16787 results for "sec+and+unspecified+malignant+neoplasm"

in 175.34 milliseconds.

• Finding structural variation and functional consequences from the primary leukemia cells (CLL) at the single-cell level

  In this study, we aimed to identify somatic structural variation of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) at the single-cell level and investigate its direct consequence on the nucleosome occupancy using scNOVA approach. For this purpose, we performed strand-specific single-cell sequencing of primary leukemia samples from 63-year-old female patient.

  Study EGAS00001004925

• SCLC study George et al. - WGS data set

  Whole genome sequencing was performed with DNA extracted from fresh-frozen tumor and normal material. Short insert DNA libraries were prepared with the TruSeq DNA PCRfree sample preparation kit (Illumina) for paired-end sequencing at a minimum read length of 2x100bp. Human DNA libraries were sequenced to an average coverage of minimum 30x for both tumor and matched normal. Murine DNA libraries of tumor and matched normal were both sequenced to a coverage of 25x.

  Dataset EGAD00001001273

• Tam-Seq of HGSOC samples for fixative comparison study

  Targeted amplicon sequencing of samples as part of the study "Methanol-based fixation is superior to buffered formalin for next-generation sequencing of DNA from clinical cancer samples. The amplicon panel consists of 48 amplicons in TP53, PTEN, EGFR, PIK3CA, KRAS and BRAF genes as described previously [Forshew, STM 2012]. All libraries were pooled and quantify using DNA 1000 kit on Agilent 2100 Bioanalyzer and KAPA SYBR FAST ABI Prism qPCR Kit (KAPA Biosystems) on 7900HT Fast Real-Time PCR System (Applied Biosystems) according to the supplier's recommendations. Reads were aligned using bwa-mem v0.7.12-r1039 to the 1000 genomes version of human genome build GRCh37, retaining duplicate reads.

  Dataset EGAD00001001937

• UNITO_Molpheno_Closed

  This dataset contains Whole Genome Sequencing, RNA-sequencing and ATAC-sequencing data obtained from PBMCs derived from blood samples of one patient with complex genomic rearrangements and the biological parents. The patient has multiple congenital anomalies and delayed development. Data access is closed.

  Dataset EGAD00001004863

• Spatial targeted gene sequencing of metastatic melanoma

  We performed deep targeted DNA sequencing for a panel of 265 cancer-related genes. This included subsampling 35 different regions of a metastatic melanoma biopsy that was treated with anti-PD-1 inhibitor. Samples with cancer cell purity greater than 80% based on pathologic assessment were used for cancer gene panel DNA sequencing. Mean sequencing coverage was 861x and paired-end reads in FASTQ format were generated by the Illumina pipeline and aligned to the reference human genome hg19 build using the Burrows-Wheeler Alignment Tool (BWA, v0.7.5) with default settings. Aligned reads were further processed using GATK with best practices for removing duplicates, indel removal and recalibration.

  Dataset EGAD00001005821

• 3q-capture DNA sequencing of atypical 3q26 cases

  3q-capture DNA sequencing was performed as we described previously 13. In summary, genomic DNA was fragmented using the Covaris shearing device (Covaris), and sample libraries were assembled following the TruSeq DNA Sample Preparation Guide (Illumina). After ligation of adapters and an amplification step, target sequences of chromosomal regions 3q21.1-q26.2 were captured using custom in-solution oligonucleotide baits (Nimblegen SeqCap EZ Choice XL). The design of target sequences was based on the human genome assembly hg19: chr3q21.1:126036241-130672290 - chr3q26.2:157712147-175694147. Amplified captured sample libraries were paired-end sequenced (2x100 bp) on the HiSeq 2500 platform (Illumina) and aligned against the hg19 reference genome using the Burrows-Wheeler Aligner (BWA)25

  Dataset EGAD00001006123

• 76 cancer and normal whole genomes from eleven SI-NET patients

  This dataset comprises of 76 cancer and normal whole genomes obtained from 11 SI-NET patients, in the form of two fastq files (forward and reverse reads) for each genome containing sequences generated by Illumina NovaSeq 6000 system.

