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• Effects of busulfan, fludarabine and clofarabine treatment on human small intestinal organoids generated from healthy donors

  The intestine is vulnerable to chemotherapy-induced toxicity due to its high epithelial proliferative rate, making gut toxicity an off-target effect in several cancer treatments, including conditioning regimens for allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HSCT). In HSCT, intestinal damage is an important factor in the development of Graft-versus-Host Disease (GVHD), an immune complication in which donor immune cells attack the recipient's tissues. Here, we developed a novel human intestinal organoid-based 3D model system to study the effects of chemotherapy-induced intestinal epithelial damage at the RNA level. We show that chemotherapy conditioning specifically reprograms the intestinal epithelial transcriptome after treatment with either busulfan (3.5μM), fludarabine (15μM) or clofarabine (0.5μM) for 24h. This knowledge can potentially enable us to understand which changes undergo in healthy tissues upon conditioning and how those are related with immune activation typical in GVHD.

  Study EGAS00001007550

• Sequencing component for the whole genome methylation analysis in PBMCs and cell subsets (pilot study)

  DNA methylation has been shown to play a major role in determining cellular phenotype by regulating gene expression. Moreover, dysregulation of differentially methylated genes has been implicated in disease pathogenesis of various conditions including cancer development as well as autoimmune diseases such as systemic Lupus erythematosus and rheumatoid arthritis. Evidence is rapidly accumulating for a role of DNA methylation in regulating immune responses in health and disease. However, the exact mechanisms remain unknown. The overall aim of the project is to investigate the role of epigenetic mechanisms in regulating immunity and their impact on autoimmune disease pathogenesis.The aim of this pilot study is to perform whole genome methylation analysis in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and cell subsets (CD4, CD8, CD14, CD19, CD16 and whole PBMCs) obtained from 6 healthy volunteers. Whole genome methylation analysis will be performed using two methodological approaches, the Infinium Methylation Bead Array K450 (Illumina) and MeDIP-seq. mRNA expression arrays will also be performed in order to correlate DNA methylation with gene expression as well as genotyping on the Illumina OmniExpress chip

  Dataset EGAD00001000394

• Kids First and INCLUDE: Down Syndrome, Heart Defects, and Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

  This project is a collaboration with the trans-NIH INvestigation of Co-occurring conditions across the Lifespan to Understand Down syndromE (INCLUDE) Project, which seeks to improve health and quality-of-life for individuals with Down syndrome, and NHLBI's TransOmics for Precision Medicine (TOPMed) program, which seeks to apply omics technologies to improve scientific understanding of the fundamental biological processes that underlie heart, lung, blood, and sleep (HLBS) disorders. The data is also available at the INCLUDE Data Hub. Down syndrome (DS), which occurs due to trisomy 21, is one of the strongest risk factors for both congenital heart disease (CHD) and acute leukemia. For instance, children with DS have a 2000-fold increased risk of atrioventricular septal defects (AVSD) and a 20-fold increased risk of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). An important and innovative aspect of the Kids First program is understanding the overlap between structural birth defects and childhood cancer. Notably, the background of DS predisposes children to both of these phenotypes, however, the genomic architecture of risk remains largely undiscovered. In this joint Kids First/TOPMed/INCLUDE project, we are currently including >2,000 samples for whole-genome sequencing, including: 1) paired germline-tumor samples from children with DS-ALL; and 2) samples from families with DS-CHD. This work will advance our understanding of the developmental pathways that may lead to both structural birth defects and childhood cancer. The objectives of this study are to determine the genetic variants underlying AVSD and ALL risk in children with DS. Therefore, the aims of our study are: 1) compare whole-genome sequencing (WGS) data between children with documented DS-AVSD and children with DS who have structurally normal hearts to identify genetic variants that perturb heart development; and 2) compare WGS data between children with documented DS-ALL and children (from Aim 1) with DS who do not have a known history of ALL. We will also examine associations between germline mutations and somatic genomic features. This study will address the fundamental question of why children with DS have an elevated risk of AVSD and ALL. Insights into the genes that drive DS-AVSD and DS-ALL may have implications for improved genetic counseling, surveillance, clinical management, and treatment strategies for these children. Additionally, our findings may inform targeted therapies or interventions for children without DS who are at risk for structural birth defects and cancer. Additional Pediatric Cardiac Genetics Consortium (PCGC) data from children affected with Down syndrome and congenital heart disease are accessible through two separate dbGaP studies: phs001138 (Kids First) and phs001194 (TOPMed).

