11163 results for "fc points to coins calculator Visit Buyfc26coins.com Bardzo pod wrażeniem jakości usług..UK7B"

in 38.77 milliseconds.

• Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics - Digital Health Technologies (RADx-DHT): NIH Digital Health Solutions for COVID-19: Team SAE

  The goal of this project is to develop a smartphone-based platform to monitor and support individuals with COVID-19 symptoms (who may need testing) and those who have already tested positive. The app will integrate a Bluetooth-enabled thermometer and pulse oximeter into an approach uniquely designed for low-resource settings and underserved populations. This project will focus on the American Indian/Alaskan Native (AI/AN) underserved population and will determine the feasibility of the digital health solution to collect symptom survey data and vital data including temperature, pulse, and oxygen saturation level. The complete study will include 300 participants 100% medically underserved with at least 51% from the AI/AN community. A combination of hard and soft data will be collected consisting of vital data, medical history and questionnaire data, and participant COVID-19 viral and antibody testing results collected during the study.DOI: https://rapids.ll.mit.edu/10.57895/wv88-by98

  Study phs002534

• Functional Dynamics of the Elderly Gut Microbiome During Probiotic Consumption

  A mechanistic understanding of the health benefits conferred by consumption of probiotic bacteria has been limited by our knowledge of the resident gut microbiota and its interaction with the host. We used fecal samples from a study of twelve healthy individuals aged 65-80 to characterize the structure and functional dynamics of the gut microbiota associated with consumption of the single-organism probiotic, Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG ATCC 53103 (LGG). Samples were collected prior to probiotic consumption (day 0), on day 28 immediately after consuming 10^10 CFU of LGG twice daily for 28 days and day 56, one month after stopping LGG consumption. Our integrative approach incorporated bacterial 16S rRNA gene sequencing, whole-community expression profiling using RNA-seq, and metagenomic sequencing. We highlight the value of combinatorial 'omics methods and concomitant high-resolution informatics to probe the role that probiotics may play on the structure and function of the resident microbiota.

  Study phs000896

• Sézary Syndrome Originates from Heavily Mutated Hematopoietic Progenitors

  The pathogenesis of cutaneous T cell lymphoma (CTCL) remains unclear. To study the malignant transformation of CTCL, we collected matched hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) extracts from bone marrow, CD4+CD26- malignant T cells, CD4+CD26+ normal T cells, and CD34+ HSCs from apheresis performed on 4 patients. To establish the baseline for calling true mutations without using hematopoietic cells, we also cultured bone marrow fibroblasts from each patient to use as normal controls. Whole exome sequencing (WES) was performed on all samples for somatic mutation calling. We identified >200 mutations in CD34+ HSCs derived from either bone marrow or apheresis. Previously reported key oncodrivers in Sezary Syndrome were identified in autologous HSCs and malignant peripheral cells, but not in progenitor (bone marrow HSCs) cells. Also, we identified specific mutations shared by autologous HSCs and malignant peripheral cells in every patient. WES data of bone marrow HSCs, apheresis HSCs, CD4+CD26- T cells, CD4+CD26+ T cells, and fibroblasts will be available through dbGaP.

  Study phs003158

• The Genomic Landscape of Interval Colorectal Cancers

  Interval colorectal cancers (CRC), cancers diagnosed after a screening/surveillance exam in which no cancer is detected, and before the date of the next recommended exam, reflect an unprecedented challenge in CRC detection and prevention. To better understand this poorly characterized CRC variant, we examined the clinical and mutational characteristics of interval CRCs in comparison to screen-detected CRCs. We used data from the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal and Ovarian (PLCO) cancer randomized controlled trial (RCT) of flexible sigmoidoscopy (FS) screening, which enrolled 154,900 men and women aged 55 to 74 years between 1993 and 2001. Whole Exome Sequencing (WES) was performed on 323 samples from 168 participants (data available through dbGaP). We found colorectal cancers diagnosed between screening exams (interval cancers) had significantly increased risk of death than screen detected cancers although no significant molecular differences were observed between screen-detected and interval CRC at the whole exome sequencing level.

  Study phs003093

• BarcUVa-Seq (Biology of Colorectal Cancer Risk Enhancers)

  This study was designed to generate a cohort of normal colon mucosal biopsies from the "average risk" population. Its primary aims included the development of an RNA-seq dataset of normal colon mucosal biopsies across three colon regions (ascending, transverse and descending). Further, we aimed to provide plausible prioritization to genetic components of colorectal cancer risk by employing methods such as expression quantitative trait loci analysis. In doing so, we provide a novel reference dataset for the study of colon cancer risk in the healthy colon epithelium. RNA-seq was performed in batches on an Illumina HiSeq 2500 (batch 1-7) or NovaSeq 6000 (batch 8) on a total of 463 samples. Matched genotyping data was generated on the Illumina OncoArray BeadChip. Phasing was carried out using Minimac 3 and imputation was performed using The Haplotype Reference Consortium panel on the Michigan Imputation Server.Genotype and RNA-seq data will be made available in dbGaP.

  Study phs003338

• Deterministic Evolution and Stringent Selection During Pre-Neoplasia

  The earliest events during human tumor initiation are poorly characterized but may hold clues as to how to detect and prevent malignancy. Here we model this occult process by engineering TP53 deficiency in primary human gastric organoids and performing experimental evolution in multiple clonally derived cultures over two years, thereby defining causal relationships between this common initiating genetic lesion and resulting phenotypes. TP53 loss induced progressive aneuploidy, including copy number alterations and complex structural variants that are common in established gastric cancers, and which accrued along a defined temporal order. Longitudinal single cell sequencing of TP53 deficient gastric organoids similarly indicates progression towards malignant transcriptional programs. Moreover, lineage tracing with expressed cellular barcodes revealed highly reproducible dynamics whereby initially rare subclones with shared transcriptional programs repeatedly attain clonal dominance. This powerful platform for experimental evolution reveals stringent selection and convergence at the genotypic and phenotypic levels in pre-malignant epithelial organoids, illuminating evolutionary constraints and barriers to malignant transformation.

  Study phs003249

• Structure of the Mucosal and Stool Microbiome in Lynch Syndrome

  The gut microbiota has been associated with colorectal cancer (CRC), but causal alterations preceding CRC have not been elucidated. To prospectively assess microbiome changes prior to colorectal neoplasia, we investigated samples from 100 Lynch syndrome patients using 16S rRNA gene sequencing of colon biopsies, coupled with metagenomic and metatranscriptomic sequencing of feces. Colectomy and CRC history represented the largest effects on microbiome profiles. A subset of Clostridiaceae were depleted in stool corresponding with baseline adenomas, while Desulfovibrio was enriched in both stool and mucosal biopsies. A classifier leveraging stool metatranscriptomes resulted in modest power to predict interval development of preneoplastic colonic adenoma. Predictive transcripts corresponded with a shift in flagellin contributors and oxidative metabolic microenvironment, potentially factors in local CRC pathogenesis. This suggests that the effectiveness of prospective microbiome monitoring for adenomas may be limited but supports the potential causality of these consistent, early microbial changes in colonic neoplasia.

  Study phs002343

• Identification of High-Risk PHF19 Expressing Cells in Myeloma Single-Cell Multiomics

  The aim of this study is to identify novel subsets of cells that are associated with progression and response to treatment. In this project, we study the tumor fraction from 49 myeloma patients across stages of progression. Samples were collected from 10 smoldering multiple myeloma (SMM), 22 newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (NDMM), and 17 relapsed refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM) patients. These samples were then sorted using magnetic-activated cell sorting (MACS) for CD138+ cells that represent the tumor fraction of each sample. The CD138+ fraction then underwent whole genome sequencing (WGS), where possible, and single-cell multiomics. Single-cell multiomics can now measure scRNA-seq and scATAC-seq simultaneously, which we use in this project. Using single-cell multiomics, we will study subclonal changes in gene expression, chromatin accessibility, and identify novel regulatory relationships within myeloma tumors. Furthermore, we will apply state of the art single-cell and single-cell multiomic techniques to better identify the more high-risk components of myeloma.

  Study phs003220

• Gabriella Miller Kids First Pediatric Research Program in Enchondromatoses and Related Malignant Tumors

  Chondrosarcoma is a malignant tumor that originates from cartilaginous cells. It is the third most common primary malignancy of bone after myeloma and osteosarcoma. It accounts for about 20% of bone tumors and is diagnosed in approximately 600 patients each year in the United States. Up to 40% of the chondrosarcomas arise from an enchondroma. Enchondromas are benign, intramedullary cartilaginous tumors of bone. They can be solitary or multiple and are present in >3% of the population. Enchondromatosis refers to a group of diseases characterized by multiple enchondromas including metachondromatosis (MC), Ollier disease (OD), and Maffucci syndrome (MS) among others. All have skeletal abnormalities with or without associated vascular anomalies that can cause severe limb deformities during early childhood. The risk for chondrosarcoma is up to 30% in OD and MS. Currently, the only treatment for patients with these disorders is surgical; there is no effective pharmacologic therapy. The molecular bases of these two conditions is not well understood.

  Study phs001987

• Functional Variant rs9344 at 11q13.3 Regulates CCND1 Expression in Multiple Myeloma with t(11;14)

  Multiple myeloma (MM) is a plasma cell (PC) malignancy characterized by cytogenetic abnormalities, such as t(11;14)(q13;q32), resulting in CCND1 overexpression. The rs9344 G allele within CCND1 is the most significant susceptibility allele for t(11;14). We have found the G risk allele is enriched in both healthy individuals of African ancestry and African American individuals with MM. The overall aim of this study was to identify the mechanism behind why the G allele is enriched in t(11;14) MM. To reach this goal, we performed ATAC-seq from 100,000 CD138+ tumor cells from 26 patients with MM. In addition, we performed ChIP-seq using antibodies against H3K4me1, H3K27ac and H3K4me3 from 100,000 CD138+ tumor cells from 8 patients with MM. We used these data to evaluate whether the G allele of rs9344 is associated with elevated chromatin accessibility, H3K27ac and H3K4me3 in t(11;14) MM.

  Study phs003997

• Multi-Omic Microbiome Study-Pregnancy Initiative (MOMS-PI)

  The Vaginal Microbiome Consortium team at Virginia Commonwealth University has conducted the Multi-Omic Microbiome Study: Pregnancy Initiative (MOMS-PI) in collaboration with the Global Alliance to Prevent Prematurity and Stillbirth (GAPPS) to better understand how microbiome and host profiles change throughout pregnancy and influence the establishment of the nascent microbiome in neonates. The team particularly focused on elucidation of the role of the microbiome and its components in the etiology of preterm birth, which occurs in over 10% of pregnancies and which is the leading cause of death in neonates. Samples from 1594 women and their neonates were collected throughout pregnancy, at delivery and postpartum. The group has generated a comprehensive dataset of multiple omics technologies. This longitudinal, large-scale effort was designed to provide a large-scale resource for the scientific community. The study also permits characterization of temporal dynamics of the microbiome in pregnancy and factors associated with preterm birth.

  Study phs001523

• Childhood Cancer Data Initiative (CCDI): NCI-COG Pediatric MATCH Precision Medicine Clinical Trial

  The National Cancer Institute-Children's Oncology Group (NCI-COG) Pediatric Molecular Analysis for Therapy Choice (MATCH) trial provides a framework for biomarker-driven early phase trials of targeted therapies in pediatric and young adult cancer patients across the United States. Pediatric MATCH enrolled more than 1,300 patients with treatment-refractory cancers, offering access to molecular screening and investigational targeted therapies. To further advance this, matched diagnostic, refractory tumor, and normal samples from Pediatric MATCH cases were molecularly characterized, creating one of the largest comprehensive data sets available for childhood cancers. This analysis has the potential to provide novel insights into the genetics of refractory pediatric, adolescent, and young adult cancers, as well as inform potential therapeutic strategies. The following molecular characterization assays were performed: Tumor whole exome sequencing (WES) Tumor whole genome sequencing (WGS) Tumor RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) Blood whole exome sequencing (WES) Blood whole genome sequencing (WGS)

  Study phs002883

• Somatic Mosaicism in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Frontotemporal Dementia

  The study was designed to investigate the role of somatic mosaic mutations in the pathogenesis of sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (sALS) and frontotemporal dementia (sFTD). A panel of molecular inversion probes (MIP) were used to target the exons and exon-intron junctions of 88 neurodegeneration-related genes. The panel included 34 ALS/FTD genes, 10 Alzheimer's disease genes, 28 Parkinson's disease genes, and 16 genes associated with other rare neurodegenerative disorders. The panel was used to perform ultra-deep sequencing on postmortem brain and spinal cord from 404 individuals with sALS or sFTD and 144 age-matched neurotypical controls. Known pathogenic germline mutations were found in 20.6% of ALS cases and 26.5% of FTD cases. Predicted pathogenic somatic mutations were observed in 2.7% of sALS and sFTD cases that did not have known germline mutations. The somatic variants had low variant allele fraction and region-specific enrichment, particularly in the primary motor cortex of sALS cases and prefrontal cortex of sFTD cases.