  Dataset EGAD00001006161

• Chracterising cellur pathways underlying CD3/CD28 activation of human CD4+ cells

  We devised an approach to disentangle the TCR and CD28 pathways upon stimulation in naive and memory primary human CD4+ T cells (Tcons) in response to defined stimulatory signals. Sorted Tcons were activated using a titration of anti-CD3 and anti-CD28 in combination as well as individually. As a control we cultured cells in the same conditions but without the stimuli. In total, we defined seven conditions from four individuals for sequencing. This data is part of a pre-publication release. For information on the proper use of pre-publication data shared by the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute (including details of any publication moratoria), please see http://www.sanger.ac.uk/datasharing/.

  Dataset EGAD00001006610

• Chracterising cellur pathways underlying CD3/CD28 activation of human CD4+ cells

  We devised an approach to disentangle the TCR and CD28 pathways upon stimulation in naive and memory primary human CD4+ T cells (Tcons) in response to defined stimulatory signals. Sorted Tcons were activated using a titration of anti-CD3 and anti-CD28 in combination as well as individually. As a control we cultured cells in the same conditions but without the stimuli. In total, we defined seven conditions from four individuals for sequencing. This data is part of a pre-publication release. For information on the proper use of pre-publication data shared by the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute (including details of any publication moratoria), please see http://www.sanger.ac.uk/datasharing/ .

  Dataset EGAD00001006612

• Transcriptomic profiling of RIRCD patient skeletal muscle, comparing muscle during affected phase to healthy control, and affected patient with and without additional EARS2 mutations.

  Illumina Nextseq total RNA sequencing profiles of skeletal muscle biopsies of 5 affected patients (F3/2M, F4/1F, F5/1M, F2/2F, F2/1M) compared to 6 control (Control040500, Control3509, Control3934, Control3949, Control4994, Control5106) and comparing 3 patients with additional EARS2 mutations (F2/2F, F2/1M, F5/1M) to 2 patients without (F3/2M, F4/1F). Illumina MiSeq total RNA sequencing profiles of skeletal muscle biopsies from patient F3/1M during affected disease phase (4 replicates: F3-1M_Affected_1, F3-1M_Affected_2, F3-1M_Affected_3, F3-1M_Affected_4) compared to recovered phase (F3-1M_Recovered_1, F3-1M_Recovered_2, F3-1M_Recovered_3, F3-1M_Recovered_4).

  Dataset EGAD00001006381

• Characterization of arrested B-lymphoid differentiation and leukemic cell states in ETV6-RUNX1-positive pediatric leukemia

  RNA was extracted from eight diagnostic ETV6-RUNX1 positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia samples collected in PAXgene blood RNA tubes using PAXgene Blood RNA kit (cat #762174, Qiagen GmbH, Hilden, Germany), following the version 2 instructions for manual purification. Samples were processed with Globin-Zero Gold rRNA Removal Kit (Illumina) and directional libraries were prepared using NEBNext Ultra Directional RNA Library Prep kit (New England Biolabs). The library preparation and paired end (150 bp) sequencing were performed by Novogene (HK) Company Limited (Hong Kong, China) using Illumina Novaseq 6000 aiming at 70 million read pairs per sample.

  Dataset EGAD00001006406

• Whole genome and RNA-sequencing in T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia

  Dataset includes whole genome and transcriptomic sequencing data from five T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) patients. Whole genome sequencing has performed from both diagnostic (T-ALL sample) and control (remission sample) samples. RNA-sequencing has performed from diagnostic samples. Samples has been taken from the bone marrow or peripheral blood.

  Dataset EGAD00001008658

• Single cell sequencing of human normal luminal cells

  The dataset includes 12 paired FASTQ files (6 samples) with single cell transcriptome sequencing data of normal breast luminal cells from ducts and TDLUs derived from reduction mammoplasties from three patients. Chromium Single Cell 3’ Reagent Kit v2 or v3 (10x Genomics) were used for processing of cells, whereafter sequencing was performed using the Illumina® NextSeq500/550 High Output Kit v2. Cell Ranger was used for generating FASTQ files and files from different lanes were concatenated prior to uploading the data to EGA. "R1" files include the feature barcodes and UMIs, while "R2" files include the reads.

  Dataset EGAD00001008499

• Single cell atlas of neuroblastoma and the human fetal adrenal gland

  Using the chromium 3' expression assay, we generated an atlas of neuroblastoma and the human fetal adrenal gland. These data were complemented with whole genome sequencing of normal and tumour DNA from the neuroblastoma samples.

