCD was designed to follow these children for an additional 10 years. The study objectives included: 1) define prospectively the natural history of sickle cell disease; 2) determine the relationships between cognitive and academic functioning and brain status as determined by MRI; 3) determine the cognitive or behavioral markers of silent infarct; 4) determine the relationship of family functioning on the Family Environment Scale (FES) to brain status, cognitive functioning, and social and demographic factors; 5) continue studies that will enhance the state of knowledge on the influence of sickle cell disease on the psychosocial adjustment of children and adolescents. Phase 2A of the study sought to examine the progression of organ damage in the heart, lung, kidney, and liver in adult cohort patients (born before 1/1/56) enrolled in phase 1 of the study between 3/79 and 5/81. A total of 620 patients from 11 centers were eligible for phase 2A.Instructions for requesting individual-level data are available on BioData Catalyst at https://biodatacatalyst.nhlbi.nih.gov/resources/data/. Apply for data access in dbGaP. Upon approval, users may begin accessing requested data in BioData Catalyst. For questions about availability, you may contact the BioData Catalyst team at https://biodatacatalyst.nhlbi.nih.gov/contact.

  Study phs002362

• (Epi)genetic Risk Architectures of Opioid-Dependent Brain

  With nearly 20,000 overdose deaths in 2014 alone, opioid addiction (OA) has emerged as one of the most pressing public health crises in recent US history. One-fifth of individuals who try heroin develop an addiction to opioids. Genetics is a major contributor to OA with an estimated 60% heritability, only somewhat less than schizophrenia (80%) which has recently seen substantial gains in identified underlying genetics. Yet, studies to date have failed to uncover most of the genes that predispose individuals to OA, leaving the overwhelming fraction of OA heritability unexplained. The proposed study takes a novel, integrated "omics-based" strategy to investigate the molecular basis of OA and uncover both genetic and epigenetic factors associated with opioid addiction. The premise for our approach is founded on studies from our labs, and others, implicating regulatory variation in common traits and diseases, including those associated with complex brain phenotypes like addiction. We have collected the largest known cohort of postmortem brains from addicts who overdosed on opioids, along with matched control brains from non-users. From both cases and control specimens, we will isolate cells from 2 regions of the brain closely implicated in the addiction phenotype: the Prefrontal Cortex (PFC) and the Nucleus Accumbens (NAc). In Aim 1, we propose ChIP-seq studies to identify regulatory elements that distinguish cases from controls and define the opioid addiction phenotype. The regulatory differences will be connected to their gene targets through high resolution in situ Hi-C. In Aim 2, we propose QTL-based approaches to identify genetic variants that underlie the regulatory differences (hmQTLs). We also propose eQTL analyses to identify genetic variants that underlie differences in transcript levels between cases and controls. Aim 3 leverages the largest heroin addiction GWAS meta-analysis to date to test the hypothesis that SNPs in regions associated with chromatin and expression differences between cases and controls define novel loci for predisposition to OA. Each Aim has the potential for discovery independent of the others (differential HM, RNAexp, QTLs, and variant-phenotype associations) but their synergy is the most powerful component of the proposed study: identifying regulatory pathways that generate, not only phenotype associations, but hypothesized mechanisms for those associations which can be the focus of new opioid addiction prevention and treatment development.

  Study phs002724

• NHLBI GO-ESP Family Studies: Idiopathic Bronchiectasis of unknown etiology that is not related to cystic fibrosis or classic primary ciliary dyskinesia or immune deficiency or any other known causes

  The NHLBI "Grand Opportunity" Exome Sequencing Project (GO-ESP), a signature project of the NHLBI Recovery Act investment, was designed to identify genetic variants in coding regions (exons) of the human genome (the "exome") that are associated with heart, lung and blood diseases. These and related diseases that are of high impact to public health and individuals from diverse racial and ethnic groups will be studied. These data may help researchers understand the causes of disease, contributing to better ways to prevent, diagnose, and treat diseases, as well as determine whether to tailor prevention and treatments to specific populations. This could lead to more effective treatments and reduce the likelihood of side effects. GO-ESP is comprised of five collaborative components: 3 cohort consortia - HeartGO, LungGO, and WHISP - and 2 sequencing centers - BroadGO and SeattleGO. The major goal of this project is to apply next generation resequencing technology to identify disease-causing variants that cause bronchiectasis of unknown etiology (e.g. non cystic fibrosis (CF), classic primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD), immune deficiency, or any other known cause of bronchiectasis), i.e., "idiopathic bronchiectasis." As part of our ongoing efforts to define the genetic cause of rare lung diseases, we have also studied families in whom diagnosis of PCD or other known etiologies could not be confirmed. We have systematically collected and stored the DNA and phenotypic data on each of the families in our cohort. The phenotypic data includes age, gender, ethnicity information, clinical data pertaining to the airways disease, including neonatal respiratory distress, otitis media, sinusitis and bronchiectasis, ciliary ultrastructure analysis, and microbial colonization (status of nontuberculosis mycobacterium). During the course of our study, we have acquired 98 unrelated patients in whom bronchiectasis seemed to be of unknown causes. We will be using 11 unrelated patients, 5 unrelated affected sib-pairs, and 3 affected sibs from a family from this cohort, based on 1) development of bronchiectasis in the absence of smoking, 2) a good family pedigree with available DNA, and 3) a family history of bronchiectasis and/or occurrence of airways disease in a sibling. Classic CF, PCD and immune deficiency were ruled out, based on the tests described above. Alpha-1 antiprotease deficiency work up was negative and none of the patients were tobacco users or smokers.

  Study phs000518

• Center for Common Disease Genomics [CCDG] - Cardiovascular: Cardiology Biobanking for Biomarker Discovery

  This study is a part of NHGRI's Center for Common Disease Genomics, which is a collaborative large-scale genome sequencing effort to comprehensively identify rare risk and protective variants contributing to multiple common disease phenotypes. Current estimates anticipate that the CCDG program will sequence approximately 140K whole genomes and 225K whole exomes during the life of the project. The Cardiovascular Disease working group of the CCDG considered five diseases: early-onset coronary artery disease (EOCAD), stroke, atrial fibrillation, congestive heart failure and type 2 diabetes. Atrial fibrillation will affect between 6-12 million individuals in the US by 2050. AF also is associated with increased risks of stroke, dementia, heart failure, death, and high health care costs. Many risk factors for AF have been identified, including advancing age, cardiovascular disease (CVD), and CVD risk factors. However, there is little knowledge how to prevent AF. Furthermore, therapies for AF are only partially effective, and are themselves associated with substantial morbidity. Previously, heritable forms of AF have been considered rare; yet in the last decade, it has been established that AF, and in particular early-onset forms of AF, are heritable. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) provide a powerful tool to identify common variants underlying disease risk. The AFGen Consortium currently consists of investigators from more than 25 studies with >20,000 individuals with AF and >100,000 without AF. In the latest analyses, 14 loci have been identified for AF1. Broadly, the loci implicate genes related to cardiopulmonary development, cardiac-expressed ion channels, and cell signaling molecules.Source: https://ccdg.rutgers.edu/sites/default/files/CCDG_CVD_EOAF_FINAL_w_link.pdfThe BioHEART study is a multi-center, prospective, observational cohort study to identify new biomarkers in stable coronary artery disease (CAD) and acute myocardial infarction (MI) (ACTRN12618001322224). Participants are recruited at time of clinically indicated computed tomography (CT) coronary angiogram (CTCA). 1,950 of 5,000 planned participants have been recruited and serum/plasma/erythrocytes/monocytes stored, with follow-up ongoing. CTCA imaging studies provides volumetric quantification of total calcified and non-calcified plaque, which is assessed using established and novel scoring systems. Comprehensive molecular phenotyping is performed on blood samples using state-of-the-art genomic, transcriptomic, proteomics, metabolomic, lipidomic, and immunophenotyping. Outcome data will be used to build improved risk models for CAD.Reference: http://www.anzctr.org.au/ - ACTRN12618001322224

  Study phs002726

• International Consortium to Identify Genes and Interactions Controlling Oral Clefts

  Oral clefts represent the most common group of craniofacial birth defects in humans, and include cleft lip with or without cleft palate (CL/P) and cleft palate (CP). Oral clefts have a complex and heterogeneous etiology, with strong evidence for both genetic and environmental causal factors. Candidate gene studies and genome wide linkage studies have yielded compelling but inconsistent evidence that multiple genes control risk, and several studies have shown evidence for interaction between genes and environmental exposures, especially maternal smoking and nutrient intake. This consortium pulls together a very large collection of cases and their parents from multiple populations, and offers a unique opportunity to expand the search for genes controlling risk to the genome wide level. The specific aims are: To conduct a genome wide analysis on 2000+ case-parent trios ascertained through a case with isolated, non-syndromic CL/P or CP to test for linkage and disequilibrium. Initial analysis will consist of individual tests for gene effects while simultaneously testing for GxE interaction with common maternal exposures including vitamin supplementation, cigarette smoking and alcohol consumption (which have all been implicated as environmental risk factors for oral clefts). To use haplotypes in tests for GxE interaction incorporating population specific estimates. Since haplotype frequencies vary among populations, trios will be assigned haplotypes in a stratified estimation and then a pooled test statistic will be constructed. To test for interaction between SNPs in different genes showing evidence of influencing risk in a test for GxG interaction. To test for interaction between genes and maternal biomarkers using trios from Utah where measures of plasma folate, vitamin B-6, homocysteine and zinc in mothers are available. This study is part of the Gene Environment Association Studies initiative (GENEVA, http://www.genevastudy.org), which was developed through the trans-NIH Genes, Environment, and Health Initiative (GEI). The overarching goal is to identify novel genetic factors that contribute to oral clefts through large-scale genome-wide association studies of well-characterized cases and their parents from multiple populations. Genotyping was performed at the Johns Hopkins University Center for Inherited Disease Research (CIDR). The study was supported by the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR). Data cleaning and harmonization were done at the GEI-funded GENEVA Coordinating Center at the University of Washington.