  Study phs003530

• Pooled Mutant KRAS-Targeted Long Peptide Vaccine Combined with Nivolumab and Ipilimumab for Patients with Resected MMR-p Colorectal and Pancreatic Cancer

  We developed INtraCEllular Reverse Transcription with Sorting and sequencing (INCERTS), an approach to combine molecular indexing of receptor repertoires within intact cells and fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS). We demonstrate that INCERTS enables efficient processing of millions of cells from pooled human peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) samples while retaining robust association between T cell receptor (TCR) sequences and cellular phenotypes. We used INCERTS to discover antigen-specific TCRs from patients with cancer immunized with a novel mutant KRAS peptide vaccine. After ex vivo stimulation, 28 uniquely barcoded samples were pooled prior to FACS into peptide-reactive and non-reactive CD4+ and CD8+ populations. Combining complementary patient-matched single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) data enabled retrieval of full-length, paired TCR alpha and beta chain sequences for future validation of therapeutic utility. Data available through dbGaP include scRNA-seq with matched TCR-seq.

  Study phs003425

• Identification and characterization of molecular markers in aging and neuronal disorders

  Supercentenarians, people who have reached 110 years of age, are a great model of healthy aging. Their characteristics of delayed onset of age-related diseases and compression of morbidity imply that their immune system remains functional. We performed single-cell transcriptome analysis of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), derived from supercentenarians and younger controls. We identified a marked increase of cytotoxic CD4 T-cells (CD4 CTLs) as a novel signature of supercentenarians. Furthermore, single-cell T-cell receptor sequencing of two supercentenarians revealed that CD4 CTLs had accumulated through massive clonal expansion. The CD4 CTLs exhibited substantial heterogeneity in their degree of cytotoxicity as well as a nearly identical transcriptome to that of CD8 CTLs. This indicates that CD4 CTLs utilize the transcriptional program of the CD8 lineage while retaining CD4 expression. Our study reveals that supercentenarians have unique characteristics in their circulating lymphocytes, which may represent an essential adaptation to achieve exceptional longevity by sustaining immune responses to infections and diseases.

  Study JGAS000230

• Transcriptional and functional profiling defines human small intestinal macrophage subsets

  Macrophages (Mf) are instrumental in maintaining immune homeostasis in the intestine, yet studies on origin and heterogeneity of human intestinal Mf are scarce. Here, we identified four distinct Mf subpopulations in human small intestine (SI). Assessment of their turnover in duodenal transplants revealed that all Mf subsets were completely replaced over time; Mf1 and Mf2, phenotypically similar to peripheral blood monocytes (PBMo), were largely replaced within 3 weeks, whereas two subsets with features of mature Mf, Mf3 and Mf4, exhibited significantly slower replacement. Mf3 and Mf4 localized differently in SI; Mf3 formed a dense network in mucosal lamina propria, whereas Mf4 was enriched in submucosa. Transcriptomic analysis showed that all Mf subpopulations subsets were markedly distinct from PBMo and dendritic cells (DC). Compared to PBMo, Mf subpopulations showed reduced responsiveness to proinflammatory stimuli, but were proficient at endocytosis of particulate and soluble material. These data provide a comprehensive analysis of human SI Mf population and suggest a precursor-progeny relationship with PBMo.

  Study EGAS00001002093

• Whole genome sequencing data for 10 hepatocellular carcinomas (HCC) and matched non-tumor liver tissues + optical mapping data for 4 HCC and 3 matched non-tumor liver tissues.

  Oncogene activation leads to replication stress and promotes genomic instability. Here we combine optical mapping and whole genome sequencing to explore in-depth the nature of structural variants (SVs) induced by replication stress in cyclin-activated hepatocellular carcinomas (CCN-HCC). In addition to classical tandem duplications, CCN-HCC display frequent intra- and inter-chromosomal templated insertion cycles (TIC) likely resulting from template switching events. Template switching preferentially involves active topologically associated domains that are close in the 3D genome organization. Template sizes depend on the type of cyclin activation and are coordinated within each TIC. Replication stress induces continuous accumulation of SVs during CCN-HCC progression, fostering the acquisition of new driver alterations and large-scale copy-number changes at TIC borders. Together, this analysis sheds light on the mechanisms, dynamics and consequences of SV accumulation in tumors with oncogene-induced replication stress.

  Study EGAS00001005629

• DONSON encodes a novel replication fork protection factor mutated in microcephalic dwarfism.

  To ensure efficient genome duplication, cells have evolved a multitude of factors that promote unperturbed DNA replication, and protect, repair and restart damaged forks. Here we identify DONSON as a novel fork protection factor, and report biallelic DONSON mutations in 29 individuals with microcephalic dwarfism. We demonstrate that DONSON is a component of the replisome that stabilises forks during normal genome replication. Loss of DONSON leads to severe replication-associated DNA damage arising from nucleolytic cleavage of stalled replication forks. Furthermore, ATR-dependent signalling in response to replication stress is impaired in DONSON-deficient cells, resulting in decreased checkpoint activity, and potentiating chromosomal instability. Hypomorphic mutations substantially reduce DONSON protein levels and impair fork stability in patient cells, consistent with defective DNA replication underlying the disease phenotype. In summary, we identify mutations in DONSON as a common cause of microcephalic dwarfism, and establish DONSON as a critical replication fork protein required for mammalian DNA replication and genome stability.

  Study EGAS00001002224

• Single-cell Kinnex sequencing of Alzheimer's disease isoform profile

  Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common cause of dementia, yet its molecular causes remain incompletely understood. RNA diversity in part arising from dysregulated splicing may contribute to AD pathogenesis; however, the ability to interrogate the resulting full-length isoforms in single brain cells has been technologically limited. Here we report the use of PacBio Kinnex long-read sequencing combined with 10X Genomics single-cell preparations to identify both annotated and unannotated RNA isoforms. Eight AD and seven non-diseased post-mortem human brains yielded ~70,000 single nuclei showing diverse, differentially expressed, and switched transcripts in multiple genes. Cell-type-specific isoform expression and variants with intra-exonic junctions associated with reverse transcriptase-mediated somatic gene recombination were also detected. Novel isoforms, including CHI3L1 and SEPTIN4, were altered in AD. Kinnex sequencing of RNA isoforms from single nuclei detected vast isoform diversity amongst brain cell types, representing an under-explored element in AD and other brain disorders.

  Study EGAS50000001476

• Human islet 3D chromatin maps provide insights into type 2 diabetes

  The transcriptional output of each cell type is controlled by thousands of enhancers, many of which contain genetic risk variants for common diseases such as type 2 diabetes (T2D). To gain insight into how enhancer variation influences diabetes risk, we created promoter capture Hi-C maps in human pancreatic islets. This linked diabetes-associated islet enhancers with their target genes, often located hundreds of kilobases away. We identified hubs that show spatial and functional connections between enhancersand target genes related to islet function and diabetes. We demonstrate that genetic variants distributed across hub enhancers have a major impact on T2D heritability, and use this knowledge to identify individuals in whom islet regulatory variation has a prominent role in T2D risk. Our results demonstrate the importance of 3D chromatin architecture for molecular interpretation of T2D genetic association signals, and define genomic spaces that harbor a distinct component of the T2D polygenic burden.

  Study EGAS00001002917

• Spatial Dynamics of the Developing Heart (single-cell)

  Heart development relies on a topologically defined interplay between diverse cardiac cells. We finely curated spatial and single-cell measurements with high-resolution imaging-based transcriptomics validation to explore spatial dynamics during early human cardiogenesis. Analyzing almost 80,000 individual cells and 70,000 spatially barcoded tissue regions between the 5.5th and 14th postconceptional weeks, we identified 31 coarse- and 72 fine-grained cell states and mapped them to highly resolved cardiac cellular niches. We provide novel insight into the development of the cardiac pacemaker-conduction system, heart valves, and atrial septum, and decipher heterogeneity of the hitherto elusive cardiac fibroblast population. Furthermore, we describe the formation of the cardiac autonomic innervation and present the first spatial account of chromaffin cells in the fetal human heart. Our study, supported by an open-access, spatially centric interactive viewer, delineates the cellular and molecular architecture of the developing heart, offering links to genetic causes of heart disease.

  Study EGAS50000001029

• Sensitive neoantigen discovery by real-time mutanome-guided immunopeptidomics - WES

  Targeting cancer-specific HLA-peptide complexes is a promising immunotherapy approach, with mutated neoantigens offering high value for their immunogenicity and cancer-specificity. Selecting immunogenic targets requires personalized prioritization of cancer-specific immunopeptides. Mass spectrometry (MS)-based immunopeptidomics supports this process by directly identifying cancer-specific antigens and informing global presentation patterns to refine immunogenicity predictions. Clinical pipelines, however, must balance global depth and target sensitivity compounded by low input samples and time constraints. Here, we present NeoDiscMS, an extension of the NeoDisc pipeline, enabling personalized immunopeptidomics data acquisition. By leveraging real-time NGS-guided spectral acquisitions, NeoDiscMS maximizing sensitivity with minimal loss of global depth. NeoDiscMS improves TAA-derived peptide detection up to 20% and enhances neoantigen identification confidence compared to the clinical gold standard method. Designed for effectiveness and ease of use, it requires minimal effort for implementation. NeoDiscMS advances personalization in clinical antigen discovery by enabling more sensitive neoantigen detection while seamlessly integrating into existing workflows.

  Study EGAS50000000976

• Sensitive neoantigen discovery by real-time mutanome-guided immunopeptidomics - RNAseq

  Targeting cancer-specific HLA-peptide complexes is a promising immunotherapy approach, with mutated neoantigens offering high value for their immunogenicity and cancer-specificity. Selecting immunogenic targets requires personalized prioritization of cancer-specific immunopeptides. Mass spectrometry (MS)-based immunopeptidomics supports this process by directly identifying cancer-specific antigens and informing global presentation patterns to refine immunogenicity predictions. Clinical pipelines, however, must balance global depth and target sensitivity compounded by low input samples and time constraints. Here, we present NeoDiscMS, an extension of the NeoDisc pipeline, enabling personalized immunopeptidomics data acquisition. By leveraging real-time NGS-guided spectral acquisitions, NeoDiscMS maximizing sensitivity with minimal loss of global depth. NeoDiscMS improves TAA-derived peptide detection up to 20% and enhances neoantigen identification confidence compared to the clinical gold standard method. Designed for effectiveness and ease of use, it requires minimal effort for implementation. NeoDiscMS advances personalization in clinical antigen discovery by enabling more sensitive neoantigen detection while seamlessly integrating into existing workflows.

  Study EGAS50000000977

• Establishment and characterization of circulating tumor cells-derived organoids from metastatic breast cancer patients.

  Over the last decade, molecular stratification and associated therapies have greatly improved the treatment options and prognosis of patients diagnosed with breast cancer. However, metastatic disease remains incurable. Breast cancer cells mainly spread to the lung, liver, bone and brain and circulating tumor cells (CTCs) that migrate in the lymphatics or blood have been implicated as the cellular source of metastasis. Detailed molecular and functional characterization of patient CTCs remains poor due to their low number in patient’s bloodstream. In addition, CTCs are difficult to culture and expand ex vivo. Here we have established a novel method for culturing and unlimitedly expanding breast cancer patient-derived CTCs in CTC-derived organoids (CDOs). Our platform can serve as a foundation for serial longitudinal isolation and expansion of breast cancer cells from peripheral blood. This may enable the identification and functional validation of therapy resistance mechanisms during disease progression, which can be used for new approaches in precision medicine.

  Study EGAS00001007582

• MethylBERT enables read-level DNA methylation pattern identification and tumour deconvolution using a Transformer-based model

  DNA methylation (DNAm) is a key epigenetic mark that shows profound alterations in cancer. Read-level methylomes enable more in-depth DNAm analysis due to the broad coverage and preservation of rare cell-type signals, compared to array-based data such as 450K/EPIC array. Here, we propose MethylBERT, a novel Transformer-based model for read-level methylation pattern classification. MethylBERT identifies tumour-derived sequence reads based on their methylation patterns and genomic sequence and the method estimates tumour cell fractions within bulk samples. In our evaluation, MethylBERT outperforms existing deconvolution methods and demonstrates high accuracy regardless of methylation pattern complexity, read length and read coverage. Moreover, we show its applicability to cell-type deconvolution as well as non-invasive early cancer diagnostics using liquid biopsy samples. MethylBERT represents a significant advancement in read-level methylome analysis and enables accurate tumour purity estimation. The broad applicability of MethylBERT will enhance studies on both tumour and non-cancerous bulk methylomes.

  Study EGAS50000000806

• Dual targeting of polyamine synthesis and uptake in diffuse intrinsic pontine gliomas

  Diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG) is an incurable malignant childhood brain tumour, with no active systemic therapies and a 5-year survival of less than 1%. Polyamines are small organic polycations that are essential for DNA replication, translation and cell proliferation. Ornithine decarboxylase 1 (ODC1), the rate limiting enzyme in polyamine synthesis, is irreversibly inhibited by difluoromethylornithine (DFMO). Herein we show that polyamine synthesis is upregulated in DIPG, leading to sensitivity to DFMO. DIPG cells compensate for ODC1 inhibition by upregulation of the polyamine transporter SLC3A2. Treatment with the polyamine transporter inhibitor AMXT 1501 reduced uptake of polyamines in DIPG cells, and co-administration of AMXT 1501 and DFMO led to potent in vitro activity, and significant extension of survival in three aggressive DIPG orthotopic animal models. Collectively, these results demonstrate the potential of dual targeting of polyamine synthesis and uptake as a therapeutic strategy for incurable DIPG.