  Dataset EGAD00001008345

• Whole genome sequencing of acute erythroid erythroid leukemia

  Briefly, twenty paired tumor and germline DNAs were extracted from patients’ BM and from buccal mucosa, respectively. Samples were subjected to massively parallel sequencing using the HiSeq 2000, HiSeq2500, HiSeq X Ten, and/or NovaSeq 6000 according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Sequencing reads were aligned to NCBI Human Reference Genome Build 37 (hg19) by Burrows−Wheeler Aligner, version 0.7.10, with default parameters (http://bio-bwa.sourceforge.net/). PCR duplicates were eliminated using Picard tools version 1.39 (GATK).

  Dataset EGAD00001008357

• Somatic mutations predict an aggressive phenotype in meningioma but do not drive grade progression

  A subset of meningiomas progress in histopathological grade and drivers of progression are poorly understood. We aimed to identify somatic mutations and copy number alterations (CNAs) associated with grade progression in a unique matched tumour dataset. This dataset consists of DNA sequencing from 10 individuals with meningiomas, where the meningiomas have underdone grade progression. 50 meningiomas were sequenced from the 10 individuals using the hybrid capture-based TruSight Oncology 500 (TSO500) Library Preparation Kit, and 13 of those meningiomas were also sequenced using Agilent SureSelect Clinical Research Exome V2. BAM files for the sequencing data are included in the dataset.

  Dataset EGAD00001009391

• Targeted DNA sequencing

  Targeted DNA sequencing of high-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSC) tumour and normal samples from 15 patients with homologous recombination deficiencies. The dataset includes fastq files from 243 HGSC tumours (15 primary, 3 relapse, 225 end-stage) and 15 normals from 15 HGSC patients. Following target hybrid capture of 63 genes involved in DNA repair and response to treatment with an Agilent SureSelect XT panel, sequencing libraries were generated using the SureSelect XT Low Input Target Enrichment System (Agilent) as per the manufacturer's protocol. Libraries were sequenced on an Illumina NextSeq 500 at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre (Melbourne, Australia).

  Dataset EGAD00001009747

• Population-based analysis of POT1 variants in a cutaneous melanoma case-control cohort

  Pathogenic germline variants in the protection of telomeres 1 gene (POT1) have been associated with predisposition to a range of tumor types, including melanoma, glioma, leukemia and cardioangiosarcoma. We sequenced all coding exons of the POT1 gene in 2,929 European-descent melanoma cases and 3,298 controls, identifying 43 protein-changing genetic variants. We performed functional studies on each of these variants and explored their possible contribution to disease risk.

  Dataset EGAD00001009848

• Spinocerebellar ataxia 15 (SCA15) derived iPSC WGS

  A collection of four induced pluripotent stem cell models (iPSC) derived from patients diagnosed with Spinocerebellar ataxia 15 (SCA15) . Spinocerebellar ataxia 15 (SCA15) is a neurological condition characterised by progressive gait and limb ataxia as well as abnormalities in eye movement and difficulties with balance, speech and swallowing (Synofzik et al., 2011). Whole Genome Sequencing was performed to confirm the presence of a heterozygous deletions in the inositol 1,4,5-triphosphate receptor gene (ITPR1), characteristic of the disease. Cell models names: HPSI0216i-vieg_5 or Vieg_5 (WTSIi472-A), HPSI0216i-vieg_3 or Vieg_3 (WTSIi472-B), HPSI0216i-dacv_6 or Dacv_6 (WTSIi554-A), HPSI0216i-boho_3 or Boho_3 (WTSIi502-A). All iPSC models are available via ECACC-Culture Collections.

  Dataset EGAD00001009851

• Cell-free DNA sequencing data of healthy control, atrophic gastritis, and gastric cancer patients’ blood

  Sample cohort (n=48) is consisted of healthy, atrophic gastritis and gastric cancer patients. Some of the gastric cancer patients samples are collected at the separate time points: -1 before the operation; -2 after the operation; -3 during the control visit. For the hybridisation capture of the genes unique 15 gastric cancer-related gene panel was developed and very deep sequencing using TruSight Oncology Unique Molecular Identifier (UMI) Reagents (Illumina) was used.

  Dataset EGAD00001011153

• RNA-seq dataset of Characterization of UV DNA damage in B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia

  Extensive characterization of mutational signature SBS7a in B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (BCP-ALL) samples. We aimed to describe the presentation of SBS7a in BCP-ALL, identify other pediatric cancers presenting with SBS7a, look into the link of SBS7a and UV-light in the context of BCP-ALL and cancers with provable UV exposure, and pinpoint when SBS7a was acquired.