  Study phs000094

• NHLBI GO-ESP: Early-Onset Myocardial Infarction Exome Chip (Broad EOMI)

  The NHLBI "Grand Opportunity" Exome Sequencing Project (GO-ESP), a signature project of the NHLBI Recovery Act investment, was designed to identify genetic variants in coding regions (exons) of the human genome (the "exome") that are associated with heart, lung and blood diseases. These and related diseases that are of high impact to public health and individuals from diverse racial and ethnic groups will be studied. These data may help researchers understand the causes of disease, contributing to better ways to prevent, diagnose, and treat diseases, as well as determine whether to tailor prevention and treatments to specific populations. This could lead to more effective treatments and reduce the likelihood of side effects. GO-ESP is comprised of five collaborative components: 3 cohort consortia - HeartGO, LungGO, and WHISP - and 2 sequencing centers - BroadGO and SeattleGO. As part of this initiative, the Broad has performed genotyping on several thousand subjects from 4 different cohorts on Illumina's ExomeChip platform as described below: The Duke Study: The Duke study enrolled cases from the Duke University Medical Center with myocardial infarction or coronary artery stenosis > 50%. Controls were individuals who were > 50 years old without coronary stenosis > 30% and without history of myocardial infarction, coronary artery bypass grafting, percutaneous coronary intervention, or heart transplant. The InterMountain Heart Study: The Intermountain Heart Study is an observational registry of individuals with coronary artery disease and healthy controls who received care at participating Intermountain Healthcare facilities. The Ottawa Heart Study: The Ottawa heart study enrolled cases with angiographically confirmed coronary artery disease (> 1 coronary artery with > 50% stenosis) who did not have type 2 diabetes and were ≤ 50 years old for males and ≤ 50 years old for females. Controls were also enrolled who were asymptomatic males > age 65 and females > age 70. PennCATH: PennCATH is a case-control study that recruited individuals undergoing coronary angiography at the University of Pennsylvania Hospital. Cases had angiographically confirmed coronary artery disease (>1 coronary artery with 50% stenosis) and were ≤ 55 years old if male and ≤ 60 years old if female. Controls were men > 40 years old and women > 45 years old with normal coronary angiography.

  Study phs000936

• PRE-DETERMINE: Biologic Markers and MRI SCD Cohort Study

  The PRE-DETERMINE Study is a prospective, multi-center study of 5,764 patients with a history of coronary artery disease (CAD) and documentation of either a prior myocardial infarction (MI) or mild to moderate left ventricular dysfunction (LVD) with left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) 35-50%. Patients were enrolled at 136 sites where information on baseline demographics, clinical characteristics, pertinent past medical history, lifestyle habits, cardiac test results, and medications were collected via electronic data capture. Electrocardiograms (ECG) along with a blood sample was also collected at baseline, sent to central laboratories, and stored for future analyses. Contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (CE-MRI) scans were collected on a subset of patients and analyzed. Enrollment closed in November 2013 and patients are now being followed centrally by the Clinical Coordinating Center via mail/phone to document interim non-fatal arrhythmic events and cause-specific mortality. Questionnaires that inquire about intervening implantable cardiac defibrillator (ICD) implantations, ICD therapies, cardiac arrest, and other pertinent cardiovascular endpoints are mailed to participants every six months, and follow-up telephone calls are made to non-responders. Study endpoints are being confirmed through review of medical records, interviews with next-of-kin, and autopsy reports, if available.The primary objective of PRE-DETERMINE is to determine whether biologic markers and ECGs can be utilized to advance sudden cardiac death (SCD) risk prediction in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) and LVEF >30-35%. The overarching goal of the study is to identify a series of markers that alone or in combination specifically predict risk of arrhythmic death as compared to other causes of mortality among this at risk population of CHD patients with preserved LVEF> 30-35%. If biologic or ECG markers are identified that can specifically predict risk of ventricular arrhythmias, then these markers may serve as relatively inexpensive methods to identify those at risk. The public health impact of identifying markers could be quite substantial, leading to more efficient utilization of ICDs and advances in our understanding of mechanisms underlying SCD.Among the 95% of participants that provided a blood sample at baseline, genome wide genotyping using the Illumina Global Screening Array (GSA) has been performed. A total of 4,335 participants with European ancestry gave consent that allows genetic research and deposition of data into dbGaP.

  Study phs002940

• Acute Respiratory Distress Network (ARDSNet) Studies 10 and 12 Statins for Acutely Injured Lungs from Sepsis (SAILS) (ARDSNet-SAILS-BioLINCC)

  Data Access NOTE: Please refer to the “Authorized Access” section below for information about how access to the data from this accession differs from many other dbGaP accessions. Biospecimens Access to Biospecimens is through the NHLBI Biologic Specimen and Data Repository Information Coordinating Center (BioLINCC). Biospecimens from ARDSNet-SAILS include Plasma, DNA, and Urine. Please note that use of biospecimens in genetic research is subject to a tiered consent. Objectives The SAILS trial was intended to assess the efficacy and safety of oral rosuvastatin in participants with sepsis-induced Acute Lung Injury (ALI) and test the hypothesis that rosuvastatin therapy would improve the clinical outcomes of critically ill participants with sepsis-associated acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Background In ARDS, inflammation in the lungs and other organs can cause life-threatening organ failure. Inhibitors of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase (statins) can modulate inflammatory responses. Previous observational studies suggested that statins improved clinical outcomes in participants with sepsis. Participants There were 745 participants. Design Participants were randomly assigned in permuted blocks to receive either enteral rosuvastatin or placebo. A 40 mg loading dose of the study drug was administered within four hours after randomization. Subsequently, maintenance doses of 20 mg were administered daily until the third day after discharge from the intensive care unit, study day 28, hospital discharge, or death, whichever came first. The primary outcome measure was mortality before hospital discharge home or until study day 60 if the participant was still in a health care facility. Secondary outcome measures included the number of ventilator-free days to day 28, organ-failure-free days to day 14, and ICU-free days to day 28. Conclusions The study was stopped because of futility after 745 of an estimated 1000 participants had been enrolled. There was no significant difference between study groups in 60 day in-hospital mortality or in mean ventilator-free days. The rosuvastatin group had fewer days free of hepatic or renal failure. Thus, rosuvastatin therapy did not improve clinical outcomes in participants with sepsis-associated ARDS and may have contributed to hepatic and renal organ dysfunction.

  Study phs003736

• Comparison of the treated celiac disease microbiome to that of controls

  Coeliac disease (CeD) is an immune-mediated disorder primarily affecting the small intestine, characterised by an inflammatory immune reaction to dietary gluten. CeD onset results from a multifaceted interplay of genetic and environmental factors. While recent data show that alterations in gut microbiome composition could play an important role, many current studies are constrained by small sample sizes and limited resolution. To address these limitations, we analysed faecal gut microbiota from two Dutch cohorts, CeDNN (128 treated CeD patients (tCeD), 106 controls) and the Lifelines Dutch Microbiome Project (24 self-reported tCeD, 654 controls), using shotgun metagenomic sequencing. Self-reported IBS (570 cases, 1710 controls) and IBD (93 cases, 465 controls) were used as comparative conditions of the gastrointestinal tract. Interindividual variation within the case and control groups was calculated at whole microbiome and strain level. Finally, species-specific gene repertoires were analysed in tCeD patients and controls. Within-individual microbiome diversity was decreased in patients with self-reported IBS and IBD but not in tCeD patients. Each condition displayed a unique microbial pattern and, in addition to confirming previously reported microbiome associations, we identify an increase in the levels of Clostridium sp. CAG:253, Roseburia hominis, and Eggerthella lenta, amongst others. We further show that the observed changes can partially be explained by gluten-free diet adherence. We also observe increased interindividual variation of gut microbiome composition among tCeD patients and a higher bacterial mutation frequency in tCeD that contributes to higher interindividual variation at strain level. In addition, the immotile European subspecies of Eubacterium rectale, which has a distinct carbohydrate metabolism potential, was nearly absent in tCeD patients. Our study sheds light on the complex interplay between the gut microbiome and CeD, revealing increased interindividual variation and strain-level variation in tCeD patients. These findings expand our understanding of the microbiome’s role in intestinal health and disease. Note that some of the data in this study belong to the Lifelines cohort. Access to this dataset can be requested via the page of the EGA data access committee EGAC00001001996. The phenotype data can be requested, for a fee, by filling the application form at https://www.lifelines.nl/researcher/how-to-apply/apply-here.