  Study EGAS00001004905

• ChIP-seq of plasma cell-free nucleosomes identifies gene expression programs of the cells-of-origin

  Cell-free DNA in human plasma provides access to molecular information about the pathological processes in the organs or tumors from which it originates. These DNA fragments are derived from fragmented chromatin in dying cells, and retain some of the cell of origin histone modifications. Here, we apply chromatin immunoprecipitation of cell-free nucleosomes carrying active chromatin modifications followed by sequencing (cfChIP-seq) to 268 human samples. In healthy donors, we identified bone marrow megakaryocytes, but not erythroblasts, as major contributors to the cfDNA pool. In patients with a range of liver diseases, we show that we can identify pathology-related changes in hepatocyte transcriptional programs. In metastatic colorectal carcinoma patients, we detected clinically relevant, and patient-specific information, including transcriptionally active HER2 amplifications. Altogether, cfChIP-seq using low sequencing depth, provides systemic and genome-wide information, can inform diagnosis, and facilitate interrogation of physiological and pathological processes using blood samples.

  Study EGAS00001004913

• Whole_genome_sequencing_in_a_multiplex_Crohn_s_disease_family

  In 2009 we identified a four-generation family with over 700 members and 41 affected with Crohn's disease (CD). At the time we sequenced the exome of 6 affected individuals but did not identify any coding variants which appear to explain the high prevalence of disease. Since then we have collected DNA from a large number of additional family members, genotyped linkage arrays on the entire family to refine genomic regions shared by identity by descent and genotyped affected and unaffected members at known CD risk loci identified by Genome Wide Association Studies (GWAS). These analyses have confirmed that a significant unexplained excess of disease remains after accounting for all known genetic factors, and that several regions of the genome are shared by a large fraction of affected individuals. We therefore perform whole genomes sequencing from 8 individuals which will allow us to impute the complete sequence of nearly all the members of the two largest and most severely affected branches of the family.

  Study EGAS00001000060

• STimage: Robust and interpretable prediction of gene markers and cell types from spatial transcriptomics data

  Spatial transcriptomics (ST) links tissue morphology with gene expression values, opening new avenues for digital pathology. Deep learning models are used to predict gene expression or classify cell types directly from images, offering significant clinical potential but still requiring improvements in interpretability and robustness. We present STimage as a comprehensive suite of models to predict spatial gene expression and classify cell types directly from standard H\&E images. STimage enhances robustness by estimating gene expression distributions and quantifying both data-driven (aleatoric) and model-based (epistemic) uncertainty using ensemble approach with foundation models. Interpretability is achieved through attribution analysis at single-cell resolution integrated with histopathological annotations, functional genes, and latent representations. We validated STimage across diverse datasets, demonstrating its performance across various platforms. STimage-predicted gene expression can stratify patient survival and predict drug response. By enabling molecular and cellular prediction from routine histology, STimage offers a powerful tool to advance digital pathology.

  Study EGAS50000001503

• Adjuvant nivolumab in resected esophageal or gastroesophageal junction cancer: exploratory biomarker analyses from CheckMate 577

  Adjuvant nivolumab demonstrated a significant improvement in disease-free survival (DFS; primary endpoint) versus placebo in patients with resected esophageal or gastroesophageal junction cancer and residual pathologic disease following neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (CRT) in the phase III CheckMate 577 study, leading to global approval and widespread adoption. Exploratory biomarker analyses were performed using whole-exome sequencing, RNA sequencing, and immunohistochemistry. Hazard ratios for DFS favored nivolumab versus placebo in patients with higher inflammation and proliferation gene expression signature scores; lower M2 macrophage, endothelial, and stromal GES scores; and higher densities of CD3+/CD8- T cells and natural killer cells. Assessments of pre-CRT and post-CRT tumor tissue found post-CRT increases in programmed death ligand 1 combined positive score in 51% of patients, which appeared to be associated with greater DFS benefit. Through these analyses, we identified patient subpopulations that appear to derive improved DFS benefit from adjuvant nivolumab in this setting.

  Study EGAS50000001663

• A small cell lung cancer genome reports complex tobacco exposure signatures

  Cancer is driven by mutation. Worldwide, tobacco smoking is the major lifestyle exposure that causes cancer, exerting carcinogenicity through 60 chemicals that bind and mutate DNA. Using massively parallel sequencing technology, we sequenced a small cell lung cancer cell line, NCI-H209, to explore the mutational burden associated with tobacco smoking. 22,910 somatic substitutions were identified, including 132 in coding exons. Multiple mutation signatures testify to the cocktail of carcinogens in tobacco smoke and their proclivities for particular bases and surrounding sequence context. Effects of transcription-coupled repair and a second, more general expression-linked repair pathway were evident. We identified a tandem duplication that duplicates exons 3-8 of CHD7 in-frame, and another two lines carrying PVT1-CHD7 fusion genes, suggesting that CHD7 may be recurrently rearranged in this disease. These findings illustrate the potential for next-generation sequencing to provide unprecedented insights into mutational processes, cellular repair pathways and gene networks associated with cancer.

  Study EGAS00000000051

• Transcriptome analysis in very preterm infants with chronic lung disease after birth

  Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is the most common complication of prematurity and is characterized by impaired alveolar and vascular development. The aim of the study was to identify early BPD-relevant pathways by applying whole genome transcriptional profiling combined with protein measurements from umbilical arterial blood samples of preterm infants with and without BPD. Only newborn infants <32 weeks gestational age (GA) were prospectively included in this study. Blood was obtained from an indwelling umbilical artery catheter at birth and after 72 hours after birth and subjected to gene expression analysis using the Codelink Human I 10k Bioarray and the the Codelink Human Whole Genome Bioarray. The study reveals a monocyte-centered immune response at birth characterizing preterm infants later developing BPD. The findings provide potential markers for early risk stratification in the preterm infant with respect to the development of chronic pulmonary disease and may subsequently enable the development of new treatment strategies in this high risk patient cohort.

  Study EGAS00001002586

• The chromatin accessibility signature of human immune aging stems from CD8+ T cells

  Aging is linked to deficiencies in immune responses and increased systemic inflammation. To unravel the regulatory programsbehind these changes, we applied systems immunology approaches and profiled chromatin accessibility and the transcriptomein PBMCs, purified monocytes, and B and T cells. Analysis of samples from 77 young and elderly donors revealed a novel androbust aging signature in PBMCs, with simultaneous systematic chromatin closing at promoters and enhancers associated withT cell signaling and a potentially stochastic chromatin opening mostly found at quiescent and repressed sites. Combined analysesof chromatin accessibility and the transcriptome uncovered immune molecules activated/inactivated with aging andidentified the silencing of the IL7R gene and the IL-7 signaling pathway genes as potential biomarkers. This signature is borneby memory CD8+ T cells, which exhibited an aging-related loss in binding of NF-κB and STAT factors. Thus, our study providesa unique and comprehensive approach to identifying candidate biomarkers and provides mechanistic insights into aging-associatedimmunodeficiency.

  Study EGAS00001002605

• Whole-exome ultra-high throughput sequencing in brain samples of suicide victims who had suffered from major depressive disorder and control subjects who had died from other causes

  We carried out whole-exome ultra-high throughput sequencing in brain samples of suicide victims who had suffered from major depressive disorder and control subjects who had died from other causes. This study aimed to reveal the selective accumulation of rare variants in the coding and the UTR sequences within the genes of suicide victims. We also analysed the potential effect of STR and CNV variations, as well as the infection of the brain with neurovirulent viruses in this behavioural disorder. As a result, we have identified several candidate genes, among others three calcium channel genes that may potentially contribute to completed suicide. We also explored the potential implication of the TGF-β signalling pathway in the pathogenesis of suicidal behaviour. To our best knowledge, this is the first study that uses whole-exome sequencing for the investigation of suicide.

  Study EGAS00001002818

• Full genome sequencing of a monozygotic twin discordant for schizophrenia

  We sequenced the genomes from a monozygotic twin discordant for schizophrenia and a tumor-normal pair of an ovarian cancer patient. Using whole-genome twin data to discriminate between correctly identified single nucleotide variants (SNVs) and errors a strategy for the accurate detection of SNVs was developed. By applying stringent sequencing quality measures, excluding error-prone regions and selecting SNVs identified by different mapping and variation calling algorithms, error rates were ~37-fold reduced. This enabled us to identify the first discordant SNVs in monozygotic twins using whole-genome sequencing. In addition, by showing that novel SNVs are highly enriched in errors, accurate estimates of the number of novel and rare SNVs occurring in unrelated Caucasian individuals were obtained. Finally, somatic mutations in coding and regulatory sequences were reliably identified in the highly rearranged ovarian tumor. Overall, our data demonstrate that strategies to reduce error rates in whole-genomes are required for disease gene discovery.

  Study EGAS00001000152

• Single-cell Analysis of Neoplastic Plasma Cells Identifies Myeloma Pathobiology Mediators and Potential Targets

  Multiple myeloma is a clonal plasma cell (PC) dyscrasia that arises from precursors and has been studied utilizing approaches focused on CD138+ cells. By combining single-cell (sc)RNA- with scB-cell receptor (BCR)-sequencing, we differentiate monoclonal/neoplastic from polyclonal/normal PCs, and find more dysregulated genes, especially in precursor patients, than by analyzing bulk PCs. To determine if this approach can identify oncogenes that contribute to disease pathobiology, MAD2L1 and MAT2A are validated as targets with drug-like molecules that suppress myeloma growth in pre-clinical models. Moreover, functional studies show a role of LAMP5, which is uniquely expressed in neoplastic PCs, in tumor progression and aggressiveness via interactions with c-MYC. Finally, a monoclonal antibody recognizing cell-surface LAMP5 shows efficacy as an antibody-drug conjugate and in a chimeric antigen receptor-guided T-cell format. These studies provide additional insights into myeloma biology and identify potential targeted therapeutic approaches that can be applied to reverse myeloma progression.

  Study EGAS50000000802

• Chordoma_Sequencing_Project_Whole_Genome

  This is a continuation of the Chordoma Sequencing Project, prelim #G0175-122-CF. All cancers arise due to somatically acquired abnormalities in DNA sequence. Systematic sequencing of cancer genomes allows acquisition of complete catalogues of all classes of somatic mutation present in cancer. These mutation catalogues will allow identification of the somatically mutated cancer genes that are operative and characterise patterns of somatic mutation that may reflect previous exogenous and endogenous mutagenic exposures. In this application, we aim to perform whole genome sequencing on 10 chordoma matched genome pairs. The Chordoma Foundation will fund the RNA Sequencing/Methylation and SNP6 costs for this project while the whole genome and library sequencing will be covered under the CGP, 2012-2013 core WTSI internal funding. An additional sequencing of three cancer cell lines will be added to this work, financed by the Chordoma Foundation. In this project, the Chordoma foundation will pay for the additional costs of methylation, RNA Seq,

  Study EGAS00001000409

• MGA-NUTM1 fusion in high grade spindle cell sarcoma

  NUT carcinoma (NC) with mesenchymal differentiation have rarely been described in the literature. In this report, we describe the characterization of two cases of high grade spindle cell sarcoma harboring a novel MGA-NUTM1 fusion. Whole genome sequencing identified the presence of complex rearrangements resulting in a MGA-NUTM1 fusion gene in the absence of other significant somatic mutations. The fusion protein was predicted to retain nearly the entire protein sequence of both MGA (exons 1-22) and NUTM1 (exons 3-8). In contrast to typical cases of NC, these cases were successfully treated with aggressive local control measures (surgery and radiation) and both patients remain alive without disease. These cases describe a new subtype of NUTM1-rearranged tumors warranting expansion of diagnostic testing to evaluate for the presence of MGA-NUTM1 or alternative NUTM1 gene fusions in the diagnostic workup of high grade spindle cell sarcomas or small round blue cell tumors of ambiguous lineage.

  Study EGAS00001003341

• Tracking the origins and drivers of subclonal metastatic expansion in prostate cancer

  Tumour heterogeneity in primary prostate cancer is a well-established phenomenon. However, how the subclonal diversity of tumours changes during metastasis and progression to lethality is poorly understood. Here we reveal the precise direction of metastatic spread across four lethal prostate cancer patients using whole-genome and ultra-deep targeted sequencing of longitudinally collected primary and metastatic tumours. We find one case of metastatic spread to the surgical bed causing local recurrence, and another case of cross-metastatic site seeding combining with dynamic remoulding of subclonal mixtures in response to therapy. By ultra-deep sequencing end-stage blood, we detect both metastatic and primary tumour clones, even years after removal of the prostate. Analysis of mutations associated with metastasis reveals an enrichment of TP53 mutations, and additional sequencing of metastases from 19 patients demonstrates that acquisition of TP53 mutations is linked with the expansion of subclones with metastatic potential which we can detect in the blood.

  Study EGAS00001000942

• Spatial Dynamics of the Developing Human Heart

  Heart development relies on a topologically defined interplay between diverse cardiac cells. We finely curated spatial and single-cell measurements with high-resolution imaging-based transcriptomics validation to explore spatial dynamics during early human cardiogenesis. Analyzing almost 80,000 individual cells and 70,000 spatially barcoded tissue regions between the 5.5th and 14th postconceptional weeks, we identified 31 coarse- and 72 fine-grained cell states and mapped them to highly resolved cardiac cellular niches. We provide novel insight into the development of the cardiac pacemaker-conduction system, heart valves, and atrial septum, and decipher heterogeneity of the hitherto elusive cardiac fibroblast population. Furthermore, we describe the formation of the cardiac autonomic innervation and present the first spatial account of chromaffin cells in the fetal human heart. Our study, supported by an open-access, spatially centric interactive viewer, delineates the cellular and molecular architecture of the developing heart, offering links to genetic causes of heart disease.