  Dataset EGAD00001015598

• Single-cell RNA sequencing of breast cancer lung metastasis and adjacent normal tissue

  This dataset contains single-cell RNA sequencing data from two samples: L1 (breast cancer metastasis to lung) and N3 (adjacent normal lung tissue) from a female patient. The samples were processed using 10X Chromium 3' technology and sequenced on Illumina NextSeq 500. This data supports the study "Endocrine therapy reprogramming of breast cancer facilitates metastatic escape via upregulation of P-Rex1/Rac1 signalling" which investigates how endocrine therapy reprograms breast cancer cells, leading to upregulation of P-Rex1/Rac1 signalling pathways that facilitate metastatic escape. The single-cell analysis reveals cellular reprogramming mechanisms in endocrine therapy-resistant breast cancer cells that form metastases in the lung.

  Dataset EGAD00001015769

• Oncogenic cooperation between the TCF7-SPI1 fusion and NRAS(G12D) requires β-catenin activity to drive T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

  In this study we investigate the role of TCF7-SPI1 fusions, more specifically in cooperation with RAS mutations. We make use of patients samples. This study contains paired-end RNA sequencing of the patients, Oxford Nanopore Technologies (ONT) sequencing, single cell RNA sequencing and RNA sequencing of treatment with inhibitors of these samples.

  Study EGAS00001005097

• A Microwell Platform for High-Throughput Longitudinal Phenotyping and Selective Retrieval of Organoids

  In traditional bulk culture, organoids tend to overlap, hindering the analysis of individual organoid characteristics in a high-throughput manner. Additionally, variations in the local spatial properties of the bulk matrix make it challenging to distinguish whether phenotypic differences between organoids stem from inherent cellular disparities or disparities in the microenvironment. To address these challenges, we have developed a microwell-based technique that facilitates the quantification of image-based parameters for organoids grown from single cells. Furthermore, these organoids can be easily retrieved from their respective microwells for molecular profiling. By employing a deep-learning image processing pipeline, we conducted a comprehensive assessment of various phenotypic traits in two CRISPR-engineered human gastric organoid models. This analysis encompassed growth rates, cellular movement, and apical-basal polarity. Through our investigation, we successfully identified genomic alterations associated with increased growth rate, as well as changes in accessibility and expression patterns correlated with apical-basal polarity. This novel methodology offers a valuable tool for studying organoid behavior at a single-cell level, enabling researchers to gain deeper insights into organoid biology and associated genetic modifications.

  Study phs003315

• Error-corrected flow-based sequencing at whole genome scale and its application to circulating cell-free DNA profiling

  Differentiating sequencing errors from true variants is a central genomics challenge calling for error suppression strategies that balance costs when sparse material or ultra-rare variants require high-accuracy methods. For example, circulating cell-free DNA (ccfDNA) sequencing for cancer monitoring is limited by sparsity of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA), abundance of genomic material in samples, library preparation error rates and sequencing errors. Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) can overcome the low abundance of ccfDNA by integrating signal across the mutation landscape, but higher cost limits adoption compared with targeted panels, where ccfDNA abundance limits maximal coverage depths. Here we applied deep (~120x) lower-cost WGS (Ultima Genomics) with analytic error correction for tumor-informed ctDNA detection within the part-per-million range. We further developed high-coverage duplex error-corrected WGS of ccfDNA, achieving 7.7x10-8 error rates, to assess disease burden in melanoma and urothelial cancer patients without matched tumor sequencing. Together, we show that deeply sequenced error-corrected WGS accurately calls somatic variants, demonstrating the feasibility of WGS for tumor-informed and tumor-agnostic ctDNA detection.

  Study EGAS50000000844

• Whole-genome sequencing of two probands with hereditary spastic paraplegia reveals novel splice-donor region mutation and known pathogenic mutation in SPG11

  Hereditary spastic paraplegias (SPG) are a group of heterogeneous neurodegenerative disorders, which are often presented with overlapping phenotypes such as progressive paraparesis and spasticity. To assist the diagnosis of SPG subtypes, next-generation sequencing is often used to provide supporting evidence. In this study, we report the case of two probands from the same family with SPG symptoms, including bilateral lower limbs weakness, unsteady gait, cognitive decline, dysarthria and slurring of speech since age of 14. Subsequent whole-genome sequencing revealed that the patients are compound heterozygous for mutations in SPG11 gene, including the paternally inherited c.6856C>T (p.Arg2286*) mutation and the novel maternally inherited c.2316+5G>A splice donor region mutation. Mutations in SPG11 are the common cause of autosomal recessive Spastic Paraplegia type 11. According to the ClinVar database, there are already 101 reported pathogenic mutations in SPG11 that are associated with SPG. To our knowledge, this is the first report of SPG11 mutations in our local population. Novel splice mutation identified in this study would enrich the catalog of SPG11 mutations, potentially leading to better genetic diagnosis of SPG.