  Study EGAS50000000959

• Single Cell RNA Sequencing of Tendon Scar Tissue (Tenolysis)

  This human tenolysis sample was collected as a control (non-diabetic sample) as part of larger study described below.The purpose of the larger study is to define the cellular and molecular environment in tendons, pulleys, synovial sheath, tendon scar tissue, and palmar fascia samples. The samples are isolated from discarded tissues from patients who undergo lower limb amputation surgery, dupuytren's disease, trigger finger release, tenolysis surgery, tenosynovitis surgery, distal biceps tendon repair, common extensor debridement and repair, common flexor debridement and repair, or proximal long head of the biceps tenodesis.The dramatic increase in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) as part of the obesity epidemic is one of the most pressing health challenges facing the U.S. Type II diabetes results in systemic inflammation and is characterized by metabolic dysfunction including elevated plasma glucose levels (hyperglycemia). There is a clear link between T2DM and musculoskeletal pathologies; T2DM accelerates the progression of osteoarthritis, and increases fracture risk. Moreover, T2DM impairs tendon homeostasis and repair, and increases the risk and severity of tenosynovitis (infection of the tendon and sheath), however there remains a paucity of information regarding the molecular mechanisms of diabetes-induced changes in tendon function. Flexor and extensor tendons facilitate digit range of motion (ROM) and movement of the hand. Tendon gliding can be impaired by tendon fibrosis and an inability to fit within the surrounding synovial sheath, or due to the formation of fibrous adhesions between the tendon and synovial sheath during healing. Fibrosis and increased disorganization of the extracellular matrix are hallmarks of the diabetic hand phenotype observed in T2DM patients. T2DM dramatically affects the baseline function of tendons; up to 50% of diabetic patients experience impaired hand function, including increased rates of tenosynovitis, and carpal tunnel syndrome. In addition to decrements in tendon gliding function, deficits in mechanical properties are also observed, rendering diabetic tendons more susceptible to rupture. Considering that the complication rate of primary flexor tendon repairs is as high as 40% in non-diabetic patients, and that T2DM further impairs tendon healing, it is imperative to understand the cellular and molecular components of diabetic tendinopathy. The study will define the overall cellular and molecular environment in tendon pulleys, palmar fascia, synovial sheath tissue, and scar tissue (tenolysis and tenosynovitis samples) as a function of type II diabetes.

  Study phs004076

• Data Use Ontology (DUO)

  Data Use Ontology Data Use Ontology at EGA The EGA is committed to its involvement in the work of GA4GH. In an effort to enhance data discoverability and streamline data access, EGA have implemented the use of the Data Use Ontology (DUO), based on consent codes as described in Dyke et al. 2017. The Data Use Ontology codes will be displayed on the live dataset page of your submission to advise any would be requestor on how the data can be used and also to enhance data discoverability as users will be able to search on these codes to find applicable datasets. DUO can be browsed online via the Ontology Lookup Service Learn more reading the Data Use Ontology publication and the GA4GH Machine-Readable Consent Guidance! Check our DAC Portal Take The Tour and learn how to add DUO codes to your policy! Term Shorthand Label Description DUO:0000004 NRES no restriction This data use permission indicates there is no restriction on use. DUO:0000042 GRU general research use This data use permission indicates that use is allowed for general research use for any research purpose. DUO:0000006 HMB health or medical or biomedical research This data use permission indicates that use is allowed for health/medical/biomedical purposes; does not include the study of population origins or ancestry. DUO:0000007 DS disease specific research This data use permission indicates that use is allowed provided it is related to the specified disease. DUO:0000011 POA population origins or ancestry research only This data use permission indicates that use of the data is limited to the study of population origins or ancestry. DUO:0000012 RS research specific restrictions This data use modifier indicates that use is limited to studies of a certain research type. DUO:0000015 NMDS no general methods research This data use modifier indicates that use does not allow methods development research (e.g., development of software or algorithms). DUO:0000016 GSO genetic studies only This data use modifier indicates that use is limited to genetic studies only (i.e., studies that include genotype research alone or both genotype and phenotype research, but not phenotype research exclusively) DUO:0000018 NPUNCU not for profit, non commercial use only This data use modifier indicates that use of the data is limited to not-for-profit organizations and not-for-profit use, non-commercial use. DUO:0000019 PUB publication required This data use modifier indicates that requestor agrees to make results of studies using the data available to the larger scientific community. DUO:0000020 COL collaboration required This data use modifier indicates that the requestor must agree to collaboration with the primary study investigator(s). DUO:0000021 IRB ethics approval required This data use modifier indicates that the requestor must provide documentation of local IRB/ERB approval. DUO:0000022 GS geographical restriction This data use modifier indicates that use is limited to within a specific geographic region. DUO:0000024 MOR publication moratorium This data use modifier indicates that requestor agrees not to publish results of studies until a specific date. DUO:0000025 TS time limit on use This data use modifier indicates that use is approved for a specific number of months. DUO:0000026 US user specific restriction This data use modifier indicates that use is limited to use by approved users. DUO:0000027 PS project specific restriction This data use modifier indicates that use is limited to use within an approved project. DUO:0000028 IS institution specific restriction This data use modifier indicates that use is limited to use within an approved institution. DUO:0000029 RTN return to database or resource This data use modifier indicates that the requestor must return derived/enriched data to the database/resource. DUO:0000043 CC clinical care use This data use modifier indicates that use is allowed for clinical use and care. DUO:0000044 NPOA population origins or ancestry research prohibited This data use modifier indicates use for purposes of population, origin, or ancestry research is prohibited. DUO:0000045 NPU not for profit organisation use only This data use modifier indicates that use of the data is limited to not-for-profit organisations. DUO:0000046 NCU non-commercial use only This data use modifier indicates that use of the data is limited to not-for-profit use. Point to Notice: For the consent code DUO:0000007 where data is restricted to use on a specific disease, please accompany it with an appropriate ontology from MONDO e.g., If the data is restricted to the use of research into juvenile idiopathic arthritis the code should be displayed as DUO:0000007; MONDO:0011429.

  Documentation access/data-access-committee/data-use-ontology

• About

  About What's the EGA? The European Genome-phenome Archive (EGA) is a global network for permanent archiving and sharing of personally identifiable genetic, phenotypic, and clinical data generated for the purposes of biomedical research projects or in the context of research-focused healthcare systems. Jointly managed by the European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI) in Cambridge (UK) and the Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG) in Barcelona, we aim to advance biomedical research and promote personalised medicine worldwide by enabling discovery of and access to human genomic and health research data. The EGA contains data collected from individuals whose consent agreements authorise data release for specific research use to bona fide researchers. We ensure strict security measures to control access to the data and maintain patient confidentiality. With expertise in data management and technical infrastructure, we promote FAIR data reuse and enable researchers to share their data securely. By leveraging public funding and our strategic partnerships, the EGA provides a free service for permanent data storage, data discovery, and secure data access. In addition, we foster a federated network to provide transnational access to human research data in compliance with legal frameworks. For additional information about the EGA, please contact: Helen Parkinson and Mallory Freeberg EMBL European Bioinformatics Institute Arcadi Navarro, Roderic Guigó, and Jordi Rambla Center for Genomic Regulation History The European Genome-phenome Archive was launched in 2008 at the European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI), an outstation of the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), to address an identified need for archiving and sharing the results of genome-wide association studies from the Wellcome Trust Case Control Consortium. With the signing of a memorandum of understanding in 2013 and a formal agreement in 2016, the EGA became a joint project of EMBL-EBI and the Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG). The two institutes work together to support the EGA services, including supporting submissions, website, strategic leadership, and data infrastructure developments. In 2022, the Federated EGA was officially launched with the signature of the first five countries: Finland, Germany, Norway, Spain, and Sweden. With more than 20 additional nodes worldwide preparing to join, the Federated EGA aims to become the largest human omics data sharing initiative towards understanding human health and disease. EGA overview If you're a researcher you may need to deposit, manage, or access genomic data in a secure and regulated way. The European Genome-phenome Archive (EGA) is a platform that facilitates these processes, ensuring that sensitive data is stored and shared in accordance with legal and ethical regulations. Submission process To start a submission, you need to become an EGA submitter. For that, you’ll need to sign a Data Processing Agreement (DPA) with us, that defines the terms and conditions under which your data will be processed and shared within the EGA system. The access to each study is controlled by its Data Access Committee (DAC). The DAC is responsible for managing data access requests and ensuring that the release of data is in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Please, note that once your data is released, all public metadata related to your study and dataset(s) will be searchable on the EGA website. However, the files are only accessible under controlled access, which means that a DAC has to agree to a previous data access request. Request process It is possible to submit an access request to data stored at the EGA. The DAC assigned to the study will assess the request and, if approved, grant access to the data. Requesters must provide sufficient justification for your request and comply with the intended data usage in order to get access to it. Each dataset is covered by a Data Access Agreement (DAA) that defines the terms and conditions of use for the specified dataset/s. The DAA is created and provided by the DAC, and must be signed by the individual requesting access to the given dataset/s. Download process Once the request for access is approved, the data and metadata can be downloaded. The EGA offers various download options to fit the needs: it is possible to preview files without downloading them, download specific files of interest, or even download terabytes of data. Overall, the EGA provides a secure and regulated environment for depositing, managing, and accessing human data. Regardless of the role - submitter, DAC member, or requester - the EGA provides assistance for each while ensuring that sensitive data is managed in an ethical and responsible manner. More information on how EGA handles data is available in the EGA dataflow.