  Study EGAS50000001122

• cfRRBS on cfDNA from pediatric cancer

  In the clinical management of pediatric solid tumors, histological examination of tumor tissue obtained by a biopsy remains the gold standard to establish a conclusive pathological diagnosis. The DNA methylation pattern of a tumor is known to correlate with the histopathological diagnosis across cancer types and is showing promise in the diagnostic workup of tumor samples. This methylation pattern can be detected in the cell-free DNA. Here, we provide proof-of-concept of histopathologic classification of pediatric tumors using cell-free reduced representation bisulfite sequencing (cf-RRBS) from retrospectively collected plasma and cerebrospinal fluid samples. We determined the correct tumor type in 49 out of 60 (81.6%) samples starting from minute amounts (less than 10 ng) of cell-free DNA. We demonstrate that the majority of misclassifications were associated with sample quality and not with the extent of disease. Our approach has the potential to help tackle some of the remaining diagnostic challenges in pediatric oncology in a cost-effective and minimally invasive manner.

  Study EGAS00001004194

• Improving CLL Vγ9Vδ2-T cell fitness for cellular therapy by ex vivo activation and ibrutinib

  We studied whether Vγ9Vδ2-T cells can exploited as autologous effector lymphocytes in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Healthy controls (HC) Vγ9Vδ2-T cells were activated by and had potent cytolytic activity against CLL cells, however CLL-derived Vγ9Vδ2-T cells proved dysfunctional with respect to effector cytokine production and cytotxicity. Dysfunction of Vγ9Vδ2-T cells was reversible upon activation with autologous monocyte-derived dendritic cells (mODCs). RNA sequencing confirmed that Vγ9Vδ2-T cells from CLL patients have a transcriptional profile that is distinct from HC Vγ9Vδ2-T cells prior to ex vivo expansion, although the profile after ex vivo expansion is similar between CLL and HC Vγ9Vδ2-T cells. Gene expression profiling implicated alterations in both synapse formation and exhaustion as conceivable contributors to compromised Vγ9Vδ2-T cell function in CLL patients. Taken together, CLL-mediated dysfunction of autologous Vγ9Vδ2-T cells is fully reversible, resulting in potent cytotoxicity towards CLL cells.

  Study EGAS00001003193

• T cell receptor repertoire in cell-free DNA as a proxy for tumor infiltrates in patients treated with pembrolizumab

  Profiling tumour and systemic T-cell receptor (TCR) repertoires can identify features associated with clinical benefit of cancer patients on immune checkpoint blockade therapy. This study reports on diversity and specificity analysis of TCR sequences from 59 tumor, 306 peripheral blood (PBMC), and 73 cell-free DNA (cfDNA) samples from 81 patients with solid tumors treated with pembrolizumab. This analysis reveals that head and neck carcinomas have significantly lower PBMC diversity and shorter persistence of pembrolizumab-induced diversification compared to other cancers. Using GLIPHII (Grouping Lymphocyte Interactions with Paratope Hotspots), we find that tumor-derived clonotypes form non-microbial specificity signatures that are shared across patients and cancer types. Tumor-derived clonotypes are enriched in cfDNA compared to PBMCs, despite the diversity of cfDNA TCR repertories being two orders of magnitude lower than PBMCs. TCRs shared between tumors and cfDNAs persist in PBMCs beyond 50 weeks of treatment, suggesting cfDNA captures clonotypes contributing to anti-tumor immune surveillance.

  Study EGAS50000001306

• RNA_seq_of_Toxoplasma_gondii_response_in_human_macrophages

  Toxoplasmosis is a zoonotic disease caused by a ubiquitous protozoan parasite called Toxoplasma gondii, which caninfect all mammal and bird species throughout the world. seroprevalence varies widely between countries. Studieshave estimated that between 7-34% of people in the UK have been infected with T. gondii. The vast majority of thesepeople will not have noticed any symptoms, however about 10% of people develop a mild to moderate self limitingflu-like illness. Following the acute active stage of the infection the parasite persists in the body in the form of cysts,particularly in heart and skeletal muscle and nervous system tissues, for many years, and usually for life. Inimmunocompetent persons these cysts do not pose a health risk. We will use RNA-seq to quantify the transcriptionalresponse of macrophages to T gondii infection.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/

  Study EGAS00001001708

• ucfDNA workflows for molecular profiling of malignant disease

  Urinary cell-free DNA (ucfDNA) is a promising liquid biopsy analyte obtained by a non-invasive sampling method, particularly valuable in urological cancers due to the proximity of biofluids to the tumor site. However, extremely high fragmentation and low abundance of ucfDNA pose significant analytical challenges. Improper handling and storage can severely affect ucfDNA quality, necessitating optimized pre-analytical workflows for clinical applications. We evaluated multiple pre-analytical workflows, including urine stabilization approaches against unstabilized urine samples. Our results demonstrated that without stabilization, ucfDNA degraded rapidly and minimal quantities remaining after 72 hours. In contrast, urine stabilization preserved ucfDNA integrity, enabling successful downstream analyses, including digital PCR and next-generation sequencing, for mutation detection in cancer-related genes and genome wide copy number profiling. These findings underscore the critical role of stabilization for a reliable ucfDNA analysis and highlight its potential in molecular diagnostics as a complementary tool to plasma-based liquid biopsies.

  Study EGAS50000001093

• Liquid Biopsy Detection of Tumor-specific Structural Variants in High Grade Serous Ovarian Cancer

  WGS Liquid Biopsy. Recurrence is frequent for most patients with high grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC), even after effective chemotherapy induced remission. However, after achievement of complete clinical response, the minimal residual disease is often insufficient for genomic analysis. Therefore, methods to interrogate the clonal composition and molecular properties of minimal residual disease are needed to better understand the mechanisms of HGSOC relapse. To address this unmet need, we developed and validated a novel cfDNA-based approach for tracking disease burden using NGS-informed tumor specific structural variants (SVs). Methods: The optimization of the methodology was first performed using synthetic cfDNA generated by ultrasonication of gDNA from ovarian cancer cell lines. Following the optimized workflow, whole genome sequencing of multisite biopsies from pre-treatment HGSOC patients were performed and high confidence SVs were called by consensus of multiple published SV callers. Real-time PCR and digital droplet PCR (ddPCR) were used for assays development.

  Study EGAS50000001044

• Complete Genomics paired end sequencing; Ovarian cancer

  We sequenced the genomes from a monozygotic twin discordant for schizophrenia and a tumor-normal pair of an ovarian cancer patient. Using whole-genome twin data to discriminate between correctly identified single nucleotide variants (SNVs) and errors a strategy for the accurate detection of SNVs was developed. By applying stringent sequencing quality measures, excluding error-prone regions and selecting SNVs identified by different mapping and variation calling algorithms, error rates were ~37-fold reduced. This enabled us to identify the first discordant SNVs in monozygotic twins using whole-genome sequencing. In addition, by showing that novel SNVs are highly enriched in errors, accurate estimates of the number of novel and rare SNVs occurring in unrelated Caucasian individuals were obtained. Finally, somatic mutations in coding and regulatory sequences were reliably identified in the highly rearranged ovarian tumor. Overall, our data demonstrate that strategies to reduce error rates in whole-genomes are required for disease gene discovery.

  Study EGAS00001000158

• Single cell RNA sequencing of human embryonic forebrain after slice culturing for between four weeks and one month

  With the aim of verifying normal tissue development in our Organotypic Timelapse recording with Transcriptomic Readout (OTTR) live tissue imaging method, we performed single cell RNA sequencing in organotypic slice cultures containing labelled cells from virally delivered ubiquitous Enhanced yellow fluorescent protein (EYFP)-expression. Human fetal cortices of PCW 7.5-10.5 were cut into strips along the dorso-ventral axis and directly placed en face, ventricular side down, on PTFE culturing membranes. To assess tissue health with our culturing method, we performed single cell RNA-seq analysis of the cortical explants (using adjacent slices from the same samples subjected to timelapse imaging). We cultured these control slices for four days in vitro (mimicking the start of a live imaging experiment after lentiviral infection and expression of EYFP), 11 days in vitro (corresponding to the end of one week of live imaging), and for two weeks and one month in vitro.

  Study EGAS50000001185

• Exome-sequencing identifies new oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes recurrently altered in hepatocellular carcinoma

  Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common primary liver malignancy. High-resolution copy number analysis of 125 tumors of which 24 were subjected to whole-exome sequencing identified 135 homozygous deletions and 994 somatic gene mutations with predicted functional consequences. We identified new recurrent alterations in 4 genes (ARID1A, RPS6KA3, NFE2L2 and IRF2) not previously described in HCC. Functional analyses demonstrated tumor suppressor properties for IRF2 whose inactivation, exclusively found in hepatitis B virus related tumors, leads to impaired TP53 function. Alternatively, inactivation of proteins involved in chromatin remodeling was frequent and predominant in alcohol related tumors. Moreover, activation of the oxidative stress metabolism and inactivation of RPS6KA3 were new pathways associated with WNT/beta-catenin activation, thereby suggesting a cooperative effect in tumorigenesis. This study shows the dramatic somatic genetic diversity in HCC, it reveals interactions between oncogene and tumor suppressor gene mutations markedly related to specific risk factors.

  Study EGAS00001000217

• Spatial Transcriptomics on prostate cancer heterogeneity

  Intratumor heterogeneity is one of the biggest challenges in cancer treatment today. Here we investigate tissue-wide gene expression heterogeneity throughout a multifocal prostate cancer using the spatial transcriptomics (ST) technology. Utilizing a novel approach for deconvolution, we analyze the transcriptomes of nearly 6750 tissue regions and extract distinct expression profiles for the different tissue components, such as stroma, normal and PIN glands, immune cells and cancer. We distinguish healthy and diseased areas and thereby provide insight into gene expression changes during the progression of prostate cancer. Compared to pathologist annotations, we delineate the extent of cancer foci more accurately, interestingly without link to histological changes. We identify gene expression gradients in stroma adjacent to tumor regions that allow for re-stratification of the tumor microenvironment. The establishment of these profiles is the first step towards an unbiased view of prostate cancer and can serve as a dictionary for future studies.

  Study EGAS00001003001

• Origination of Ovarian Cancer is Dependent on Specific Aneuploidy Landscape

  Ovarian high-grade serous carcinoma (HGSC), a highly chromosomally instable malignancy, develops through sequential stages of precursors in fallopian tubes including histologically unremarkable but TP53 mutated clones (p53 signature) and serous tubal intraepithelial carcinoma (STIC). Here, we applied RealSeqS to assess aneuploidy in 127 microdissected tubal regions. We found nearly all p53 signatures lost the entire Chr17 chromosome, offering a “two-hit” mechanism of both TP53 and BRCA1 in BRCA1 germline mutation carriers. Proliferatively active STICs harbor gains of 19q12 (CCNE1), 19q13.2, 8q24 (MYCyc), or 8q arm, while proliferatively dormant STICs show 22q loss. Based on aneuploidy patterns in a training set (n= 67), we developed an algorithm, REAL-FAST, to classify NFTE and STICs into 5 clusters. In an independent validation set (n= 72), REAL-FAST was able to detect STIC/HGSC with high sensitivity and specificity. Taken together, REAL-FAST promises a molecular test for diagnosing HGSC precursor lesions based on specific aneuploidy patterns.

  Study EGAS00001007220

• Exome sequencing in HIV+ Viremic Non-Progressors (VNPs) and HIV+ Progressors

  Viremic Non-Progressors (VNPs) maintain normal CD4+ T-cell counts despite uncontrolled HIV-1 replication, but mechanisms leading to CD4+ T-cell preservation are incompletely characterized. We aim to generate a comprehensive understanding of this infrequent phenotype by comparing rates of cellular infection, immunophenotype, genomics, single-cell transcriptomics, metabolomics, and levels of plasma biomarkers in 16 VNPs and 29 HIV+ Progressors. During chronic infection VNPs show lower frequency of HIV-1-infected cells in periphery, which is associated with reduced CCR5 expression and higher prevalence of CCR5Δ32 heterozygosity. The CD8+ T-cell compartment displays a less cytotoxic and less activated phenotype in VNPs. Moreover, despite similar viremia, we found lower bystander CD4+ T-cell death in the VNPs, together with weaker IFN responses, reduced plasma levels of zonulin (a biomarker of intestinal permeability), altered tryptophan catabolism, and preserved LPS responsiveness in vitro. Overall, a complex multifactorial mechanism, suggesting gut-associated lymphoid tissue preservation, underlies resistance to HIV pathogenesis in VNPs.

  Study EGAS50000000079

• A Genomics-Based Classification of Human Lung Tumors

  We characterized genome alterations in 1255 clinically annotated lung tumors of all histological subgroups to identify genetically defined and clinically relevant subtypes. More than 55% of all cases had at least one oncogenic genome alteration potentially amenable to specific therapeutic intervention, including several personalized treatment approaches that are already in clinical evaluation. Marked differences in the pattern of genomic alterations existed between and within histological subtypes, thus challenging the original histomorphological diagnosis. Immunohistochemical studies confirmed many of these reassigned subtypes. The reassignment eliminated almost all cases of large cell carcinomas, some of which had therapeutically relevant alterations. Prospective testing of our genomics-based diagnostic algorithm in 5145 lung cancer patients enabled a genome-based diagnosis in 3863 (75%) patients, confirmed the feasibility of rational reassignments of large cell lung cancer, and led to improvement in overall survival in patients with EGFR-mutant or ALK-rearranged cancers. Thus, our findings provide support for broad implementation of genome-based diagnosis of lung cancer.