  Study EGAS00001001849

• Polyclonal selection of immune checkpoint mutations in thyroid autoimmunity - TargetedEMSeq

  Our immune system contains multiple tolerance checkpoints to prevent the activation of self-reactive lymphocytes. How some lymphocytes escape these constraints to cause autoimmune disease remains poorly understood. A long-standing hypothesis in autoimmunity posits that somatic mutations in immune regulatory genes may enable self-reactive lymphocytes to bypass tolerance checkpoints. However, testing this hypothesis has proved challenging due to technical limitations in detecting somatic mutations in polyclonal cell populations. Here, we use deep whole-exome and targeted NanoSeq, a highly accurate single-molecule DNA sequencing protocol, to comprehensively search for driver mutations in autoimmune thyroid disease. This revealed a remarkably high number of B cell clones convergently acquiring loss-of-function somatic mutations in key immune checkpoint genes TNFRSF14 (also known as HVEM) and CD274 (encoding PD-L1), as well as less frequent driver mutations in a diversity of other immune genes. In highly inflamed biopsies, we detected tens to hundreds of independent immune-checkpoint mutant clones. Laser capture microdissection, methylation sequencing, spatial transcriptomics, immunohistochemistry and single-nucleus DNA sequencing localised these mutations to non-naive B cells and revealed frequent co-occurrence of drivers in single cells. We found widespread TNFRSF14 biallelic loss in mutant B cells, and several clones with as many as 4-6 driver mutations. Whilst each clone accounts for a small proportion of cells (typically <1%), the myriad mutant clones in each donor collectively amounted to a substantial fraction of B cells harbouring one or more driver mutations. Our results support the hypothesis that somatic mutations in autoimmune lymphocytes may allow them to escape tolerance constraints through a polyclonal cascade of somatic evolution. These findings provide new insights into the molecular basis of autoimmune disease and suggest novel diagnostic and therapeutic avenues.

  Dataset EGAD00001016060

• Polyclonal selection of immune checkpoint mutations in thyroid autoimmunity - PTA_WGS

  Our immune system contains multiple tolerance checkpoints to prevent the activation of self-reactive lymphocytes. How some lymphocytes escape these constraints to cause autoimmune disease remains poorly understood. A long-standing hypothesis in autoimmunity posits that somatic mutations in immune regulatory genes may enable self-reactive lymphocytes to bypass tolerance checkpoints. However, testing this hypothesis has proved challenging due to technical limitations in detecting somatic mutations in polyclonal cell populations. Here, we use deep whole-exome and targeted NanoSeq, a highly accurate single-molecule DNA sequencing protocol, to comprehensively search for driver mutations in autoimmune thyroid disease. This revealed a remarkably high number of B cell clones convergently acquiring loss-of-function somatic mutations in key immune checkpoint genes TNFRSF14 (also known as HVEM) and CD274 (encoding PD-L1), as well as less frequent driver mutations in a diversity of other immune genes. In highly inflamed biopsies, we detected tens to hundreds of independent immune-checkpoint mutant clones. Laser capture microdissection, methylation sequencing, spatial transcriptomics, immunohistochemistry and single-nucleus DNA sequencing localised these mutations to non-naive B cells and revealed frequent co-occurrence of drivers in single cells. We found widespread TNFRSF14 biallelic loss in mutant B cells, and several clones with as many as 4-6 driver mutations. Whilst each clone accounts for a small proportion of cells (typically <1%), the myriad mutant clones in each donor collectively amounted to a substantial fraction of B cells harbouring one or more driver mutations. Our results support the hypothesis that somatic mutations in autoimmune lymphocytes may allow them to escape tolerance constraints through a polyclonal cascade of somatic evolution. These findings provide new insights into the molecular basis of autoimmune disease and suggest novel diagnostic and therapeutic avenues.