  Documentation about/ega

• Evaluation of EBUS-TBNA Aspirates from Advanced NSCLC for Comprehensive Sequencing Platforms Including Whole Genome Sequencing

  Endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) is often the only source of tumor tissue from patients with advanced, inoperable lung cancer. EBUS-TBNA aspirates are used for the diagnosis, staging, and genomic testing to inform therapy options. Here we extracted DNA and RNA from 220 EBUS-TBNA aspirates to evaluate their suitability for whole genome (WGS), whole exome (WES), and comprehensive panel sequencing. For a subset of 40 cases, the same nucleic acid extraction was sequenced using WGS, WES, and the TruSight Oncology 500 assay. Genomic features were compared between sequencing platforms and compared with those reported by clinical testing. A total of 204 aspirates (92.7%) had sufficient DNA (100 ng) for comprehensive panel sequencing, and 109 aspirates (49.5%) had sufficient material for WGS. Comprehensive sequencing platforms detected all seven clinically reported tier 1 actionable mutations, an additional three (7%) tier 1 mutations, six (15%) tier 2–3 mutations, and biomarkers of potential immunotherapy benefit (tumor mutation burden and microsatellite instability). As expected, WGS was more suited for the detection and discovery of emerging novel biomarkers of treatment response. WGS could be performed in half of all EBUS-TBNA aspirates, which points to the enormous potential of EBUS-TBNA as source material for large, well-curated discovery-based studies for novel and more effective predictors of treatment response. Comprehensive panel sequencing is possible in the vast majority of fresh EBUS-TBNA aspirates and enhances the detection of actionable mutations over current clinical testing.

  Study EGAS00001007708

• Genome-Wide Association Study of HCC in Non-Asian USA Population

  This GWAS of HCC relied on existing biological and data resources from 7 USA sites and one Canadian site which allows for the integration of genetic and environmental data. Total of 2199 case patients and 1103 non cancer controls were genotyped. Case patients are defined as patients with pathological or radiological diagnosis of HCC with and without chronic hepatitis C virus infection. Study was restricted to Caucasian population without prior infection with chronic HBV infection. All DNA samples were extracted from peripheral blood. Study population of the participated sites are: Site-1: University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center A hospital based-case-control study was initiated at UT MD Anderson Cancer Center in 2000 and approved by the Institutional Review Board of The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center. Study design was previously described in detailed (1-3). Written informed consent for an interview and for a biological sample was obtained from each participant. At time of diagnosis prior to treatment exposure. Case patients were recruited from the population of patients with newly diagnosed HCC who were evaluated and treated at the institution's gastrointestinal medical and surgical oncology outpatient clinics. Inclusion criteria were as follows: a pathologically confirmed diagnosis of HCC, U.S. residency, and the ability to communicate in English. Patients with concurrent or past history of other types of cancers were excluded. Control subjects were healthy spouses of patients with cancers other than liver, gastrointestinal, lung, or head and neck (smoking-related cancers) undergoing treatment at our institution. Eligibility criteria for control subjects were the same as those for patients, except that control subjects could not have ever had cancer. A short, structured questionnaire was used to screen potential control subjects on the basis of eligibility criteria. Control subjects and patients were recruited simultaneously. Case patients and control subjects were interviewed by well-trained interviewers who followed a written protocol to guide ascertainment and reduce surveillance, interviewer, and recall bias. No proxy interviews were conducted. The interviewers used a structured and validated questionnaire to collect information about demographic characteristics and potential risk factors for HCC such as personal smoking history, alcohol use, medical history, occupational history, and family history of cancer. Blood samples from cases and controls were tested for HBV and HCV. HCV antibodies, hepatitis B surface antigen, and antibodies to hepatitis B core antigen were detected by use of a third-generation enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) (Abbott Laboratories, North Chicago, IL). Important clinical information were retrieved from patients' medical records. Total of 1188 case patients and 278 controls from MD Anderson study were genotyped. Site-2: Mayo Clinic Case patients and controls included in the study from Mayo clinic were recruited as part of Mayo International Hepatobiliary Neoplasia Register and Biorepository. Only USA patients and controls were participated. All cases and controls signed informed consent indicating their willingness to participate in genetic studies. Epidemiological and clinical data were collected from participants and retrieved from medical records. Total of 522 HCC case patients and 182 controls were genotyped in this study. Site-3: Toronto University Molecular Epidemiology of Hepatobiliary Tumors (HBT study, CAPCR 09-0289) is a hospital-based study that includes 1710 patients diagnosed with liver, bile duct or gallbladder adenocarcinoma (Hepatocellular carcinoma - HCC; cholangiocarcinoma - CCA; and gall bladder adenocarcinoma -GBCa) recruited at University Health Network (UHN) between 2009 and 2018. HBT study is a prospective study of cancer patients that collects self-reported demographic and epidemiological data, medical records/clinical information and blood samples for research purposes. Eligible patients recruited between 2009 and March 15 2016 were selected to participate in the Genome-Wide Association Study in Patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma (GWAS in HCC, CAPCR 15-9943-CE), a sub-study of the HBT study. Eligible prospective patients recruited after March 15 2016 signed the Addendum to the HBT consent form and became eligible to participate in the GWAS in HCC study. Total of 271 cases and 21 controls were genotyped from Toronto University Site-4: University of Pittsburgh The design of the study has been described previously (4-6). Briefly, this population-based study enrolled 120 HCC patients and 230 matched controls from black, Hispanic, and non-Hispanic white residents of Los Angeles County who were between 18 and 74 years of age at diagnosis from January 1995 through December 2001. HCC Cases were identified through the Los Angeles County Cancer Surveillance Program. We sought to recruit up to two control subjects per case from the neighborhoods where HCC patients resided at the time of diagnosis, who were matched to the index case by sex, age (within 5 years), and race (Hispanic white, non-Hispanic white, black). Blood samples (plasma and buffy coat), medical and lifestyle factors were collected from all consenting participants. Total of 65 cases and 60 controls were genotyped in this study Site-5: South Western Dallas Under IRB approval, HCC Cases and controls were prospectively collected since 2015 from the outpatient Liver clinics from Parkland Health and Hospital System and UT Southwestern Medical Center, two large health systems in Dallas TX. A Total of 31 cases and 29 controls were genotyped from site 5. Site-6: Columbia University HCC patients from Columbia are those recruited as part of the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center Database Shared Resource which seeks to recruit all cancer patients for potential future studies. The PI is Dr. Katherine Crew AAAL5871. This resource collects sociodemographic, lifestyle and clinical data on patients as well as a blood sample. Those who indicated on their consent form that they would participate in genetic studies were included. Total of 79 case patients with HCC were genotyped from Columbia University. Site-7: University of Michigan The study population included from University of Michigan were included from a prospective study of with chronic HCV infection recruited in Ann Arbor Patients who had under- gone liver transplantation, known coinfection with HIV, life expectancy <12 months due to extra-hepatic illnesses, or were receiving HCV treatment at enrolment, were excluded. Protocol, surveys, and data forms were developed where each enrolled patient completed the same questionnaire All patients provided written informed consent before enrolment in the study. The study was approved by the institutional review board or ethics committee at the University of Michigan. Detailed study description was previously published (7). Total of 44 cases and 347 controls were genotyped Site-8: Veteran Administration Medical Center in Houston This research including written informed consent form was jointly approved by Institutional Review Boards for the Baylor College of Medicine and the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center in Houston, Texas. Study details have been previously published (8). Briefly, we prospectively recruited consecutive HCV-infected veterans prior to their previously scheduled HCV clinic visit at a large tertiary care VA medical center between May 1, 2009 and December 31, 2012. Patients completed a research assistant (RA) administered survey interrogating medical and risk factor history including lifetime alcohol use, had anthropometric measurements taken, and completed a fasting venipuncture for performance of the FibroSure-ActiTest as a measure of hepatic pathology. We restricted our current analysis to individuals who were: (1) White male veterans between 18 and 70 years; (2) had no history of HCC, liver transplant, decompensated liver disease including ascites, dementia, or psychosis; (3) were serologically-confirmed to have chronic HCV and to be negative for both HIV and active HBV infection; (4) were not currently receiving anti-HCV pharmacotherapy; and (5) had FibroSURE testing shown F3/F4 fibrosis consistent with cirrhosis.