  Study phs002330

• Enhanced cortical neural stem cell identity through SMAD/WNT inhibition in human cerebral organoids facilitates emergence of outer radial glial cells

  Cerebral organoids exhibit broad regional heterogeneity accompanied by limited cortical cellular diversity despite the tremendous upsurge in derivation methods, suggesting inadequate patterning of early neural stem cells (NSCs). Here we show that a short and early dual-SMAD/WNT inhibition course is necessary and sufficient for establishing robust and lasting cortical organoid NSC identity, efficiently suppressing of non-cortical NSC fates, while other widely used methods are inconsistent in their cortical NSC specification capacity. Accordingly, this method selectively enriches for outer radial glia (oRG) NSCs, which cytoarchitecturally demarcate well-defined outer sub-ventricular (oSVZ)-like regions propagating from superiorly radially organized, apical cortical rosette NSCs. Finally, this method culminates in the emergence of molecularly distinct deep and upper cortical layer neurons, and reliably uncovers cortex-specific microcephaly defects. Thus, a short SMAD/WNT inhibition is critical for establishing a rich cortical cell repertoire that enables mirroring fundamental molecular and cytoarchitectural features of cortical development and meaningful disease modeling.

  Study EGAS00001006063

• Drug screening reveals new insight for chemoresistant hepatoblastoma

  Hepatoblastoma (HB) is the most prevalent form of pediatric liver cancer. Although the standard treatment, primarily based on cisplatin, is effective in 80% of patients, it falls short in high-risk cases due to the development of chemoresistance. To identify new therapies overcoming this resistance, we screened 101 individual therapeutic compounds and 58 combinations, across 8 pediatric liver cancer cell lines. We identified ATR as a critical target to reverse cisplatin resistance. The ATR inhibitor elimusertib demonstrated the greatest synergy with cisplatin in 2D and 3D cultures and in subcutaneous xenograft models of cisplatin-resistant HB. This combination was found to enhance DNA damage and induces apoptosis through strong p53 activation. In conclusion, our study underscores the crucial role of ATR in cisplatin resistance and highlights the promising anti-proliferative effects of the Elimusertib/Cisplatin combination in cisplatin-resistant HB models, offering a potential new therapeutic option for treating high-risk and refractory HB.

  Study EGAS00001007916

• Study of the rare and low frequency variants in the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean population

  The Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean (SLSJ) region is located in northeastern Quebec and is known for its unique demographic history and founder effect. Since founder populations are enriched with population-specific variants, we characterized the variants distribution in SLSJ and compared it with four European populations (Finnish, Sweden, United Kingdom and France), of which the Finnish population is another founder population. Targeted sequencing of the coding and non-coding immune regulatory regions of the SLSJ asthma familial cohort and the four European populations were performed. Rare and low-frequency coding and noncoding regulatory variants identified in the SLSJ population were then investigated for variant- and gene-level associations with asthma and allergy related-traits (eosinophil percentage, immunoglobulin (Ig)E levels and lung function). Our data showed that (1) rare or deleterious variants were not enriched in the two founder populations as compared to the three non-founder European populations; (2) a larger proportion of founder population-specific variants occurred with higher frequencies; and (3) low-frequency variants appeared to be more deleterious. Furthermore, a rare variant, rs1386931, located in the 3’UTR of CXCR6 and intron of FYCO1 was found to be associated with eosinophil percentage. Gene-based analyses identified NRP2, MRPL44 and SERPINE2 to be associated with various asthma and allergy related traits. Our study demonstrated the usefulness of using a founder population to identify new genes associated with asthma and allergy-related traits; thus better understand the genes and pathways implicated in pathophysiology.