  Study EGAS00001000647

• Whole Exome Sequencing of 60 tumor/normal matched liver Cancers (HCC)

  The French ICGC project on liver tumors is coordinated by Pr Jessica Zucman-Rossi and funded by Inca (French Institute for Cancer). The aim of the present project is to identify the catalog of somatic and germline mutations in liver tumors using whole genome (WGS) and whole exome sequencing (WGS), integrated with DNA methylation and RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) data. The present series corresponds to 60 whole exome tumor/normal pairs with matched RNA-seq. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) accounts for more than 90% of liver cancers, and is a major health problem. It is the 3rd cause of cancer-related mortality. Advances in genomic analyses have formed a comprehensive understanding of different underlying pathobiological layers resulting in hepatocarcinogenesis. Thus, the development of next-generation sequencing technologies has made it possible to generate more comprehensive catalogues of somatic alteration events (single nucleotide substitutions, structural variations, and epigenetic changes) in liver cancer genome than ever before.

  Study EGAS00001003063

• Peripheral blood DNA methylation and transcriptomics of vedolizumab and ustekinumab treatment response in patients with Crohn's disease

  Biological therapeutics are now widely used in Crohn’s disease (CD), with evidence of efficacy from randomised trials and real-world experience. Primary non-response is a common, poorly understood problem. We assessed blood methylation as a predictor of response to vedolizumab (VDZ, anti-a4b7 integrin) or ustekinumab (USTE, anti-IL-12/23p40). We report a two-center, prospective cohort study in which we profiled the peripheral blood DNA methylome of adult male and female CD patients. Samples were obtained prior to and during treatment with VDZ or USTE in a discovery and a validation cohort. Response to VDZ or USTE was defined based on a combination of ≥50% reduction in the endoscopic SES-CD score, corticosteroid-free clinical remission (≥3 point drop in HBI or HBI ≤4 and no systemic steroids) and/or biochemical response (C-reactive protein (CRP) and fecal calprotectin (FCP) reduction ≥50% or ≤5 mg/L and fecal calprotectin ≤250 µg/g).

  Study EGAS50000000263

• Autozygosity_pilot_Born_in_Bradford

  The offspring of first cousin marriages have ~6% of their genome autozygous, i.e. homozygous identical by descent, or even more if there was further consanguinity in their ancestry. In the UK there are large populations with very high first cousin marriage rates of 20-50%. Sequencing the exomes of a sample of these individuals has the potential both to support genetic health programmes in these populations, and to provide genetic research information about rare loss of function mutations. This pilot study based on existing cohort samples from the Born In Bradford study will identify homozygous individuals for almost all variants down to an allele frequency around 1%, plus individuals carrying hundreds of new homozygous rare loss-of-function variants, and will support development of community relations and ethics for a wider study currently being designed. The data deposited in the EGA consist of low coverage whole exome sequencing on these samples.

  Study EGAS00001000462

• Genome sequencing identifies splice-disrupting variants in childhood heart disease

  We used genome sequencing (GS) to identify cardiac specific splice disrupting variants that were subsequently validated in a subset of participants. In turn, we developed a heart-specific model for canonical and non-canonical splice variants, which was applied to patients with congenital heart disease (CHD). These included patients with two of the most common forms of cyanotic CHD i.e. tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) and dextro-transposition of the great arteries (TGA). In addition to identifying canonical splice-disrupting variants in known CHD-related genes in 1% cases, this approach identified putatively damaging non-canonical splice-disrupting variants in 11% of isolated CHD, with deeply intronic variants representing 53% of non-canonical splice-disrupting variants in CHD genes. GS was critical for the identification of variants that would not be captured by routine clinical genetic tests including exome sequencing, while cardiac RNA-Seq allowed for high specificity in the interpretation of splice-disrupting effects in the heart.

  Study EGAS50000000586

• Whole-exome ultra-high throughput sequencing in brain samples of suicide victims who had suffered from major depressive disorder and control subjects who had died from other causes.

  We carried out whole-exome ultra-high throughput sequencing in brain samples of suicide victims who had suffered from major depressive disorder and control subjects who had died from other causes. This study aimed to reveal the selective accumulation of rare variants in the coding and the UTR sequences within the genes of suicide victims. We also analysed the potential effect of STR and CNV variations, as well as the infection of the brain with neurovirulent viruses in this behavioural disorder. As a result, we have identified several candidate genes, among others three calcium channel genes that may potentially contribute to completed suicide. We also explored the potential implication of the TGF-β signalling pathway in the pathogenesis of suicidal behaviour. To our best knowledge, this is the first study that uses whole-exome sequencing for the investigation of suicide.

  Study EGAS00001003081

• Nivolumab plus chemotherapy or ipilimumab in gastroesophageal cancer: CheckMate 649 biomarker analyses

  First-line nivolumab-plus-chemotherapy demonstrated superior overall survival (OS) versus chemotherapy for advanced gastroesophageal adenocarcinoma (CheckMate 649). Nivolumab-plus-ipilimumab provided durable responses and higher survival rates versus chemotherapy; however, the prespecified OS significance boundary was not met. To identify biomarkers predictive of differential efficacy outcomes, exploratory analyses were performed using whole-exome sequencing and RNA sequencing. Nivolumab-based therapies demonstrated improved efficacy versus chemotherapy in hypermutated and, to a lesser degree, Epstein Bar Virus-positive tumors compared with chromosomally unstable and genomically stable tumors. Within the KRAS-altered subgroup, only patients treated with nivolumab-plus-chemotherapy demonstrated improved OS benefit versus chemotherapy. Low stroma gene expression signature scores were associated with OS benefit with nivolumab-based regimens; high regulatory T-cell signatures were associated with OS benefit only with nivolumab-plus-ipilimumab. Our analyses suggest that distinct and overlapping pathways contribute to the efficacy of nivolumab-based regimens in gastroesophageal adenocarcinoma.

  Study EGAS50000000747

• CTCF-dependent enhancer hijacking by the EVI1 oncogene in leukemia

  Chromosomal rearrangements are a frequent cause of oncogene deregulation in human malignancies. Overexpression of EVI1 is found in a subgroup of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with 3q26 chromosomal rearrangements which are often therapy resistant. In a cohort of primary t(3;8)(q26;q24) AML samples we observed the translocation of a MYC super-enhancer to EVI1. We generated a patient-based t(3;8)(q26;q24) model in vitro using CRISPR-Cas9 technology and demonstrated hyper-activation of EVI1 by the hijacked MYC super-enhancer. One MYC super-enhancer element in particular, which recruits early hematopoietic regulators, is critical for EVI1 expression and enhancer-promoter interaction. This interaction is facilitated by a CTCF-bound motif upstream of the EVI1 promoter that acts as an enhancer-docking site in t(3;8) AML. Genomic analyses of 3q26-rearranged AML samples point to a common mechanism by which EVI1 uses this CTCF-bound enhancer-docking site to hijack early hematopoietic enhancers.

  Study EGAS00001004808

• Recurrent mTORC1-activating RRAGC mutations in follicular lymphoma

  Follicular lymphoma (FL) is an incurable B-cell malignancy characterized by the t(14;18) and mutations in one or more components of the epigenome. Whilst frequent gene mutations in signaling pathways, including JAK-STAT, NOTCH and NF-κB, have also been defined, the spectrum of these mutations typically overlap with the closely-related diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL). A combination of discovery exome and extended targeted sequencing revealed recurrent somatic mutations in RRAGC uniquely enriched in FL patients (17%). More than half of the mutations preferentially co-occurred with ATP6V1B2 and ATP6AP1 mutations, components of the vacuolar H+-adenosine triphosphate ATPase (v-ATPase) known to be necessary for amino acid-dependent mTORC1 activation. RagC mutants increased raptor binding whilst rendering mTORC1 signaling resistant to amino acid deprivation through nucleotide-independent mechanisms. Collectively, the activating nature of the RRAGC mutations, their existence within the dominant clone and stability during disease progression supports their potential as an excellent candidate to be therapeutically exploited.

  Study EGAS00001001190

• Recurrent adeno-associated virus 2-related insertional mutagenesis in human hepatocellular carcinomas

  Hepatocellular carcinomas (HCC) are liver tumors related to various etiologies including alcohol intake, hepatitis B (HBV) or C (HCV) virus infection. Additional risk factors remain to be identified, particularly in patients who develop HCC without cirrhosis. We identified clonal integration of adeno-associated virus type 2 (AAV2) in 11 out of 193 HCC. These AAV2 integrations occurred within known cancer driver genes, namely, CCNA2 (Cyclin A2, 4 cases), TERT (Telomerase Reverse-Transcriptase, 1 case), CCNE1 (Cyclin E1, 3 cases), TNFSF10 (Tumor Necrosis Factor member 10, 2 cases) or KMT2B (Lysine (K)-Specific Methyltransferase 2B, 1 case) leading to over-expression of the target genes. Tumors with viral integration mainly developed in non-cirrhotic liver (9 out of 11 cases) and without known risk factors (6 out of 11) suggesting a pathogenic role of AAV2 in these patients. In conclusion, AAV2 is a DNA virus associated with oncogenic insertional mutagenesis in human HCC.

  Study EGAS00001001284

• Spatial and Temporal Homogeneity of Driver Mutations in Diffuse Intrinsic Pointine Glioma

  Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Gliomas (DIPG) are deadly pediatric brain tumors where needle biopsies help guide diagnosis and targeted therapies. To address spatial heterogeneity, we analyzed 134 specimens from various neuroanatomical structures of whole autopsy brains from nine DIPG patients. Evolutionary reconstruction indicates histone 3 (H3)K27M – including novel H3.2K27M - mutations potentially arise first and are invariably associated with specific, high-fidelity obligate partners throughout the tumor and its spread, from diagnosis to end-stage disease, suggesting mutual need for tumorigenesis. These H3K27M ubiquitously-associated mutations involve alterations in TP53 cell-cycle (TP53/PPM1D) or specific growth factor pathways (ACVR1/PIK3R1). Later oncogenic alterations arise in sub-clones and often affect the PI3K pathway. Our findings are consistent with early tumor spread outside the brainstem including the cerebrum. The spatial and temporal homogeneity of driver mutations in DIPG implies they will be captured by limited biopsies and emphasizes the need to develop therapies specifically targeting obligate oncohistone partnerships.

  Study EGAS00001001654

• RNA-seq from human embryonic tissues (additional samples 2018)

  How the genome activates or silences transcriptional programmes governs organ formation. Little is known about this in human post-implantation embryos undermining our ability to benchmark the fidelity of in vitro stem cell differentiation or cell programming, or interpret noncoding variation as potential causes of disease. Here, by studying histone modification we identified genome-wide open chromatin states and active repression across thirteen tissues during human organogenesis. We integrated the data with transcription to build the first view of how promoter states from nearly 20,000 genes differentially regulate alternative organ fates, arguing against bivalency during human organogenesis. The data illustrate tissue-specific as well as complex patterns of enhancer activity functional in zebrafish and impute master transcription factors. Overlaying 739 noncoding de novo mutations in patients allowed phenotypic correlation of developmental disorders to unanticipated target genes. Taken together, the data provide a comprehensive genomic framework for understanding normal and abnormal human development.

  Study EGAS00001003738

• Single_cell_analysis_of_cytokine_induced_T_cell_states

  We isolated T cells from healthy platelet donors and cultured them in resting and stimulated conditions with addition of a range of cytokines. We performed scRNA sequencing to assess the variability of polarization in different cytokines treated cells. Cytokines affect T cell responses by polarising them to different phenotypes. Given that the inflammation and and autoimmune tissue distruction is driven by the local production of cytokines, we investigated cytokine induced changes in T cells by using a combination of immunological and genomics approaches. To characterize, the efficacy of cytokine induced porization, here we stimulated naive and memory CD4+ T cells in the presence of cytokine polarizing coctails and profiled single cell transcriptome five days following polarization. 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/

  Study EGAS00001003215

• RNA-seq of Liver Cancer

  The French ICGC project on liver tumors is coordinated by Pr Jessica Zucman-Rossi and funded by Inca (French Institute for Cancer). The aim of the present project is to identify the catalog of somatic and germline mutations in liver tumors using whole genome (WGS) and whole exome sequencing (WGS), integrated with DNA methylation and RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) data. The present series corresponds to 161 RNA-seq samples from tumors with matched WES or WGS. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) accounts for more than 90% of liver cancers, and is a major health problem. It is the 3rd cause of cancer-related mortality. Advances in genomic analyses have formed a comprehensive understanding of different underlying pathobiological layers resulting in hepatocarcinogenesis. Thus, the development of next-generation sequencing technologies has made it possible to generate more comprehensive catalogues of somatic alteration events (single nucleotide substitutions, structural variations, and epigenetic changes) in liver cancer genome than ever before.