  Study phs001744

• Serrated Colorectal Cancer: An Emerging Disease Subtype

  This dataset represents two combined study populations. Serrated Colorectal Cancer: An Emerging Disease Subtype (called the Advanced Colorectal Cancer of Serrated Subtype Study or ACCESS Study) was a grant awarded to investigate a newly-recognized, biologically-distinct subtype of colorectal cancer (CRC) called “serrated CRC.” The objective of this project was to characterize factors related to the genetic predisposition, clinical presentation, and prognosis of serrated CRC. The study recruited incident invasive CRC cases diagnosed between April 2016 and December 2018, aged 20-74 years at diagnosis. Cases were identified through the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) cancer registry serving 13 counties in western Washington State. Eligibility for all individuals was limited to those who were English-speaking and could consent. Participation included completing a baseline epidemiologic questionnaire shortly after diagnosis, optional donation of a saliva sample for genetic analysis, and optional consent to release of medical records and tissue specimens related to their diagnosis. Tumor specimens were tested for serrated CRC-defining molecular characteristics. Further, we have vital status on all participants and cause of death on those that have died since enrollment. Hormones and Colon Cancer: Epigenetic Subtypes, Risks, and Survival (called the Post-Menopausal Hormones Study or PMH Study) was a grant awarded to investigate the impact of post-menopausal hormone use on colon cancer risk, tumor molecular characteristics, and outcomes. Eligible cases were females, newly diagnosed with invasive colorectal adenocarcinoma between October 1998 and February 2002, aged 50 to 74 years. Cases were residents of 10 out of the 13 counties in western Washington State served by the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) cancer registry. Eligibility for all individuals was limited to those who were English-speaking with available telephone numbers, in which they could be contacted. Unrelated population-based controls were randomly selected according to age distribution (in 5-year age intervals) of the eligible cases by using lists of licensed drivers from the Washington State Department of Licensing (for individuals aged 50 to 64 years) and rosters from the Health Care Financing Administration (now the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid, for individuals older than 64 years). Participation included completing a baseline epidemiologic questionnaire, optional donation of a saliva sample for genetic analysis, and (for cases only) optional consent to release of medical records and tissue specimens related to their diagnosis. Tumor specimens were tested for epigenetic and other molecular characteristics. The ACCESS study was supported by funding from the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health (NCI/NIH) (R01CA196337, PI: Newcomb, PA), as was the PMH Study (R01CA076366, PI: Newcomb, PA). Additional support for the PMH Study came from the Seattle site of the Colon Cancer Family Registry (SCCFR) (U01CA167551, PI: Jenkins, M, and U01/U24CA074794, PI: Newcomb, PA). Additional support for case ascertainment was provided by the Cancer Surveillance System of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, which is funded by Contract Number HHSN261201300012I; NCI Control Number: N01 PC-2013-00012; Contract Number HHSN261201800004I; and NCI Control Number: N01 PC-2018-00004 from the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) Program of the National Cancer Institute with additional support from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center and the State of Washington. This research was also supported by the Genomics and Bioinformatics, Comparative Medicine, Specialized Pathology, Collaborative Data Services, and Experimental Histopathology Shared Resources of the Fred Hutch/University of Washington Cancer Consortium (P30 CA015704).Tumor marker testing was performed using formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded diagnostic tumor tissue specimens, and DNA extracted from those specimens. Testing for microsatellite instability (MSI) was based on either a 10-gene panel (BAT25, BAT26, BAT40, MYCL, D5S346, D17S250, ACTC, D18S55, D10S197, BAT34C4) or a 4-marker immunohistochemistry panel of DNA mismatch repair proteins (MLH1, MSH2, MSH6, PMS2). CpG island methylator phenotype (CIMP) testing was based on a validated quantitative DNA methylation assay using a five-gene panel (CACNA1G, IGF2, NEUROG1, RUNX3, SOCS1) or eight-gene panel (CACNA1G, IGF2, NEUROG1, RUNX3, SOCS1, MLH1, CRABP1, CDKN2A). Somatic p.V600E BRAF mutation status was tested for using a fluorescent allele-specific PCR assay. KRAS mutations in codons 12 and 13 were also assessed through forward and reverse sequencing of amplified tumor DNA. DNA was extracted from blood/saliva samples using conventional methods. The genotyping panel completed was the Build37 OncoArray500K-C, including 1%-6% blinded duplicates to monitor the quality of the genotyping. Quality control procedures were performed to 1) make sure that there were no patterns of missing data by batch, study, or plate, 2) check for gender discrepancies and kinship, 3) complete Principal Component Analysis, and 4) test for Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (HWE). Samples were excluded based on call rate, heterozygosity, unexpected duplicates, gender discrepancy, and unexpectedly high identity-by-descent or unexpected genotypic concordance (>65%) with another individual. In addition, variants were excluded based on call rate (98%), lack of HWE in controls (P

  Study phs002171

• Incentives and Case Management to Improve Cardiac Care: Healthy Lifestyle Program (HeLP)

  Data Access NOTE: Please refer to the “Authorized Access” section below for information about how access to the data from this study.Objectives: The HeLP study assessed how early case management, financial incentives contingent on cardiac-rehabilitation attendance, or both impacted adherence to cardiac rehabilitation among patients with lower socioeconomic status (SES) who had a cardiac-rehabilitation-qualifying diagnosis. Background:Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in the United States. Regular attendance at cardiac rehabilitation (CR) is the number one recommendation for patients who have experienced a recent cardiac event. CR is a secondary prevention outpatient program involving an individually tailored structured exercise program along with counseling and encouragement regarding lifestyle changes to reduce the recurrence of major cardiac events.Despite the benefits of CR attendance, enrollment and adherence to the program are low. This is particularly true of individuals of lower socioeconomic status (SES), who also generally suffer a higher burden from CVD on account of higher-risk cardiac profiles. As these profiles are the result of modifiable behavior targeted by CR (i.e., smoking, obesity, lack of physical activity), methods of increasing CR attendance among this population are necessary.Case management and financial incentives contingent on CR attendance are two potential strategies for addressing this issue. Previous studies have shown how trained case managers can support and assist patients with attending CR and improving their cardiac health, and how financial incentives can promote various types of health-related behavior. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate how these two interventions, individually and in tandem, fared at improving CR adherence among individuals of lower SES specifically. Participants:A total of 314 participants were screened, and 209 were randomized. All consented to have their data shared for research purposes. Design:Eligible patients were approached either while still in the hospital or during initial visits to CR. After obtaining informed consent, clinical and demographic characteristics (i.e., age, sex, education, race and ethnicity, smoking status, and CR-qualifying diagnosis) and depressive symptoms were collected. Participants then were randomized 2:3:3:3 to usual care (UC), case management starting in hospital (CM), financial incentives for attending CR (FI), or financial incentives plus case management (FICM). For all participants regardless of condition, an appropriate referral for CR was confirmed after randomization. Over the course of the study participants completed three assessments – one at intake, one after four months, and one after one year. Clinical (i.e., cardiorespiratory fitness, body composition, and cardiac-related quality of life) and sociocognitive (i.e., Beck Depression Inventory, Achenbach System of Empirically Based Assessment, and Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function) measures were obtained at each assessment. Participants randomized to the UC condition were contacted weekly by study staff for adverse event checks, but received no additional intervention. Participants randomized to the CM condition were immediately assigned a case manager. Case managers met with their participants, usually within 24 hours of consent while they were still in the hospital, to introduce themselves during an initial check-in. Within the first week of consent they completed a longer, more thorough initial needs assessment with their participant and established behavioral goals. For the next 16 weeks, case managers met with their participants at least once a week, typically over the phone, to discuss progress on these goals and address any problems or barriers that had arisen. Case managers also were available via phone outside of these regular meetings during normal working hours and Saturday mornings. Participants randomized to the FI condition could earn money for completing an initial CR orientation and attending CR sessions. Twenty dollars could be earned for completing the CR orientation session. CR attendance was reinforced on an escalating schedule starting at $10. Payments increased by $2 for each successive session attended, and capped out at a maximum of $40 per session. Unexcused absences resulted in the incentives for that session not being earned, and the potential earnings for the next scheduled session being reset to $10. Successful participation of two consecutive sessions following the reset resulted in the incentives being returned to the amount prior to the reset. In total, participants could earn $1220 for attending the initial orientation and all 36 sessions of CR. The primary outcome of interest was the percentage of participants who completed at least 30 sessions of CR. Secondary outcomes included the number of sessions completed, cardiorespiratory fitness (peak VO2 and estimated metabolic equivalents (METs)), body composition (waist circumference and BMI), depression scores, and both general and cardiac-related qualify of life. Conclusions:The two interventions involving financial incentives (i.e., financial incentives alone and financial incentives plus case management) significantly improved CR adherence compared to usual care. Subsequent analyses revealed that the combination of financial incentives and case management led to greater improvements in CR attendance than financial incentives alone.