  Study EGAS00001003103

• Nicotine dependence GWAS meta-analysis across European and African American ancestries

  Cigarette smoking is the leading cause of preventable morbidity and mortality. Knowledge is evolving on genetics underlying initiation, regular smoking, nicotine dependence (ND), and cessation. We performed a genome-wide association study using the Fagerström Test for ND (FTND) in 58,000 smokers of European or African ancestry. Five genome-wide significant loci, including two novel loci MAGI2/GNAI1 (rs2714700) and TENM2 (rs1862416) were identified, and loci reported for other smoking traits were extended to ND. Using the heaviness of smoking index (HSI) in the UK Biobank (N=33,791), rs2714700 was consistently associated, but rs1862416 was not associated, likely reflecting ND features not captured by the HSI. Both variants were cis-eQTLs (rs2714700 for MAGI2-AS3 in hippocampus, rs1862416 for TENM2 in lung), and expression of genes spanning ND-associated variants was enriched in cerebellum. SNP-based heritability of ND was 8.6%, and ND was genetically correlated with 13 other smoking traits (rg=0.40-0.95) and co-morbid diseases. Our results emphasize the FTND as a composite phenotype that expands genetic knowledge of smoking, including loci specific to ND.

  Study phs001532

• Saliva microbiota in Finnish children

  The human intestinal microbiota may play a role in the development of overweight and obesity. However, associations between saliva microbiota and body mass index (BMI) have been sparsely studied, although the oral cavity is the major gateway for microbes into the body. The aim of this study was to identify associations between the saliva microbiota and BMI categories in Finnish children aged 9-14 years.

  Study EGAS00001003039

• An allele-resolved nanopore-guided tour of the human placental methylome

  The placenta is a temporary organ present during pregnancy that is responsible for coordinating all aspects of pregnancy between the mother and fetus. It has a distinct epigenetic, transcriptomic, and mutational landscape with low levels of methylation, high numbers of transcribed loci, and a high mutational burden relative to somatic tissues. We present this landscape through the application of nanopore sequencing technology to provide a more comprehensive picture of female placental genomics and methylomics along with integrated haplotype-resolved transcriptomic analyses across eight trios. Whole genome sequencing of trios allows robust phasing, permitting comprehensive genome-wide investigation of parent-of-origin methylation and transcription. This enhanced view facilitates identifications of many new differentially methylated regions (DMRs), both conserved and differing between individuals, as well as novel imprinted genes.

  Study EGAS50000001301

• MUSIC: Long-TerM OUtcomes after the Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome In Children

  This study is an observational cohort study that will use routinely-collected clinical and cardiac (EKG, echocardiogram, CMR, exercise testing) data to assess the association between MIS-C (multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children) and cardiac outcomes within the first year after hospital discharge. Research funding will be available for EKGs, echocardiograms and MRIs in protocol windows that are not ordered by primary caregivers. Our principal goal is to determine the spectrum and early time course of coronary artery involvement, LV systolic function, and arrhythmias or conduction system abnormalities, and, using these data, to define associated clinical and laboratory factors. We will include all eligible patients, including retrospective cases beginning January 1, 2020, with follow-up (in-person or telehealth) up to one year and annual medical history forms until up to 5 years have elapsed since illness onset. Because many patients will have been identified by retrospective review, we will obtain consent at different times in their illness course. For this reason, it may be hard to reach some patients and their families. Waiver of consent will be obtained after three attempts have been made to locate the patient and family without success, as well as for the rare child who dies before informed consent can be obtained. We will include a HIPAA-compliant cryptographic algorithm to create a sharable “hashed” identifier from patient information. If blood work for research purposes is added to usual clinically-indicated blood work during follow-up visits, this will be covered by other informed consent forms. Our primary outcomes are the largest proximal Left Anterior Descending Coronary Artery (LAD) or Right Coronary Artery (RCA) z score and lowest Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction (LVEF).

  Study phs002770

• A Multi-Gene Mutation Classification of 468 Colorectal Cancers Reveals a Prognostic Role for APC

  Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a highly heterogeneous disease, for which prognosis has been relegated to clinic-pathologic staging for decades. There is a need to molecularly stratify subpopulations of CRC to better predict outcome and assign therapies. Here we report targeted exome sequencing of 1,321 cancer-related genes on 468 tumor specimens, which identified a subset of 17 genes that best classify CRC, with APC (Gene ID: 324) playing a central role in predicting overall survival. APC may assume 0, 1, or 2 truncating mutations, each with a striking differential impact on survival. Tumors lacking any APC mutation carry a worse prognosis than single APC mutation tumors, but tumors with two APC mutations and KRAS (Gene ID: 3845) and TP53 (Gene ID: 7157) mutations confer the poorest survival among all the subgroups examined. Our study demonstrates a substantial prognostic role for APC and suggests that sequencing of APC may have clinical utility in the routine staging and potential therapeutic assignment for CRC.