  Study EGAS00001002879

• Whole Genome Sequencing of HCC

  The French ICGC project on liver tumors is coordinated by Pr Jessica Zucman-Rossi and funded by Inca (French Institute for Cancer). The aim of the present project is to identify the catalog of somatic and germline mutations in liver tumors using whole genome (WGS) and whole exome sequencing (WGS), integrated with DNA methylation and RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) data. The present series corresponds to 24 whole genome sequencing (12 Tumoral/Non-tumoral pairs). Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) accounts for more than 90% of liver cancers, and is a major health problem. It is the 3rd cause of cancer-related mortality. Advances in genomic analyses have formed a comprehensive understanding of different underlying pathobiological layers resulting in hepatocarcinogenesis. Thus, the development of next-generation sequencing technologies has made it possible to generate more comprehensive catalogues of somatic alteration events (single nucleotide substitutions, structural variations, and epigenetic changes) in liver cancer genome than ever before.

  Study EGAS00001002888

• Whole-exome sequencing and microRNA profiling predicted relapse risk of stage I lung adenocarcinomas

  Despite the advance in precision therapy, about 20% of stage I non-small cell lung cancer patients suffer a relapse after surgical resection. To develop molecular signatures for relapse prediction of stage I lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD), we conduct comprehensive analyses of multiplatform molecular profiling from 113 treatment-naïve stage I Taiwanese LUAD patients. We identify 16 nonsynonymous non-sporadic point mutations (NSPOPMs) harbored at EGFR, KRAS, TP53, CTNNB1 and 6 other genes, and find that the Non-EGFR NSPOPMs were associated with early relapse in a dose-dependent manner via variant allele fraction (VAF). We define a score, maxVAF, to aggregate the VAFs of these NSPOPMs by the maximum value. MicroRNA expression analysis shows a strong correlation between miR-31 and maxVAF. Combining maxVAF with miR-31 led to a powerful risk prediction for surgically resected stage I patients (hazard ratio = 8.65, P = 0.001). Our study opens up more options for precision management of stage I LUAD patients.

  Study EGAS00001004461

• Familial adult myoclonic epilepsy in Sri Lankan and Indian families

  Familial adult myoclonic epilepsy 1 (FAME1), first recognised in Japanese families, was recently shown to be caused by a TTTCA repeat insertion in intron 4 of SAMD12 on chromosome 8. We performed whole genome sequencing on two families with FAME, one of Sri Lankan origin and the other of Indian origin, and identified a TTTCA repeat insertion in SAMD12 in both families. Haplotype analysis revealed that both families shared the same core ancestral haplotype reported in Japanese and Chinese families with FAME1. Mutation dating, based on the length of shared haplotypes, estimated the age of the ancestral haplotype to be approximately 670 generations, or 17,000 years old. Our data extend the geographic range of this repeat expansion to Southern Asia and potentially implicate an even broader regional distribution given the age of the variant. This finding suggests patients of Asian ancestry with suspected FAME should be screened for the SAMD12 TTTCA expansion.

  Study EGAS00001004012

• The genomic landscape of early stage ovarian high grade serous carcinoma

  To determine whether early-stage ovarian high grade serous carcinoma (HGSC) represents a distinct genomic entity, we collected samples from 43 patients with stage IA-IIA HGSC to identify potential differences in short genomic variants and copy number aberrations, and compared them to a cohort of 52 late-stage (stage IIIC-IV) cases. We found no significant differences in somatic mutations or focal copy number alterations between early-stage and late-stage cohorts. There was, however, a significant difference in both ploidy and copy number signature exposure between early and late-stage samples, with higher ploidy and signature 4 exposure in late-stage cases. Unsupervised hierarchical clustering revealed three clusters, which were prognostic. Together, our data suggest that early and late-stage HGSC share fundamental genomic features, but that late- stage disease appears distinct from early-stage, with evidence of whole genome duplication that may provide evolutionary benefit.

  Study EGAS00001005567

• Integrative molecular analysis of pediatric Anaplastic large cell lymphoma reveals subtypes with distinct immune suppression signatures.

  Anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL) is a peripheral T-cell lymphoma accounting for 10–15% of all childhood lymphomas. While more than 90% of the ALCL cases contain ALK-rearrangement, these tumors possess significant inter-tumor molecular heterogeneity that contributes to distinct morphologic differences and clinical impact. To gain insight into the molecular heterogeneity within ALK+ ALCL, we performed whole-exome sequencing, RNA-sequencing, and methylome analysis of 42 primary pediatric ALK+ ALCL patients. Our data showed that ALK+ALCLs was subclassified into two subtypes based on ALK gene expression, methylation profiles, and somatic mutation patterns. ALK-low samples had more highly methylated gene regions while enriched with immune infiltration. ALK-high samples were enriched with somatic copy number alteration and high expression of MYC and PD-L1. These data indicate that ALK expression, somatic mutations, and aneuploidy status are negatively associated with immune infiltration, stipulating that ALK expression status might be associated with resistance to immune checkpoint inhibitors.

  Study EGAS00001004189

• A molecular signature for IL-10-producing Th1 cells in protozoan parasitic diseases

  Control of the intracellular parasites that cause malaria and visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is dependent on the generation of pro-inflammatory, IFNγ+ Tbet+ CD4+ T (Th1) cells by infected hosts. Immunoregulatory IL-10 produced by Th1 cells serves to mitigate subsequent inflammation and related disease pathology. However, these IL-10-producing Th1 (Tr1) cells can also not only promote parasite persistence, but may impair immunity to re-infection and potential vaccine efficacy. Here, we identify molecular and phenotypic signatures that distinguish Th1 cells from Tr1 cells in both experimental VL, caused by infection of C57BL/6 mice with the human parasite Leishmania donovani, and in Plasmodium falciparum-infected humans participating in controlled human malaria infection (CHMI) studies. Such characterisations allow for the better understanding of Tr1 cell development and function in the context of these parasitic diseases, and for the identification of targets for immune modulation to improve anti-parasitic immunity.

  Study EGAS00001004454

• Rare occurrence of Aristolochic Acid Mutational Signatures in Oro-Gastrointestinal Tract Cancers

  Aristolochic Acids (AAs) are a family of carcinogenic phytochemical compounds commonly found in plants of Aristolochia and Asarum genus. Comprehensive genomic profiling of genitourinary and hepatobiliary cancers has highlighted the widespread prevalence of Aristolochic Acid (AA) signatures in cancer patients across parts of Asia, particularly in Taiwan. The aim of our study was to determine in Oro-Gastrointestinal Tract (OGITC) cancers, the prevalence, role and significance that AA plays as a driver of tumorigenesis as AA containing products are commonly administered orally. This would suggest a possible etiological relationship between cancers of OGITC. However, in this study the rarity of AA mutational signatures in OGITC suggests that AA is unlikely to drive carcinogenesis in OGITC through direct exposure. Our study is valuable to show that AA exposure is not an equal driver of tumorigenesis in different organs and represents an important piece of information in the field.

  Study EGAS00001005909

• Combined clinical and gene expression score identifies high-risk individuals among follicular lymphoma patients on immunotherapy

  Follicular lymphoma (FL) is usually an indolent malignant B-cell lymphoma, but at least 30% of the patients experience transformation to Diffuse Large B-cell Lymphoma (DLBCL) with inferior survival. Early identification of patients with poor prognosis is essential for tailoring treatment. Here, we describe a network-based integrative analysis of 168 FL-biopsies from 127 patients with long clinical follow-up and transformation status. A distinct shift in expression towards a DLBCL expression phenotype is observed in BTK associated genes in cases with transformation. This shift is present years prior to transformation. An integrated score combining the BTK score and a clinical index is proposed, termed the BTK-FLIPI score. It identifies patients (16%) with very poor prognosis, with median time to progression 21.7 months (95% CI: 14.3-42.6) versus 70.9 months (95% CI: 41.5-95.0) for the remainder. The results suggest BTK as a potential target for treatment of high-risk FL-patients.

  Study EGAS00001002566

• SARS‐CoV‐2 receptor ACE2 and TMPRSS2 are primarily expressed in bronchial transient secretory cells

  The SARS‐CoV‐2 pandemic affecting the human respiratory system severely challenges public health and urgently demands for increasing our understanding of COVID‐19 pathogenesis, especially host factors facilitating virus infection and replication. SARS‐CoV‐2 was reported to enter cells via binding to ACE2, followed by its priming by TMPRSS2. Here, we investigate ACE2 and TMPRSS2 expression levels and their distribution across cell types in lung tissue (twelve donors, 39,778 cells) and in cells derived from subsegmental bronchial branches (four donors, 17,521 cells) by single nuclei and single cell RNA sequencing, respectively. While TMPRSS2 is strongly expressed in both tissues, in the subsegmental bronchial branches ACE2 is predominantly expressed in a transient secretory cell type. Interestingly, these transiently differentiating cells show an enrichment for pathways related to RHO GTPase function and viral processes suggesting increased vulnerability for SARS‐CoV‐2 infection. Our data provide a rich resource for future investigations of COVID‐19 infection and pathogenesis.

  Study EGAS00001004419

• Somatic_mutation_profiling_of_intestinal_crypts_from_IBD_Full_STDY

  Following on from our pilot study we will investigate further the role that somatic mutations in intestinal stem cells play in IBD. We will use laser capture microdissection to ascertain epithelial cells from an individual crypts/vilus. We will extract DNA from these and use a new low-input material library prep methods to make accurate libraries for sequencing. We will perform 15X whole-genome sequencing of crypts biopsied from patients. Biopsies have been taken from inflammed and noninflammed patches to compare mutation rates and mutational signatures. We will also test if crypts from inflammed patches of a single patient are clonal (either within a given inflammed patch or across inflammed patches). We will quantify the rate of cancer driver mutations in inflammed and non-inflammed crypts. 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/

  Study EGAS00001003249

• single cell RNA-seq and ATAC-seq of human fetal forebrain tissue

  Oligodendrogenesis in the human central nervous system has been mainly observed at the second trimester of gestation, a much later developmental stage compared to mouse. Here we characterize the transcriptomic neural diversity in the human forebrain at post conceptual weeks (PCW) 8 to 10, using single-cell RNA-Seq. We find evidence of the emergence of a first wave of oligodendrocyte lineage cells as early as PCW 8, which we also confirm at the epigenomic level with single-cell ATAC-Seq. Using regulatory network inference, we predict key transcriptional events leading to the specification of oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs). Moreover, by profiling the spatial expression of fifty key genes using In Situ Sequencing (ISS), we identify regions in the human ventral fetal forebrain where oligodendrogenesis first occurs. Our results indicate evolutionary conservation of the first wave of oligodendrogenesis between mouse and human and describe regulatory mechanisms involved in human OPC specification.

  Study EGAS00001006136

• Combined gene expression and digital pathology identifies molecular mediators of T cell exclusion and immune suppression in ovarian cancer

  Close proximity between cytotoxic T lymphocytes and tumour cells is required for effective immunotherapy. However, what determines the spatial distribution of T cells in the tumour microenvironment is not well understood. Coupling digital pathology and transcriptome analysis on a large ovarian tumour cohort, we develop a machine learning approach to molecularly classify and characterize tumour-immune phenotypes. Our study identifies two important hallmarks characterizing T cell excluded tumours: 1) loss of antigen presentation on tumour cells and 2) upregulation of TGFb and activated stroma. Furthermore, we identify TGFb as a key mediator of T cell exclusion. TGFb reduces MHC-I expression in ovarian cancer cells in vitro; TGFb also activates fibroblasts and induced extracellular matrix (ECM) production as a potential physical barrier to hinder T cell infiltration. Our findings indicate that targeting TGFb may represent a promising strategy to overcome T cell exclusion and improve clinical benefits of cancer immunotherapy.

  Study EGAS00001003487

• Widespread hypertranscription in aggressive human cancers

  Cancers are often defined by the dysregulation of specific transcriptional programs; however, the importance of global transcriptional changes is less understood. Hypertranscription is the genome-wide increase in RNA output. Hypertranscription’s prevalence, underlying drivers and prognostic significance are undefined in primary human cancer. This is due in part to limitations of expression profiling methods, which assume equal RNA output between samples. Here, we developed a computational method to directly measure hypertranscription in 7,494 human tumors, spanning 31 cancer types. Hypertranscription is ubiquitous across cancer, especially in aggressive disease. It defines patient subgroups with worse survival, even within well-established subtypes. Our data suggest that loss of transcriptional suppression underpins the hypertranscriptional phenotype. Single-cell analysis reveals hypertranscriptional clones, which dominate transcript production regardless of their size. Finally, patients with hypertranscribed mutations have improved response to immune checkpoint therapy. Our results provide fundamental insights into gene dysregulation across human cancers and may prove useful in identifying patients that would benefit from novel therapies.

  Study EGAS00001006365

• Renal Cell Carcinoma Tumors From S-TRAC trial (NCT00375674) Whole Transcriptome Sequencing

  We report a comprehensive genomic and transcriptomic analysis of tumor samples from 171 patients at high risk for recurrent renal cell carcinoma post nephrectomy from the S-TRAC trial (NCT00375674). We identify gene expression signatures, including STRAC11 (derived from the sunitinib-treated population). The overlap in key elements captured in these gene expression signatures, which include genes representative of the tumor stroma microenvironment, regulatory T cell, and myeloid cells, suggests they are likely to be both prognostic and predictive of the anti-angiogenic effect in the adjuvant setting. These signatures also point to the identification of potential therapeutic targets for development in adjuvant renal cell carcinoma, such as MERTK and TDO2. Finally, our findings suggest that while anti-angiogenic adjuvant therapy might be important, it may not be sufficient to prevent recurrence and other factors such as immune response and that tumor environment may be of greater importance.