  Study phs003737

• Center for Common Disease Genomics [CCDG] - Cardiovascular: Pharmacokinetic Polymorphisms in Japanese General Population

  This study is a part of NHGRI's Center for Common Disease Genomics, which is a collaborative large-scale genome sequencing effort to comprehensively identify rare risk and protective variants contributing to multiple common disease phenotypes. Current estimates anticipate that the CCDG program will sequence approximately 140K whole genomes and 225K whole exomes during the life of the project. The Cardiovascular Disease working group of the CCDG considered five diseases: early-onset coronary artery disease (EOCAD), stroke, atrial fibrillation, congestive heart failure and type 2 diabetes. Atrial fibrillation will affect between 6-12 million individuals in the US by 2050. AF also is associated with increased risks of stroke, dementia, heart failure, death, and high health care costs. Many risk factors for AF have been identified, including advancing age, cardiovascular disease (CVD), and CVD risk factors. However, there is little knowledge how to prevent AF. Furthermore, therapies for AF are only partially effective, and are themselves associated with substantial morbidity. Previously, heritable forms of AF have been considered rare; yet in the last decade, it has been established that AF, and in particular early-onset forms of AF, are heritable. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) provide a powerful tool to identify common variants underlying disease risk. The AFGen Consortium currently consists of investigators from more than 25 studies with >20,000 individuals with AF and >100,000 without AF. In the latest analyses, 14 loci have been identified for AF1 . Broadly, the loci implicate genes related to cardiopulmonary development, cardiac-expressed ion channels, and cell signaling molecules.Source: https://ccdg.rutgers.edu/sites/default/files/CCDG_CVD_EOAF_FINAL_w_link.pdfAnalysis of 165 pharmacokinetic-related gene polymorphisms (the number of polymorphisms may increase) using DNA derived from the blood of approximately 1,000 Japanese general populations. Tokai University School of Medicine Molecular Life Sciences 2 Isogo Lab has been trying to find new genes which contribute to the development of multiple diseases and to develop new methods for human genome diversity analysis that will lead to the development of technology for disease screening by finding genes related to diseases and incorporating gene analysis technology. Using this method, we are trying to clarify the relationship between the characteristics of rheumatoid arthritis and psoriasis vulgaris and genes to seek effective treatments and prevention methods. Raw sequencing data, metadata, vcf and phenotype data at individual level are available at https://anvilproject.org/data. For questions about availability contact help@lists.anvilproject.org.

  Study phs002985

• Genes for Non-Syndromic Congenital Heart Disease

  Congenital heart defects (CHDs) are the most common serious birth defect and a leading cause of infant mortality. Affected individuals who survive infancy require substantial medical care and experience lifelong morbidity and early mortality. Despite their prevalence and impact upon public health, the etiology of CHDs is poorly understood. Our long-term goal is to better define the genetic basis of CHDs and using this information, develop preventive measures and provide precise medical management based on genotype. As CHDs are a heterogeneous group of conditions, we have focused our studies on cases with conotruncal heart defects (CTDs) that comprise at least 36% of all CHDs and are a prominent feature of the 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11DS). We have conducted both SNP- and CNV-based genome-wide association studies as part of our previous and current P01 (HD070454). Our current analyses of genes and gene-sets provide new insights regarding the contribution of common and rare inherited genetic variants to CTDs. Specifically, based on the results from our studies as well as recently published findings, we hypothesize that: (1) CTDs are influenced by the full range of genetic variability (rare to common; de novo and inherited) in relevant gene-sets; (2) the number of disease-related variants within these gene-sets varies directly with CTD severity; and (3) gene-sets associated with CTDs in nonsyndromic individuals are also associated with CTDs in individuals with the 22q11DS. To augment our existing cohorts and thus substantially improve the statistical power of our proposed analyses, application was made to complete array genotyping of a set of patients with CTDs and in particular, those with mild disease represented by isolated aortic arch anomalies. The new cases with CTD and some with an isolated aortic arch anomaly were ascertained at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) while some of the cases with isolated aortic arch anomalies were ascertained by the Pediatric Cardiac Genomics Consortium (PCGC). A small group of cases with left-sided obstructive lesions from CHOP were included to combine with our existing datasets to serve as a comparison to those with CTD. The additional genotype data will augment the statistical power of the proposed common variant analyses. We anticipate that this work will reduce the gaps in our understanding of CTDs by identifying an explicit set of genes associated with CTD-risk by way of common variants. This work will also help define the genetic architecture for the full clinical spectrum of these common birth defects.

  Study phs002059

• Genetic Analysis of Normal Human Facial Variation

  The purpose of this project is to identify genes associated with normal human quantitative facial variation. The motivation for this project stems from the fact that very little is known about how variation in specific genes relates to the diversity of facial forms commonly observed in humans. Viable candidates for these morphogenes originate from a number of sources: tissue expression studies, animal models with targeted or spontaneous mutations, and genetic syndromes with craniofacial manifestations. Importantly, understanding the genetic basis for normal facial variation also has important implications for health-related research. For example, this work has the potential to shed light on the factors influencing liability to common craniofacial anomalies such as orofacial clefts. There is now ample evidence that certain facial features (e.g., increased midfacial retrusion) characterize individuals genetically at-risk for orofacial clefts (e.g., biological relatives of affected cases). While these predisposing facial features are statistically over-represented in at-risk groups, they are also common in the general population. Since many of the current candidate genes for clefting are thought to play a critical role in facial morphogenesis, variation in these genes may also underlie normal variation in these facial features. These candidate genes, however, probably represent only a small fraction of the total number of loci influencing normal human facial variation. Phenotypes for this project were obtained from over 3000 healthy Caucasian subjects recruited through three separate studies. The majority of the subjects were recruited as part of the 3D Facial Norms Project, which is described in extensive detail here: (https://www.facebase.org/facial_norms/notes). The provided dbGaP phenotypes include a series of anthropometric craniofacial measurements (linear distances) primarily derived from 3D photographic facial surface scans (see previous hyperlink). The specific genotyping requested is described elsewhere in this document. Our analysis team is pursuing a variety of different analytic approaches to derive genetically informative phenotypes, including various shape-based morphometric methods. For those interested in pursuing more advanced phenotypic approaches, the original 3D surface scans and additional phenotypic traits are available to researchers through the FaceBase Consortium. This dataset has the potential to facilitate the discovery of new genetic loci with an important role in both normal and abnormal facial development. It may also serve as a dataset to test hypotheses regarding specific SNP associations (e.g. as a replication dataset) or as part of a larger meta-analysis.

  Study phs000949

• A Genomic Atlas of Systemic Interindividual Epigenetic Variation in Humans (GTEx)

  Methylation of cytosines in CpG dinucleotides is an epigenetic mechanism with essential roles in mammalian development. To explore its functions in cellular differentiation, unbiased analysis of CpG methylation by whole genome bisulfite sequencing (WGBS) has been used to characterize epigenetic differences among different human tissues and cell types. Meanwhile, human interindividual variation in DNA methylation that is not cell-type specific has attracted relatively little attention. Systemic interindividual epigenetic variation is important, however, because like genetic variation it is a potential determinant of phenotypic variation and can be assessed in any easily obtainable DNA sample. Since systemic epigenetic variants originate in the preimplantation embryo, their establishment can be influenced by periconceptional environment, and potentially provide information about lifetime risks relevant to global health, obesity, and cancer. We elucidated systemic interindividual variation in CpG methylation in the human genome. We studied brain, heart, and thyroid tissues (representing all three germ layer lineages) from each of 10 donors in the NIH Gene-Tissue Expression (GTEx) project. We performed deep whole genome bisulfite sequencing for these 30 samples, achieving a sequencing depth of over 50x coverage per sample. We identified 9,926 correlated regions of systemic interindividual variation (CoRSIVs). These regions, comprising just 0.1% of the human genome, often correlate with one another over long genomic distances, are associated with transposable elements and subtelomeric regions, conserved across various human ethnic groups, and particularly sensitive to periconceptional environment. While genetic variation appears to influence methylation at most CoRSIVs, many show no evidence of genetic influence, suggestive of 'pure' epigenetic variation. At CoRSIVs, interindividual variation in DNA methylation in an easily biopsied tissue predicts expression in other tissues, and genes associated with these loci are implicated in a range of human disorders. In addition to charting a previously unrecognized molecular level of human individuality, this atlas of human CoRSIVs provides a resource for future population-based investigations into how interindividual epigenetic variation modulates risk of disease.Version 2 now also includes Target Capture Sequencing of CoRSIVs in 808 tissues (188 GTEx Donors). Focusing on the CoRSIVs identified by analyzing WGBS data, a Target Capture Bisulfite sequencing assay was developed. Using the genotype data of 188 GTEx donors, we assessed mQTL by capturing a 1MB region at each CoRSIV and quantifying methylation by Bisulfite-seq. The Target Capture Bisulfite sequencing data will be available to download via the AnVIL project.