  Dataset EGAD00001016061

• Polyclonal selection of immune checkpoint mutations in thyroid autoimmunity - PTA_DNAHyb

  Our immune system contains multiple tolerance checkpoints to prevent the activation of self-reactive lymphocytes. How some lymphocytes escape these constraints to cause autoimmune disease remains poorly understood. A long-standing hypothesis in autoimmunity posits that somatic mutations in immune regulatory genes may enable self-reactive lymphocytes to bypass tolerance checkpoints. However, testing this hypothesis has proved challenging due to technical limitations in detecting somatic mutations in polyclonal cell populations. Here, we use deep whole-exome and targeted NanoSeq, a highly accurate single-molecule DNA sequencing protocol, to comprehensively search for driver mutations in autoimmune thyroid disease. This revealed a remarkably high number of B cell clones convergently acquiring loss-of-function somatic mutations in key immune checkpoint genes TNFRSF14 (also known as HVEM) and CD274 (encoding PD-L1), as well as less frequent driver mutations in a diversity of other immune genes. In highly inflamed biopsies, we detected tens to hundreds of independent immune-checkpoint mutant clones. Laser capture microdissection, methylation sequencing, spatial transcriptomics, immunohistochemistry and single-nucleus DNA sequencing localised these mutations to non-naive B cells and revealed frequent co-occurrence of drivers in single cells. We found widespread TNFRSF14 biallelic loss in mutant B cells, and several clones with as many as 4-6 driver mutations. Whilst each clone accounts for a small proportion of cells (typically <1%), the myriad mutant clones in each donor collectively amounted to a substantial fraction of B cells harbouring one or more driver mutations. Our results support the hypothesis that somatic mutations in autoimmune lymphocytes may allow them to escape tolerance constraints through a polyclonal cascade of somatic evolution. These findings provide new insights into the molecular basis of autoimmune disease and suggest novel diagnostic and therapeutic avenues.

  Dataset EGAD00001016062

• Polyclonal selection of immune checkpoint mutations in thyroid autoimmunity - PTA_RNA

  Our immune system contains multiple tolerance checkpoints to prevent the activation of self-reactive lymphocytes. How some lymphocytes escape these constraints to cause autoimmune disease remains poorly understood. A long-standing hypothesis in autoimmunity posits that somatic mutations in immune regulatory genes may enable self-reactive lymphocytes to bypass tolerance checkpoints. However, testing this hypothesis has proved challenging due to technical limitations in detecting somatic mutations in polyclonal cell populations. Here, we use deep whole-exome and targeted NanoSeq, a highly accurate single-molecule DNA sequencing protocol, to comprehensively search for driver mutations in autoimmune thyroid disease. This revealed a remarkably high number of B cell clones convergently acquiring loss-of-function somatic mutations in key immune checkpoint genes TNFRSF14 (also known as HVEM) and CD274 (encoding PD-L1), as well as less frequent driver mutations in a diversity of other immune genes. In highly inflamed biopsies, we detected tens to hundreds of independent immune-checkpoint mutant clones. Laser capture microdissection, methylation sequencing, spatial transcriptomics, immunohistochemistry and single-nucleus DNA sequencing localised these mutations to non-naive B cells and revealed frequent co-occurrence of drivers in single cells. We found widespread TNFRSF14 biallelic loss in mutant B cells, and several clones with as many as 4-6 driver mutations. Whilst each clone accounts for a small proportion of cells (typically <1%), the myriad mutant clones in each donor collectively amounted to a substantial fraction of B cells harbouring one or more driver mutations. Our results support the hypothesis that somatic mutations in autoimmune lymphocytes may allow them to escape tolerance constraints through a polyclonal cascade of somatic evolution. These findings provide new insights into the molecular basis of autoimmune disease and suggest novel diagnostic and therapeutic avenues.