  Study phs001111

• Exome trios in patients with gastroschisis (2019-04-08)

  Gastroschisis (MIM 230750) is a herniation of the intestines through a defect of the abdominal wall lateral to the umbilicus (usually on the right side), and it is not covered by a membrane [Ledbetter, 2012]. Gastroschisis is a congenital anomaly with increasing incidence, easy prenatal diagnosis and extremely variable postnatal outcomes. On the basis of clinical manifestations, epidemiologic charateristics, and the presence and type of additional malformations, gastroschisis could be considered a heterogeneous condition with no gene/s discovered yet. This congenital anomaly affects approximately 1-3 infancts per 10,000 live births [Calzolari et al.1995;Parker et al.,2010] Current knowledge about causative mutations/variants. To date, no single gene has been linked to gastroschisis. Some publications have tried to link this malformation to variants in genes (such as AEBP1 (adipocyte enhancer binding protein) gene [Feldkamp et al,. 2012] or the VEGF-NOS3 pathway [Lammer et al., 2008]. Previously, a Scribble mutant mouse model (circletail) was reported to exhibit gastroschisis, however recent studies demonstrated that the Scribble knockout fetus exhibits exomphalos phenotype of gastroschisis [Carnagham et al., 2013]. This data is part of a pre-publication release. For information on the proper use of pre-publication data shared by the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute (including details of any publication moratoria), please see http://www.sanger.ac.uk/datasharing/ . This dataset contains all the data available for this study on 2019-04-08.

  Dataset EGAD00001004942

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

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

  Study phs002856

• Transcriptome of human trophoblast stem cells derived from normal and HDP placentas

  Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) is a disease driven by abnormal placenta formation, which is a leading cause of maternal and fetal death. For investigation of genetic and epigenetic regulation of human trophoblast differentiation, we have previously established human trophoblast stem cells (hTSCs) from first-trimester placentas. Those hTSCs were able to differentiate into extravillous trophoblasts (EVTs) and syncytiotrophoblasts (STs), and their transcriptome was similar to that of cytotrophoblasts in human placenta. However, since HDP happens in the second half of pregnancy, the conventional hTSC derivation method was not enough to investigate the nature of HDP trophoblasts. In this analysis, we improved the derivation method and successfully established the hTSCs from normal and HDP term placentas after delivery. We performed RNA-seq of normal and HDP hTSCs, and HDP hTSCs recapitulated abnormalities in gene expression reported in HDP placentas.

  Study JGAS000660

• National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), Family Study of Essential Tremor (FASET), Identification of Susceptibility Genes for Essential Tremor

  The Familial Study of Essential Tremor (FASET) was designed to identify susceptibility genes for Essential Tremor. ET is among the most common neurological diseases with a prevalence (age > 40 years) estimated to be 4.0% and prevalence in advanced age (> 90 years) exceeding 20%. ET, often referred to as "familial tremor", is generally regarded as a highly genetic disorder with families, with affected members over multiple generations, and twin studies show high concordance among monozygotic twins. Probands (affected with ET) and relatives were enrolled in a family study of ET at Columbia University, New York between 2011 - 2014. The study was approved by the Institutional Review Board at Columbia University and written informed consent was obtained from all enrollees. The criteria for enrollment were: 1) the proband had early-onset ET with age at onset < 50 years, 2) the proband had a diagnosis of definite or probable ET, 3) in addition to the proband, there were at least two affected relatives in the family, 4) additional affected and unaffected family members were willing to participate in the study, and 5) the families contained more than two affected individuals in different generations. Blood samples were also collected for genetic research. For the genetic analyses, we excluded enrollees that we or others had diagnosed with Parkinson's disease (PD) or dystonia. The final sample includes 52 families (52 probands [affected with ET]) and 155 relatives). The number of affected individuals enrolled per family ranged from 3 - 7 (mean = 4.1). Genetic samples from FASET were analyzed with whole genome SNP genotyping (for linkage analyses) and whole exome sequencing. It is hoped that this resource will better help researchers to understand the genetic causes of ET and underlying disease pathogenesis.