  Study phs001746

• CCDG CVD: VIRGO - Variation in Recover-Role of Gender on Outcomes of Young Acute Myocardial Infarction (AMI) Patients

  The VIRGO study is a four year research project funded by the NHLBI to study young women and men with heart attacks. A total of 2,000 women who are 18 - 55 years of age and a smaller comparison group of 1,000 similarly aged men will be enrolled in this multi-site observational study from approximately 120 different hospitals across the country. Young women have a much greater risk of dying after an acute myocardial infarction (AMI) than similarly aged men. Their mortality risk is markedly higher than that of young men, and limited data on young minority women suggest that they may have the highest risk of any young subgroup. Findings from the small number of published studies of young women with ischemic heart disease suggest that the biology, epidemiology, care, and outcomes of this group are distinct from those of men. To date, there have been no large studies of this population, even as the death toll is comparable to that from breast cancer in this country. This study will help researchers identify key factors that influence recovery from a heart attack and potentially improve the care and outcomes of young women and men with AMI. Specific Aims: To investigate the excess risk in young women with AMI and to identify key demographic, clinical, metabolic, psychosocial, health care delivery, and biological determinants of prognosis, we propose a national, prospective, observational study of 2,000 women who are 55 years or younger with AMI and a smaller comparison group of 1,000 men. Our prior work and preliminary studies indicate that the sex differences are most prominent in this age group and suggest that by 1 year after discharge, there are substantial sex differences in outcomes. We will also develop risk stratification tools that will help clinicians to identify young women with the highest and lowest risk. Specific Aim 1: Determine sex differences in outcomes following AMI. Specific Aim 2: Determine sex differences in the prevalence and prognostic importance of demographic, clinical, and psychosocial risk factors. Specific Aim 3:Determine sex differences in quality of care. Specific Aim 4: Determine sex differences in the prevalence and prognostic importance of selected biochemical biomarkers following AMI. These samples have been whole genome sequenced as part of the NHGRI's Center for Common Disease Genetics at the Broad Institute.

  Study phs001259

• NHLBI TOPMed: The Genetic Epidemiology of Asthma in Costa Rica

  This administrative supplement to the project, "The Genetic Epidemiology of Asthma in Costa Rica" (R37 HL066289) is in response to NOT-HL-14-029 to perform whole genome sequencing (WGS) on existing NHLBI populations. We focus on asthma because of its public health significance. Asthma affects 26 million U.S. children and adults, remains a major cause of morbidity (one-half million hospitalizations a year) and is the most common cause of school and work days lost. Asthma-related costs are estimated to be over $12.7 billion annually. The Asthma Probands for both the extended pedigrees and the trios utilized in this study were selected on the basis of a physician diagnosis of asthma; a history of recurrent asthma attacks or at least 2 respiratory symptoms; and either airway hyperresponsiveness to methacholine or significant response to bronchodilator (Albuterol) administration. These criteria are identical to the criteria used in the Childhood Asthma Management Program (CAMP). The three primary goals of this project are to: (1) identify common and rare genetic variants that determine asthma and its associated phenotypes (height, weight, IgE level, lung function, bronchodilator response, steroid treatment response) through whole genome sequencing (WGS); (2) perform novel family based association analysis of our WGS data to identify novel genes for asthma; and (3) integrate epigenomic and transcriptomic data with our WGS data and determine the epistatic interactions present using systems genomics approaches. Identification of the molecular determinants of asthma remains an important priority in translational science. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have been successful in this regard, identifying at least 10 novel susceptibility genes for asthma. However, as with most complex traits, the variants identified by GWAS explain only a fraction of the estimated heritability of this disorder. Herein, we propose a novel family-based study design and state-of-the-art genome sequencing techniques to map a set of sequence variants for asthma and its associated phenotypes and assess the interrelationships of the identified genes and variants using systems genomics methods. We have assembled a team of investigators highly-skilled and expert in whole genome sequencing (Drs. Michael Cho and Benjamin Raby), genetic association analysis (Drs. Scott T. Weiss, Jessica Lasky-Su and Christoph Lange), integrative genomics (Drs. Raby, Kelan Tantisira, Augusto Litonjua and Dawn DeMeo), and systems genomics (Drs. Weiss, Amitabh Sharma, Lange and Raby) to address this important problem with both a novel study design and data set.

  Study phs000988

• Framingham Heart Study-Cohort (FHS-Cohort) - Imaging

  The Framingham Heart Study (FHS) is a population-based, observational cohort study initiated in 1948 to prospectively investigate the determinants of cardiovascular disease to guide public health prevention. The FHS began by recruiting an Original Cohort of 5,209 men and women between the ages of 30 and 62 from the town of Framingham, Massachusetts, who had not yet developed overt symptoms of cardiovascular disease or suffered a heart attack or stroke. The Original cohort Exam 1 took place between 1948 and 1953. Since that time the cohort has had a total of 32 biennial exams (ending in 2014) and event follow-up through 2022. In 1971, the FHS added the Offspring cohort, comprising 5124 children whose parents were enrolled in the Original cohort and the spouses of the children. This cohort on average has been examined every three to four years. However, there was an eight year gap between Exam 1 and Exam 2 and a seven year gap between Exam 7 and Exam 8. The latest exam (10) was completed in 2022. In 2002, the transgenerational FHS design was facilitated with the recruitment of 4095 children of the Offspring cohort (Third Generation), and 103 spouses of the Offspring who were not previously enrolled in the study (New Offspring Spouses, NOS). These cohorts have completed 3 exams through 2019. To reflect the changing demographic characteristics of the greater Framingham community, the FHS additionally recruited and enrolled 2 cohorts comprising racial and ethnic minority groups, termed Omni-1 and Omni-2, (n = 506 and 410, respectively) in 1995 and 2002, respectively. These cohorts included individuals of African American, Hispanic, Asian, Indian, Native American, and Pacific Islander descent. The OMNI-1 cohort have completed 5 exams through 2022. The OMNI-2 cohort have completed 3 exams through 2019. Data available for request include Echocardiogram images, available from the following exams in each cohort. Original Cohort: exams 18-32; Offspring cohort: exams 3-10; Third Generation, NOS and OMNI-2 cohorts: exams 1-3; OMNI-1 cohort: exams 1-5.CT image data at one or two timepoints were added for 4427 participants in the offspring, third generation, and OMNI1 and OMNI2 cohorts.Summary level phenotypes for the Framingham Cohort study participants can be viewed at the top-level study page phs000007 Framingham Cohort. Individual level phenotype data and molecular data for all Framingham top-level study and substudies are available by requesting Authorized Access to the Framingham Cohort study phs000007.

  Study phs003593

• Women's Environmental Cancer and Radiation Epidemiology (WECARE) Study

  Study population The WECARE Study is an international multicenter population-based case-control study of cases with asynchronous contralateral breast cancer (CBC) and individually matched controls with unilateral breast cancer (UBC). Recruitment and data collection for the WECARE Study were conducted in two phases, herein referred to as WECARE I (2001–2004) and WECARE II (2009–2012). The study design of the first phase (WECARE I) has been described in detail elsewhere [Bernstein JL, et al 2004, PMID: 15084244]; the second phase (WECARE II) employed a nearly identical approach [Langballe R, et al 2016, PMID: 27400983]. Participants in each phase were identified through eight population-based cancer registries, including six in the United States that contribute to the National Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) program: Los Angeles County Cancer Surveillance Program; Cancer Surveillance System of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center (Seattle region, WA); State Health Registry of Iowa; Cancer Surveillance Program of Orange County/San Diego-Imperial Organization for Cancer Control (Orange County/San Diego, CA); the Greater Bay Area Cancer Registry (San Francisco Bay Area region and Santa Clara region, CA); and the Sacramento and Sierra Center Registry (Sacramento region, CA). Participants were additionally identified using the Ontario Cancer Registry (Canada) and the Danish Breast Cancer Cooperative Group Registry, supplemented by data from the Danish Cancer Registry. The study protocol was approved by the institutional review or regulatory ethics boards at each study site. Data collection Study participants were interviewed by telephone using a structured questionnaire aimed at evaluating known or suspected breast cancer risk factors, including personal demographics, medical history, menstrual and reproductive history, family history of cancer, use of hormones, smoking, and alcohol intake. Risk factor status was assessed during the period prior to first diagnosis, as well as between first diagnosis and reference date (i.e., the at-risk period for CBC). Detailed data on treatment and tumor characteristics were obtained directly from cancer registry records or by abstracting medical records, including pathology and surgical reports, radiation oncology clinic notes, and systemic adjuvant treatment data. Complete medical treatment history information was collected, and for all women who received radiotherapy, the radiation dose to the contralateral breast was reconstructed using radiotherapy records and radiation measurements. Biospecimens were collected from study participants for genotyping: blood collected from WECARE I women; and saliva collected from WECARE II women.