  Study EGAS00001006528

• Renal Cell Carcinoma Tumors From S-TRAC trial (NCT00375674) Exome Sequencing

  We report a comprehensive genomic and transcriptomic analysis of tumor samples from 171 patients at high risk for recurrent renal cell carcinoma post nephrectomy from the S-TRAC trial (NCT00375674). We identify gene expression signatures, including STRAC11 (derived from the sunitinib-treated population). The overlap in key elements captured in these gene expression signatures, which include genes representative of the tumor stroma microenvironment, regulatory T cell, and myeloid cells, suggests they are likely to be both prognostic and predictive of the anti-angiogenic effect in the adjuvant setting. These signatures also point to the identification of potential therapeutic targets for development in adjuvant renal cell carcinoma, such as MERTK and TDO2. Finally, our findings suggest that while anti-angiogenic adjuvant therapy might be important, it may not be sufficient to prevent recurrence and other factors such as immune response and that tumor environment may be of greater importance.

  Study EGAS00001006529

• Malignant progression of an ancestral bone marrow clone harboring a CIC-NUTM2A fusion in isolated myeloid sarcoma

  Myeloid sarcoma is a rare condition consisting of extramedullary myeloid blasts found in association with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) or, in the absence of bone marrow involvement. We identified an infant with isolated myeloid sarcoma whose bone marrow was negative for involvement by flow cytometry. Sequencing revealed the fusion oncogene CIC-NUTM2A and identified the sarcoma to be clonally evolved from the bone marrow which carried the fusion despite the absence of pathology. Murine modeling confirmed the ability of the fusion to transform hematopoietic cells and identified receptor tyrosine kinase signaling activation consistent with disruption of the CIC transcriptional repressor. These findings extend the definition of CIC-rearranged malignancies to include hematologic disease, provide insight into the mechanism of oncogenesis, and demonstrate the importance of molecular analysis and tracking of bone marrow involvement over the course of treatment in myeloid sarcoma, including patients that lack flow cytometric evidence of leukemia at diagnosis.

  Study EGAS00001006833

• Tracking early lung cancer metastatic dissemination in TRACERx using ctDNA

  These data relate to Abbosh et al 2023 'Tracking early lung cancer metastatic dissemination in TRACERx using ctDNA'. Some patients were included in this work that were excluded from the other TRACERx 421 papers (Frankell et al and Al-bakir et al) often due to exclusion criteria in the TRACERx clinical trial. Reasons include partial contamination with C>A artefact mutational signature (CRUK0480 ,0490) which were included for ctDNA detection analyses using high confidence clonal mutations but not clonality analyses, incomplete resection at primary surgery (CRUK0291, 0234, 0230, 0387, 0622) and a concurrent oesophageal second primary cancer (CRUK0498). The primary tissue exome sequencing for these patients that were used in this study are included in this repository. Deep targeted sequencing of (median 200) tumour specific mutations in plasma for 1069 samples from 198 TRACERx patients are also included. Additional details related to these patients and samples can be found in the supplementary or data repositories from Frankell et al and Abbosh et al.

  Study EGAS00001006923

• Multiome_HB

  Hepatoblastoma (HB) cells display strong phenotypic heterogeneity with a major impact on drug response, but the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. Here, we use a single-cell multi-omic strategy to unravel the molecular determinants of this plasticity. HB display a continuum of single-cell states between hepatocytic (scH), liver progenitor (scLP) and mesenchymal (scM) differentiation poles, with an intermediate scH/LP population bordering scLP and scH areas in spatial transcriptomics. Chromatin accessibility landscapes reveal the gene regulatory networks of each differentiation pole, and the sequence of transcription factor activation underlying cell state transitions. Single-cell mapping of somatic alterations reveals the clonal architecture of each tumor, showing that each genetic subclone displays its own range of cellular plasticity across differentiation poles. The most scLP subclones, overexpressing stem cell and DNA repair genes, proliferate faster after neo-adjuvant chemotherapy. These results highlight how the interplay of clonal evolution and epigenetic plasticity shapes the potential of HB subclones to respond to chemotherapy.

  Study EGAS00001006932

• Single-cell RNA-seq and spatial transcriptomics data for the sarcoidosis baseline project

  Granulomas are lumps of immune cells that can form in various organs. Most granulomas appear unstructured, yet they have some resemblance to lymphoid organ formation. To better understand granuloma formation, we performed single-cell sequencing and spatial transcriptomics on granulomas from patients with sarcoidosis and bioinformatically reconstructed the underlying gene-regulatory networks. We discovered an immune stimulatory environment in granulomas that repurposed transcriptional programs associated with lymphoid organ development. Granuloma formation followed characteristic spatial patterns and involved genes linked to immunometabolism, cytokine and chemokine signaling, and extracellular matrix remodeling. Three cell types emerged as key players in granuloma formation: metabolically reprogrammed macrophages, cytokine-producing Th17.1 cells, and fibroblasts with inflammatory and tissue remodeling phenotypes. Pharmacological inhibition of one of the identified processes attenuated granuloma formation in a sarcoidosis mouse model. We show that human granulomas adopt characteristic aspects of normal lymphoid organ development in aberrant combinations, indicating that granulomas constitute aberrant lymphoid organs.

  Study EGAS00001006970

• The genetic history of the southern Andes from present-day Mapuche ancestry

  We generate genome-wide data from 64 participants from three Mapuche populations in Southern Chile: Pehuenche, Lafkenche, and Huilliche. Broadly, we describe three main ancestry blocks with a common origin, which characterize the Southern Cone, the Central Andes, and Amazonia. Within the Southern Cone, ancestors of the Mapuche lineages differentiated from those of the Far South during the Middle Holocene, and did not experience further migration waves from the north. We find that the deep genetic split between the Central and Southern Andes is followed by instances of gene flow, which may have accompanied the southward spread of cultural traits from the Central Andes, including crops and loanwords from Quechua into Mapudungun (the language of the Mapuche). Our findings add new perspectives on the genetic (pre)history of South America, from first settlement through to the present-day indigenous presence. Follow-up fieldwork took these results back to the indigenous communities to contextualize the genetic narrative alongside indigenous knowledge and perspectives.

  Study EGAS00001007200

• Genetic Heterogeneity of the familial gastric neuroendocrine tumors (2018-06-06)

  Gastric neuroendocrine tumors (gNETs) occur with an estimated frequency of 2 per 100,000 in the general population. Type I gastric neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) represent the 75% of gNTEs and arise from gastric enterochromaffin-like (ECL) cells. They have late age of onset and usually benigh course. Classically, hypergastrinemia in patients who have autoimmune atrophic gastritis, causes hyperplasia of gastric ECL cells that progresses into type I gastric NETs and parietal cell (PC) destruction. The genetic bases in families with this disease are unknown. We performed an exome sequencing study of an atypical aggressive familial gNETs case (with early age onset, nodal infiltrations and gastric adenocarcinomas) that followed a recessive model. We identified a deleterious mutation in homozygosis in the ATP4A gene, which encodes the proton pump responsible for acid secretion by gastric parietal cells. This mutation lead to achlorhydria first, and hypergastrinemia and gNET developing as consequence (Calvete et al. 2014). Recently, two more families with gNETs, classical clinical traits and recessive model have been studies by WES but we didn't find any mutation in the ATP4a gene. However, putative mutations affecting genes that contribute to the development and the integrity of PC have been found suggesting that genetic alterations associated to this disorder target to a unique cell type (parietal cells). In order to cinfirm this hypothesis, it is necessary the search for new genes implicated in the gNETs, more familial cases are needed to be studied. We have identified four more new familial gNETs cases. Here, we propose their study by WES. The first family is formed by thress siblings with gNETs. The other families include two siblings with gNETs. 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 2018-06-06.

  Dataset EGAD00001004153

• GATA6 expression distinguishes classical and basal-like subtypes in advanced pancreatic cancer.

  PURPOSE: To determine the impact of basal-like and classical subtypes in advanced PDAC and to explore GATA6 expression as a surrogate biomarker. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: Within the COMPASS trial patients proceeding to chemotherapy for advanced PDAC undergo tumour biopsy for RNA sequencing. Overall response rate (ORR) and overall survival (OS) were stratified by subtypes and according to chemotherapy received. Correlation of GATA6 with the subtypes using gene expression profiling, in situ hybridization (ISH) were explored. RESULTS: Between December 2015-May 2019, 195 patients (95%) had enough tissue for RNA sequencing; 39 (20%) were classified as basal-like and 156 (80%) as classical. RECIST response data were available for 157 patients; 29 basal-like and 128 classical where the ORR was 10% vs. 33% respectively (p=0.02). In patients with basal-like tumours treated with modified FOLFIRINOX (mFFX) (n=22) the progression rate was 60% compared to 15% in classical PDAC (p= 0.0002). Median OS in the intention to treat population (n=195) was 9.3 months for classical vs. 5.9 months for basal-like PDAC (HR 0.47 95% CI 0.32-0.69, p=0.0001). GATA6 expression by RNAseq highly correlated with the classifier (p<0.001) and ISH predicted the subtypes with sensitivity of 89% and specificity of 83%. In a multivariable analysis, GATA6 expression was prognostic (p=0.02). In exploratory analyses, basal-like tumours, could be identified by keratin 5, were more hypoxic and enriched for a T cell inflamed gene expression signature. CONCLUSIONS: The basal-like subtype is chemoresistant and can be distinguished from classical PDAC by GATA6 expression.

  Dataset EGAD00001006081

• Identification of the Global miR-130a Targetome Reveals a Novel Role for TBL1XR1 in Hematopoietic Stem Cell Self-Renewal and t(8;21) AML

  In this study, we identified miR-130a as a regulator of HSC self-renewal and differentiation. To characterize gene expression changes following enforced expression of miR-130a OE, we performed RNA-seq in CD34+ cord blood (CB) cells transduced with control and miR-130a OE lentiviruses. To capture miRNA targets in an unbiased, transcriptome-wide manner, we perfomed enhanced CLIPseq procol in 2 replicates of CD34+ CB cells and Kasumi-1 cell line, which represent a model system for t(8;21) AML. We chose this cell line, as we found miR-130a to be highly expressed in this AML subtype where it is critical for maintaining the oncogenic molecular program mediated by AML1-ETO. Chimeric Ago2 eCLIPseq in CD34+ CB cells combined with Mass Spectrometry data analysis identified TBL1XR1 as a principal target of miR-130a. To elucidate gene expression changes associated with TBL1XR1 loss of function, we performed RNA-seq in CD34+CD38- CB cells transduced with control and shRNA targeted against TBL1XR1. To determine the functional significance of high miR-130a expression levels in Kasumi-1 cells on the molecular network controlled by AML1-ETO, we performed CUT&RUN assay and RNA-seq in Kasumi-1 cells following miR-130a knock-down (KD). Collectively, our findings reveal a unique role of miR-130a in regulating normal hematopoietic stem cell self-renewal and how elevated levels of miR-130a in t(8;21) AML contribute to the leukemogenesis of this AML subtype.

  Dataset EGAD00001008412

• Mutational signatures of environmental carcinogens in human tissue organoids

  Whole genome sequencing of human tumours has revealed distinct patterns (signatures) of mutations that provide clues to the causative origins of cancer. Some signatures have been attributed to endogenous processes, some to exogenous agents, while a substantial proportion are of unknown origin. Generation of mutational signatures induced in experimental systems can verify the signature assignments and shed light on their origins and mechanisms. We have investigated mutational signatures of environmental carcinogens in human tissue organoid cultures. These 3-dimensional systems retain some of the architecture and functions of the organs from which they are derived, affording the opportunity to observe the effects of carcinogens in both target and non-target organs. There was a lesser requirement for an exogenous metabolizing system, as the cultures were, in most cases, capable of activating test agents. Duplex sequencing eliminated PCR amplification errors from mutational profiles and removed the need to clone carcinogen-treated cultures. Gastric, colon, liver, pancreas and kidney organoids were exposed to benzo[a]pyrene (BaP), aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), aristolochic acid (AAI) and 2-amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo[4,5-b]pyridine (PhIP). All four agents induced single-base substitution (SBS) signatures, BaP and AAI induced double-base substitution (DBS) signatures and indel (ID) signatures, and PhIP also induced an ID signature. These signatures were the same in all five organoid types, although there were quantitative differences. A further 13 environmental carcinogens were investigated in human gastric organoids, and signatures were obtained for seven of them: ethylnitrosourea (ENU), methylazoxymethanol acetate (MAM), N-methyl-N′-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MMNG), potassium bromate, glycidamide, styrene oxide and propylene oxide, providing additional insights into processes underlying the causes of human cancer.