  Study phs000966

• Allele-specific expression of GATA2 due to epigenetic dysregulation in double mutated CEBPA AML

  Transcriptional deregulation is a central event in the development of acute myeloid leukemia (AML). To identify potential disturbances in gene regulation, we conducted an unbiased screen of allele-specific expression (ASE) in 209 AML cases. The gene encoding GATA binding protein 2 (GATA2) displayed ASE more often than any other myeloid or cancer-related gene. GATA2 ASE was strongly associated with CEBPA double mutations (CEBPA DM), with 95% of cases presenting GATA2 ASE. In CEBPA DM AML with GATA2 mutations, the mutated allele was preferentially expressed. We found that GATA2 ASE is a somatic event lost in complete remission, supporting the notion that it plays a role in CEBPA DM AML. Acquisition of GATA2 ASE involved silencing of one allele via promoter methylation, compensated by overactivation of the other allele, thereby preserving expression levels. Notably, promoter methylation was also lost in remission together with GATA2 ASE. In summary, we propose that GATA2 ASE is acquired by epigenetic mechanisms and is a prerequisite for the development of AML with CEBPA DM. This finding constitutes a novel example of an epigenetic hit cooperating with a genetic hit in the pathogenesis of AML.

  Study EGAS00001004684

• MP2PRT: Evaluation of an Inflammation Polygenic Risk Score (iPRS) to Predict Cancer Related Cognitive Impairment and Fatigue in Patients Receiving Chemotherapy for Non-Metastatic Breast Cancer in URCC0701 and URCC10055

  This study is a secondary analysis of cancer related cognitive impairment (CRCI) and cancer related fatigue (CRF) among participants in URCC0701 and URCC10055 from the University of Rochester NCI Community Oncology Research Program (NCORP) Research Base. CRCI and CRF are common, troublesome, and dose-limiting toxicities reported by patients undergoing breast cancer chemotherapy that have an etiologic basis linked to low-grade systemic inflammation. Chronic, low-grade systemic inflammation is, in part, genetically determined with common single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) capturing variation across individuals. This study aimed to 1) determine whether an inflammation polygenic risk score (iPRS) is associated with CRCI or CRF, 2) determine whether the relationship between the iPRS and CRCI or CRF is modified by exercise at the time of cancer treatment, 3) identify SNPs associated with serum cytokines measured at the time of cancer treatment, and 4) identify novel CRCI- and CRF-associated risk SNPs via genome-wide association analyses. We found that there was a significant inverse correlation between the iPRS and change in fatigue score from pre-chemotherapy to post-chemotherapy while there was no statistically significant association between the iPRS and cognitive impairment score. The inverse relationship between the iPRS and fatigue may be explained in part by the finding that the iPRS was also significantly associated with greater pre-chemotherapy fatigue, suggesting that women with a genetic predisposition to low-grade systemic inflammation (i.e., high iPRS) have more fatigue at the time of breast cancer diagnosis and, therefore, are less likely to worsen over the course of treatment. In contrast, women with a low iPRS had significantly less fatigue pre-chemotherapy and a significant worsening of fatigue from pre- to post-chemotherapy. The relationship between the iPRS and fatigue remained after adjustment for patient and cancer treatment covariates and was most pronounced in women who reported regularly exercising for at least 6 months prior to starting their cancer treatment. Exploratory genome-wide analysis identified a novel risk locus on chromosome chr6q27, tagged by rs9365961, associated with CRCI. This locus is upstream of TBXT, which encodes an embryonic nuclear transcription factor previously associated with susceptibility to neural tube defects. The genome-wide SNP data, patient-reported CRCI and CRF outcome measures, and covariate data used in this analysis are available through dbGaP.

  Study phs003688

• Therapy and RNA group Ghent DAC

  This is a Data Access Committee for datasets of the Therapy and RNA group Ghent (TaRGeT, Belgium).