  Study phs003945

• GA4GH

  Standards The EGA is a long-standing supporter of the Global Alliance for Genomics & Health (GA4GH) to enhance responsible sharing of human genetic data through the development of interoperable global standards for human data access. The EGA is one of the founding GA4GH Driver Projects and has contributed to the development and implementation of several GA4GH standards and APIs. Below is a list of the GA4GH standards and APIs that are currently available or planned for implementation at EGA. TechnicalStandards Purpose SpecificationVersion SupportedVersion Implementation Large Scale Genomics htsget A protocol for secure, efficient, and reliable access to sequencing read and variation data. V1.3.0 V1.0.0 Specification Documentation Endpoint Read File Formats (SAM/BAM/CRAM) Specifications for storing next-generation sequencing read data. V3.0.0 V3.0.0 Implementation Example of Usage Variation File Formats (VCF/BCF) The specifications for Variant Call Format Files (VCF) and its binary counterpart BCF. V4.0.0 V2.0.0 V4.0.0 V2.0.0 Implementation Example of Usage Crypt4GH v1.0 Enables direct byte-level compatible random access to encrypted genetic data stored in community standards (e.g. CRAM, VCF) V1.0 V1.0 Specification Documentation Endpoint refget API Enables access to reference sequences using an identifier derived from the sequence itself. V1.2.6 NA Specification RNAget API v1 Provides a means of retrieving data from several types of RNA experiments including (i) feature-level expression data from RNA-seq type measurements and (ii) coordinate-based signal/intensity data similar to a bigwig representation via a client/server model. V1.0.0 NA Documentation Discovery Beacon v2 Supports discovery of genomic variants, phenotypes, and individuals V1.0.1 V0.3 Web UI API Source Code Service Info API v1 The Service Info API is an endpoint for describing GA4GH service metadata, designed for extension and inclusion in other APIs. Service info is used to describe a single service, while Service Registry is used to describe multiple services. V1.0.0 NA Documentation Service Registry API v1 provides information about other GA4GH services, primarily for the purpose of organizing services into networks or groups and service discovery across organizational boundaries. V1.0.0 NA Documentation Data Use Researcher Identities Data Use Ontology (DUO) Allow users to semantically tag genomic datasets with usage restrictions, allowing them to become automatically discoverable based on a health, clinical, or biomedical researcher’s authorisation level or intended use. 2021-02-23 2021-02-23 Specification Documentation Endpoint Authentication & Authorization Infrastructure (AAI) The GA4GH AAI specification leverages OpenID Connect (OIDC) Servers for use in authenticating the identity of researchers desiring to access clinical and genomic resources from data holders adhering to GA4GH standards, and to enable data holders to obtain security-related attributes of those researchers. V1.2.0 V1.2.0 API URI: ega.ebi.ac.uk:8443 Documentation Repository Researcher IDs (passport, visa) Specify the collection of researchers that may access a dataset at any given time, and the credentials they must supply. V1.0.1 V1.0.1 Specification Documentation Endpoint Cloud Tool Registry Service API TRS is a standard API for exchanging tools and workflows to analyze, read, and manipulate genomic data. V2.0.1 NA Documentation Repostiory Data Repository Service API ​DRS API is a standard for building data repositories and adapting access tools to work with those repositories, works with other approved APIs from the GA4GH Cloud Work Stream to allow researchers to discover algorithms across different cloud environments and send them to datasets they wish to analyse. V1.0.3 NA Documentation Repostiory Workflow Execution Service API This API lets users run a single workflow (defined using CWL or WDL) on multiple different platforms, clouds, and environments, and be confident that it will work the same way. The API provides methods to request that a workflow be run, pass parameters to that workflow, get information about running workflows, and cancel a running workflow. V1.0.1 NA Documentation Repostiory Genomic Knowledge Standards Variation Representation v1 Provides a flexible framework of computational models, schemas, and algorithms to precisely and consistently exchange genetic variation data across communities. V1.3.0 EGA team is contributing to including it in in Beacon v2 Specification and Elixir Reference Implementation Documentation Repostiory Clin/ Pheno Data Capture Phenopackets Provides information models with different levels of complexity to enable high level clinical phenotype information as well as deep clinical phenotype information to be exchanged. V2.0.0 Included in Ongoing Submissions EGA team is contributing to including it in in Beacon v2 Specification and Elixir Reference Implementation Documentation Repostiory Driver Project The EGA, jointly coordinated by the EBI and the CRG, was announced, in 2017, to be one of the 15 Driver Projects for GA4GH. Driver Projects are international genomic data initiatives, focussed on real projects and challenges that will guide the development efforts in order to accelerate and enable completely responsible and standarised data sharing by 2022. All chosen Driver Projects make a cross-sectional effort by playing an important role across the different workstreams. Thomas Keane, Jordi Rambla, Mallory Freeberg, and Aina Jené have been named Driver Project Champions for the EGA. All Driver Project Champions will be leading this ambitious initiative for the following years.

  Documentation about/projects-and-funders/ga4gh

• Proteomic predictors of individualized nutrient-specific insulin secretion in health and disease

  Population level variation and molecular mechanisms behind insulin secretion in response to carbohydrate, protein, and fat remain uncharacterized despite ramifications for personalized nutrition. We now define prototypical insulin secretion dynamics in response to the three macronutrients in islets from 140 cadaveric donors, including those diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. We leverage the insulin response heterogeneity and use transcriptomics and proteomics to identify molecular pathways of specific nutrient responsiveness. Surprisingly, we find robust insulin secretion to fatty acid stimulus in ~8% of donors, challenging the idea that fat has negligible effects on insulin release. Distinct islet proteomes with differences in metabolic signalling networks convey this hyper-responsiveness to fat relative to carbohydrate. By comparing human islets to human embryonic stem cell-derived islet clusters, we show that, unlike glucose-responsiveness, fat hyper-responsiveness is equivalent and may be a hallmark of functionally immature cells. Our study represents the first comparison of dynamic responses to nutrients and multi-omics analysis in human insulin secreting cells. Responses of different people’s islets to carbohydrate, protein, and fat lay the groundwork for personalized nutrition.

  Study EGAS00001007241

• Gut microbiome dynamics unravelled with metagenomics sequencing

  It has been already several years since we discovered that microbial therapeutics like Faecal Microbiota Transplantation can be used to treat Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) and Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) with great success. The concept has challenged us to test the limits of our knowledge with the perspective to improve health in the most diverse conditions like Parkinson disease, depression, autism and obesity, just to mention a few. Note: the figure belongs to the original paper and is owned by the authors. Allyson L.Bird and colleagues from Genentech Inc. (San Francisco) recently published an interesting study building up on the key concept that “As microbial therapeutics are increasingly being tested in diverse patient populations, it is essential to understand the host and environmental factors influencing the microbiome.” The authors of this work analysed 1359 gut microbiome samples using shotgun metagenomics sequencing.  The results of the comparison done between microbiota composition across the different groups showed that biological sex is the strongest driver of diversity, while aging (age range studied: 20–69) appears to be the second factor. As smartly outlined in the authors’ own graphical abstract (figure to the left), Bacteroidota species consistently increased with donors' age while Actinobacteriota species, including Bifidobacterium, decreased. This study also integrated data from oncological patients to draw cancer-related evidences. After correcting the biases for technical and geographic differences, they found that cancer patients show significantly altered gut bacterial communities compared with their healthy counterparts. Eg. E.coli was found to be increased in cancer patients together with Bacteroidota/Firmicutes ratios. By comparing sequential samples taken from the same donors (413) within short-distance time points, the authors found that in the short term, intra-individual differences were less than the inter-individual ones, indicating a certain community stability being the norm. One of the pivotal points from this interesting study is that the data proceeds from extremely well-defined and selected donors. Specifically, the data for 949 selected healthy donors came from the Milieu Intérieur (MI) Consortium and extensive metadata, including demographic variables, serological measures, dietary information, and systemic immune profiles, are available. This precise stratification allowed for the robust detection of smaller changes, compared to former works. All sequencing data has been deposited in the EGA archive under the accession number EGAS00001004437. Enjoy this amazing open access paper published in the Experimental Journal of Medicine on January 2021.

  Blog gut-microbiome-dynamics-unravelled