  Dataset EGAD00001015616

• Somatic mutation and selection at epidemiological scale - TwinsUK_TargetedNanoSeq_Buccal

  Targeted NanoSeq in buccal epithelium obtained longitudinally from a number of donors. A custom-designed panel of ~200 genes will be used to achieve high depth coverage (aiming for ~1000X at panel sites).As we age, many tissues become colonised by microscopic clones carrying somatic driver mutations. Some of these clones represent a first step towards cancer whereas others may contribute to ageing and other diseases. However, our understanding of the clonal landscapes of human tissues, and their impact on cancer risk, ageing and disease, remains limited due to the challenge of detecting somatic mutations present in small numbers of cells. Here, we introduce a new version of nanorate sequencing (NanoSeq), a duplex sequencing method with error rates of less than 55 per billion base pairs, which is compatible with whole-exome and targeted gene sequencing. Deep sequencing of polyclonal samples with single-molecule sensitivity enables the simultaneous detection of mutations in large numbers of clones, yielding accurate somatic mutation rates, mutational signatures and driver mutation frequencies in any tissue. Applying targeted NanoSeq to 1,042 non-invasive samples of oral epithelium and 371 samples of blood from a twin cohort, we found an unprecedentedly rich landscape of selection, with 46 genes under positive selection driving clonal expansions in the oral epithelium, over 62,000 driver mutations, and evidence of negative selection in some genes. The high number of positively selected mutations in multiple genes provides high-resolution maps of selection across coding and non-coding sites, a form of in vivo saturation mutagenesis. Multivariate regression models enable mutational epidemiology studies on how carcinogenic exposures and cancer risk factors, such as age, tobacco or alcohol, alter the acquisition and selection of somatic mutations. Accurate single-molecule sequencing has the potential to unveil the polyclonal landscape of any tissue, providing a powerful tool to study early carcinogenesis, cancer prevention and the role of somatic mutations in ageing and disease.

  Dataset EGAD00001015618

• Somatic mutation and selection at epidemiological scale - TwinsUK_TargetedNanoSeq_Blood

  Utilising Targeted NanoSeq, we hope to explore the driver landscape in unprecedented detail in donors from TwinsUK. These donors have paired buccal swabs and data from this will help contextualise that work. As we age, many tissues become colonised by microscopic clones carrying somatic driver mutations. Some of these clones represent a first step towards cancer whereas others may contribute to ageing and other diseases. However, our understanding of the clonal landscapes of human tissues, and their impact on cancer risk, ageing and disease, remains limited due to the challenge of detecting somatic mutations present in small numbers of cells. Here, we introduce a new version of nanorate sequencing (NanoSeq), a duplex sequencing method with error rates of less than 5 per billion base pairs, which is compatible with whole-exome and targeted gene sequencing. Deep sequencing of polyclonal samples with single-molecule sensitivity enables the simultaneous detection of mutations in large numbers of clones, yielding accurate somatic mutation rates, mutational signatures and driver mutation frequencies in any tissue. Applying targeted NanoSeq to 1,042 non-invasive samples of oral epithelium and 371 samples of blood from a twin cohort, we found an unprecedentedly rich landscape of selection, with 46 genes under positive selection driving clonal expansions in the oral epithelium, over 62,000 driver mutations, and evidence of negative selection in some genes. The high number of positively selected mutations in multiple genes provides high-resolution maps of selection across coding and non-coding sites, a form of in vivo saturation mutagenesis. Multivariate regression models enable mutational epidemiology studies on how carcinogenic exposures and cancer risk factors, such as age, tobacco or alcohol, alter the acquisition and selection of somatic mutations. Accurate single-molecule sequencing has the potential to unveil the polyclonal landscape of any tissue, providing a powerful tool to study early carcinogenesis, cancer prevention and the role of somatic mutations in ageing and disease.

  Dataset EGAD00001015619

• Somatic mutation and selection at epidemiological scale - TwinsUK_TargetedEMSeq_Buccal

  Development of a targeted methylation assay to determine the cell-type composition of a sample. As we age, many tissues become colonised by microscopic clones carrying somatic driver mutations. Some of these clones represent a first step towards cancer whereas others may contribute to ageing and other diseases. However, our understanding of the clonal landscapes of human tissues, and their impact on cancer risk, ageing and disease, remains limited due to the challenge of detecting somatic mutations present in small numbers of cells. Here, we introduce a new version of nanorate sequencing (NanoSeq), a duplex sequencing method with error rates of less than 5 per billion base pairs, which is compatible with whole-exome and targeted gene sequencing. Deep sequencing of polyclonal samples with single-molecule sensitivity enables the simultaneous detection of mutations in large numbers of clones, yielding accurate somatic mutation rates, mutational signatures and driver mutation frequencies in any tissue. Applying targeted NanoSeq to 1,042 non-invasive samples of oral epithelium and 371 samples of blood from a twin cohort, we found an unprecedentedly rich landscape of selection, with 46 genes under positive selection driving clonal expansions in the oral epithelium, over 62,000 driver mutations, and evidence of negative selection in some genes. The high number of positively selected mutations in multiple genes provides high-resolution maps of selection across coding and non-coding sites, a form of in vivo saturation mutagenesis. Multivariate regression models enable mutational epidemiology studies on how carcinogenic exposures and cancer risk factors, such as age, tobacco or alcohol, alter the acquisition and selection of somatic mutations. Accurate single-molecule sequencing has the potential to unveil the polyclonal landscape of any tissue, providing a powerful tool to study early carcinogenesis, cancer prevention and the role of somatic mutations in ageing and disease.

  Dataset EGAD00001015622

• Somatic mutation and selection at epidemiological scale - TwinsUK_TargetedEMSeq_Blood

  Development of a targeted methylation assay to determine the cell-type composition of a sample. As we age, many tissues become colonised by microscopic clones carrying somatic driver mutations. Some of these clones represent a first step towards cancer whereas others may contribute to ageing and other diseases. However, our understanding of the clonal landscapes of human tissues, and their impact on cancer risk, ageing and disease, remains limited due to the challenge of detecting somatic mutations present in small numbers of cells. Here, we introduce a new version of nanorate sequencing (NanoSeq), a duplex sequencing method with error rates of less than 5 per billion base pairs, which is compatible with whole-exome and targeted gene sequencing. Deep sequencing of polyclonal samples with single-molecule sensitivity enables the simultaneous detection of mutations in large numbers of clones, yielding accurate somatic mutation rates, mutational signatures and driver mutation frequencies in any tissue. Applying targeted NanoSeq to 1,042 non-invasive samples of oral epithelium and 371 samples of blood from a twin cohort, we found an unprecedentedly rich landscape of selection, with 46 genes under positive selection driving clonal expansions in the oral epithelium, over 62,000 driver mutations, and evidence of negative selection in some genes. The high number of positively selected mutations in multiple genes provides high-resolution maps of selection across coding and non-coding sites, a form of in vivo saturation mutagenesis. Multivariate regression models enable mutational epidemiology studies on how carcinogenic exposures and cancer risk factors, such as age, tobacco or alcohol, alter the acquisition and selection of somatic mutations. Accurate single-molecule sequencing has the potential to unveil the polyclonal landscape of any tissue, providing a powerful tool to study early carcinogenesis, cancer prevention and the role of somatic mutations in ageing and disease.

  Dataset EGAD00001015623

• Mutational signatures of environmental carcinogens in human tissue organoids – WGS Bulk Normals

  Whole genome sequencing of human tumours has revealed distinct patterns (signatures) of mutations that provide clues to the causative origins of cancer. Some signatures have been attributed to endogenous processes, some to exogenous agents, while a substantial proportion are of unknown origin. Generation of mutational signatures induced in experimental systems can verify the signature assignments and shed light on their origins and mechanisms. We have investigated mutational signatures of environmental carcinogens in human tissue organoid cultures. These 3-dimensional systems retain some of the architecture and functions of the organs from which they are derived, affording the opportunity to observe the effects of carcinogens in both target and non-target organs. There was a lesser requirement for an exogenous metabolizing system, as the cultures were, in most cases, capable of activating test agents. Duplex sequencing eliminated PCR amplification errors from mutational profiles and removed the need to clone carcinogen-treated cultures. Gastric, colon, liver, pancreas and kidney organoids were exposed to benzo[a]pyrene (BaP), aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), aristolochic acid (AAI) and 2-amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo[4,5-b]pyridine (PhIP). All four agents induced single-base substitution (SBS) signatures, BaP and AAI induced double-base substitution (DBS) signatures and indel (ID) signatures, and PhIP also induced an ID signature. These signatures were the same in all five organoid types, although there were quantitative differences. A further 13 environmental carcinogens were investigated in human gastric organoids, and signatures were obtained for seven of them: ethylnitrosourea (ENU), methylazoxymethanol acetate (MAM), N-methyl-N′-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MMNG), potassium bromate, glycidamide, styrene oxide and propylene oxide, providing additional insights into processes underlying the causes of human cancer.

  Dataset EGAD00001015630

• CcRCC_metabolic_heterogeneity

  Heterogeneity is a hallmark of clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC). In this study, hyperpolarized [1-13C]pyruvate MRI (HP-13C-MRI) was used to probe metabolic heterogeneity non-invasively in 6 ccRCC patients from which 58 tumor and healthy tissues biopsies were acquired postoperatively. MRI parameters were correlated with 146 metabolite concentrations and the expression of 2523 metabolic genes across 34 metabolic pathways. Using metabologram projections and pathway consensus scoring, several metabolic pathways were correlated with the metabolic MRI, including glycolysis, pentose phosphate pathway, and the TCA cycle. A simple thresholding approach applied to the imaging metrics was sufficient to provide meaningful metabolic pathway information. We also show that tissue metabolic heterogeneity increases in regions with higher pyruvate-to-lactate conversion on imaging. These results provide validation of the biological relevance of HP-13C-MRI and support the possibility of its clinical use to improve disease characterization, stratification, targeting of biopsies, and providing novel methods to monitor treatment response.

  Dataset EGAD00001015780

• Chemotherapy induces canalization of cell state in childhood B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia

  Comparison of intratumor genetic heterogeneity in cancer at diagnosis and relapse suggests that chemotherapy induces bottleneck selection of subclonal genotypes. However, evolutionary events subsequent to chemotherapy could also explain changes in clonal dominance seen at relapse. We therefore investigated the mechanisms of selection in childhood B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (BCP-ALL) during induction chemotherapy where maximal cytoreduction occurs. To distinguish stochastic versus deterministic events, individual leukemias were transplanted into multiple xenografts and chemotherapy administered. Analyses of the immediate post-treatment leukemic residuum at single-cell resolution revealed that chemotherapy has little impact on genetic heterogeneity. Rather, it acts on extensive, previously unappreciated, transcriptional and epigenetic heterogeneity in BCP-ALL, dramatically reducing the spectrum of cell states represented, leaving a genetically polyclonal but phenotypically uniform population, with hallmark signatures relating to developmental stage, cell cycle and metabolism. Hence, canalization of the cell state accounts for a significant component of bottleneck selection during induction chemotherapy.

  Study EGAS00001004407

• Assessment of cannabidiol and Δ9-tetrahydrocannabiol in mouse models of medulloblastoma

  Phytocannabinoids Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) have been demonstrated to exhibit anti-cancer activity in preclinical models of brain cancer leading to new clinical trials for adults with glioblastoma. We describe here the first report that has investigated a role for THC and CBD in paediatric brain cancer. Cannabinoids had cytotoxic activity against medulloblastoma and ependymoma cells in vitro, functioning in part through the inhibition of cell cycle progression and the induction of autophagy. Despite these effects in vitro, when tested in orthotopic mouse models of medulloblastoma or ependymoma, no impact on animal survival was observed. Furthermore, cannabinoids neither enhanced nor impaired conventional chemotherapy in a medulloblastoma mouse model. These data show that while THC and CBD do have some effects on medulloblastoma and ependymoma cells, are well tolerated and have minimal adverse effects, they do not appear to elicit any survival benefit in preclinical models of paediatric brain cancer.

  Study EGAS00001004963

• Genome-wide cell-free DNA termini in patients with cancer

  The structure, fragmentation patterns and terminal sequences of cell-free DNA (cfDNA) are altered by nucleases and biological mechanisms in the blood of cancer patients. The cfDNA fragment-end composition recovered from low coverage WGS (<1 fold coverage) using a bespoke software (FrEIA) is aberrant in the plasma from cancer patient (n = 418, 655 samples) compared to controls (n = 117). As a standalone test FrEIA allows detection down to ~0.2% tumor fraction in vitro and in silico at 95% specificity, leading to a sensitivity of ~71% for detecting lung cancer (14/22 stage I-II, 27/38 stage III, 92/127 stage IV) and ~68% for detecting esophageal adenocarcinoma (26/44 stage II, 46/62 stage III). Additional cfDNA biological patterns can be combined with FrEIA increasing the diagnostic potential of low coverage WGS at minimal cost (mean AUROC = 0.96). Integrating multiple cfDNA biological signal augments the diagnostic performance of liquid biopsy.

  Study EGAS00001006142

• Sequencing data from MethylScan assay on plasma

  Machine learning models in biomedical research are often hindered by demographic imbalances in clinical datasets, leading to biased predictions that disadvantage minority populations. Existing bias correction methods face limitations in handling the heterogeneity of biomedical data and the complexity of demographic influences. Here, we present DeBias, a computational framework for mitigating demographic biases in high-dimensional biomedical datasets. DeBias eliminates bias-associated subspaces within the entire feature space using control samples and enables global bias correction across all features, effectively preserving disease-specific signals while minimizing demographic distortions. To demonstrate its effectiveness, we applied DeBias to cfDNA methylation data for cancer detection. It achieved a >6-fold reduction in the number of features containing biases and outperformed existing methods in improving the cancer detection performance for minority populations. Our method represented a promising step toward developing machine learning models that are more accurate, reliable, and equitable for minority populations.

  Study EGAS00001008127