  Dac EGAC50000000491

• Genetic Studies of Homologous Recombination Deficiency in Hispanic Gastric Cancer

  Approximately 10% of gastric cancer cases show familial clustering and a hereditary cause is likely, however, only 1-3% cases result from known hereditary syndromes – which are predominantly associated with CDH1 and CTNNA1 genes. Hispanics are > 2 times more likely to be diagnosed and to die from gastric cancer compared to non-Hispanic whites. Not only does gastric cancer precision medicine lag behind other cancers – there is an urgent need to understand its etiology. Germline mutations in homologous recombination genes have been implicated as important risk factors for gastric cancer. The purpose of this study is to continue to generate knowledge to improve gastric cancer outcomes and disparities by 1) characterizing prevalence of germline mutations in homologous recombination genes and identify new genes associated with gastric cancer 2) perform molecular characterization of gastric tumors in Hispanic patients. Participants for germline analysis were enrolled from Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Portugal, Spain, Uruguay.Whole exome sequence capture was performed for all germline and somatic samples using Agilent SureSelect Human All Exon v7 Kit. All sequencing was performed on an Illumina NovaSeq 6000. Germline Analysis: Whole exome sequencing was performed on 536 Hispanic patients (290 males, 246 female)

  Study phs003251

• Whole exome sequencing for clarification of rare causes of axonal Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (2017-08-16)

  The project is focused on the axonal forms of Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) disease. We have selected 13 families (7 from Spain and 6 from Czech Republic) that have been indepth clinically assessed and previously tested for mutations in known CMT genes without causal variants characterised. In these patients we expect to discover several CMT2 genes. Thus, we requested for exome sequencing of 45 DNAs:27 exomes in families from Spain and 18 exomes in the families from Czech Republic. This data is part of a pre-publication release. For information on the proper use of pre-publication data shared by the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute (including details of any publication moratoria), please see http://www.sanger.ac.uk/datasharing/ This dataset contains all the data available for this study on 2017-08-16.

  Dataset EGAD00001003565

• CRC and UC WES samples

  This is the dataset used to produce results for the report "NOUS-209 off-the-shelf immunotherapy has the potential to hit primary and metachronous colorectal and urothelial cancer in Lynch syndrome"

  Dac EGAC50000000782

• Genome-wide study of the effect of blood collection tubes on the cell-free DNA methylome

  Background The methylation pattern of cfDNA, isolated from liquid biopsies, is gaining substantial interest for diagnosis and monitoring of diseases. We have evaluated the impact of type of blood collection tube and time delay between blood draw and plasma preparation on bisulfite-based cfDNA methylation profiling. Methods 15 tubes of blood were drawn from three healthy volunteer subjects (BD Vacutainer K2E EDTA spray tubes, Streck Cell-Free DNA BCT tubes, PAXgene Blood ccfDNA tubes, Roche Cell-Free DNA Collection tubes and Biomatrica LBgard blood tubes in triplicate). Samples were either immediately processed or stored at room temperature for 24 or 72 hours before plasma preparation. DNA fragment size was evaluated by capillary electrophoresis. Reduced representation bisulfite sequencing was performed on the cell-free DNA isolated from these plasma samples. We evaluated the impact of blood tube and time delay on several quality control metrics. Results All preservation tubes performed similar on the quality metrics that were evaluated. Furthermore, a considerable increase in cfDNA concentration and the fraction of it derived from NK cells was observed after a 72-hour time delay in EDTA tubes. Conclusion The methylation pattern of cfDNA is robust and reproducible in between the different preservation tubes. EDTA tubes processed as soon as possible, preferably within 24 hours, are the most cost effective. If immediate processing is not possible, preservation tubes are valid alternatives.

  Study EGAS00001004271

• NHLBI: Genetic modifiers of sickle cell anemia severity and fetal hemoglobin expression in the Cooperative Study of Sickle Cell Disease (CSSCD)

  Phenotypic heterogeneity is characteristic of sickle cell anemia, a Mendelian disorder caused by homozygosity for the sickle HBB gene (glu6val). Patients have different rates of hemolysis/vasculopathy and viscosity/vasoocclusion-related complications. These complications account for a substantial reduction in life expectancy. In 1994, the median life expectancy for men and women with sickle cell anemia was 42 and 48 years, respectively, and despite many advances in care, the annual mortality still approaches 4%. Fetal hemoglobin (HbF) is one of the most studied markers of severity of sickle cell anemia, and detailed longitudinal measurements were taken on subjects enrolled in the Cooperative Study of Sickle Cell Disease (CSSCD). Cubic root transformation of the median values from follow-up in 848 African American subjects is the phenotype data used in the GWAS of fetal hemoglobin. The analysis was adjusted by sex. Details are in Solovieff et al., Blood 2010 [PMID: 20018918]. To integrate individual disease complications into a comprehensive measure of severity, we developed a model of the associations among clinical and laboratory variables that scored disease severity as the risk of death within 5 years. This network was developed using data obtained from more than 3,400 subjects from the CSSCD, and its accuracy was validated in two unrelated sets of sickle cell patients. Recently, the network was also validated in a small European cohort of patients with sickle cell anemia. We used extreme values of disease severity as cases and control in the GWAS of severity of sickle cell anemia. We conducted the GWAS in 1,265 patients with either "severe" (177) or "mild" disease (1088) based on a network model of disease severity. Details are in Sebastiani et al. Am J Hematol, 2010 [PMID: 20029952].

  Study phs000366

• Bone Microarchitecture

  Osteoporosis affects more than 28 million people in the United States and the lifetime risk for osteoporosis-related morbidity is higher than a woman's combined risk for breast cancer, endometrial cancer and ovarian cancer. Health care expenditures for osteoporotic patients in this country are currently nearly 13 billion dollars per annum and are predicted to increase markedly in the next decades due the aging of the population; therefore, it is important to understand the factors that contribute to bone strength and fracture risk. With the advent of skeletal imaging modalities such as high resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography (HR-pQCT), it is now possible to study the genetics of more highly refined peripheral skeletal microarchitecture phenotypes. Because these refined phenotypes have not been measured in many cohort studies, this project was a collaborative effort to include almost all the existing data on HR-pQCT of the radius and tibia, and genetics from around the world. Cohorts involved in the discovery included: 1) Framingham Osteoporosis Study, 2) Mayo Clinic cohort; 3) Geneva Retirees cohort; 4) OFELY cohort from Lyon France; 5) STRAMBO cohort from Lyon France; 6) Swedish Male cohorts. Replication cohorts undergoing de novo genotyping include: 1) QUALYOR cohort from Lyon France; 2) CaMOS cohort from Canada. Other than the Framingham cohort and the Swedish male cohorts, all discovery cohorts underwent genome wide genotyping with the Affymetrix Axiom Biobank array that had common variants along with exome content based on the early findings from the Exome Sequencing Project. All genotype data from the discovery cohorts were then imputed using the Haplotype Reference Consortium reference panel. Variants for replication genotyping using the Kasp technology were selected based on novelty compared with previously identified loci using DXA phenotypes, minor allele frequency, underlying LD structure within a locus, and likelihood of a variant being functional as assessed using various algorithms for coding and non-coding variants.    

  Study phs002102

• CONNECTS Master Protocol for Clinical Trials targeting Macro- and Micro-Immuno-Thrombosis, Vascular Hyperinflammation, and Hypercoagulability and Renin-Angiotensin-Aldosterone System (RAAS) in Hospitalized Patients with COVID-19 (ACTIV-4 Host Tissue)

  ACTIV 4 Host Tissue is a shared-placebo clinical trial platform evaluating therapies targeting the host response to COVID-19 in hospitalized patients. The overarching goal of the platform was to find effective strategies for inpatient management of patients with COVID-19. Therapeutic goals for patients hospitalized for COVID-19 include hastening recovery and preventing progression to critical illness, multiorgan failure, or death. Our objective is to determine whether modulating the host tissue response improves clinical outcomes among patients with COVID-19. Three trials were implemented to investigate three agents: TXA-127, TRV-027, and Fostamatinib. These agents all impact the host tissue response in COVID-19 via a number of unique mechanisms, including potential beneficial effects on the RAAS system and formation of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs). Each trial evaluated the efficacy of these agents' ability to impact the host tissue response and improve outcomes in patients hospitalized with COVID-19. We found no evidence that any of the three agents significantly improved clinical outcomes as measured by the primary outcome, oxygen free days through day 28.

  Study phs003708