  Dataset EGAD00001016063

• Polyclonal selection of immune checkpoint mutations in thyroid autoimmunity - LCMB_WGS

  Our immune system contains multiple tolerance checkpoints to prevent the activation of self-reactive lymphocytes. How some lymphocytes escape these constraints to cause autoimmune disease remains poorly understood. A long-standing hypothesis in autoimmunity posits that somatic mutations in immune regulatory genes may enable self-reactive lymphocytes to bypass tolerance checkpoints. However, testing this hypothesis has proved challenging due to technical limitations in detecting somatic mutations in polyclonal cell populations. Here, we use deep whole-exome and targeted NanoSeq, a highly accurate single-molecule DNA sequencing protocol, to comprehensively search for driver mutations in autoimmune thyroid disease. This revealed a remarkably high number of B cell clones convergently acquiring loss-of-function somatic mutations in key immune checkpoint genes TNFRSF14 (also known as HVEM) and CD274 (encoding PD-L1), as well as less frequent driver mutations in a diversity of other immune genes. In highly inflamed biopsies, we detected tens to hundreds of independent immune-checkpoint mutant clones. Laser capture microdissection, methylation sequencing, spatial transcriptomics, immunohistochemistry and single-nucleus DNA sequencing localised these mutations to non-naive B cells and revealed frequent co-occurrence of drivers in single cells. We found widespread TNFRSF14 biallelic loss in mutant B cells, and several clones with as many as 4-6 driver mutations. Whilst each clone accounts for a small proportion of cells (typically <1%), the myriad mutant clones in each donor collectively amounted to a substantial fraction of B cells harbouring one or more driver mutations. Our results support the hypothesis that somatic mutations in autoimmune lymphocytes may allow them to escape tolerance constraints through a polyclonal cascade of somatic evolution. These findings provide new insights into the molecular basis of autoimmune disease and suggest novel diagnostic and therapeutic avenues.

  Dataset EGAD00001016064

• Polyclonal selection of immune checkpoint mutations in thyroid autoimmunity - LCMB_WES

  Our immune system contains multiple tolerance checkpoints to prevent the activation of self-reactive lymphocytes. How some lymphocytes escape these constraints to cause autoimmune disease remains poorly understood. A long-standing hypothesis in autoimmunity posits that somatic mutations in immune regulatory genes may enable self-reactive lymphocytes to bypass tolerance checkpoints. However, testing this hypothesis has proved challenging due to technical limitations in detecting somatic mutations in polyclonal cell populations. Here, we use deep whole-exome and targeted NanoSeq, a highly accurate single-molecule DNA sequencing protocol, to comprehensively search for driver mutations in autoimmune thyroid disease. This revealed a remarkably high number of B cell clones convergently acquiring loss-of-function somatic mutations in key immune checkpoint genes TNFRSF14 (also known as HVEM) and CD274 (encoding PD-L1), as well as less frequent driver mutations in a diversity of other immune genes. In highly inflamed biopsies, we detected tens to hundreds of independent immune-checkpoint mutant clones. Laser capture microdissection, methylation sequencing, spatial transcriptomics, immunohistochemistry and single-nucleus DNA sequencing localised these mutations to non-naive B cells and revealed frequent co-occurrence of drivers in single cells. We found widespread TNFRSF14 biallelic loss in mutant B cells, and several clones with as many as 4-6 driver mutations. Whilst each clone accounts for a small proportion of cells (typically <1%), the myriad mutant clones in each donor collectively amounted to a substantial fraction of B cells harbouring one or more driver mutations. Our results support the hypothesis that somatic mutations in autoimmune lymphocytes may allow them to escape tolerance constraints through a polyclonal cascade of somatic evolution. These findings provide new insights into the molecular basis of autoimmune disease and suggest novel diagnostic and therapeutic avenues.

  Dataset EGAD00001016065

• Identification of Rare Germline Variants in Familial Patients with Non-medullary Thyroid Cancer

  As the most common malignancy of the endocrine system, thyroid cancer is classified into two major categories, non-medullary thyroid cancer (NMTC) and medullary thyroid cancer (MTC) according to the origins and clinical features. NMTC includes papillary thyroid cancer (PTC), follicular thyroid cancer (FTC), and anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC). Sporadic non-medullary thyroid cancer (SNMTC) accounts for ~90% of all thyroid cancers. Compared to SNMTC, familial non-medullary thyroid cancer (FNMTC) is rare, constituting only 3 - 9%. FNMTC is a complex genetic disease that often shows an autosomal dominant mode of inheritance. Characterization of the germline variants causing the disease is still challenging given the heterogeneity of affected families. In recent years, some mutations in known cancer susceptive coding genes have been reported using targeted DNA sequencing method in FNMTC cases. Still, little is known for the novel mutations in other thyroid cancer predisposition genes. With the decreasing cost and rapid development of next generation sequencing technology, more rare germline mutations underlying different types of cancer susceptibility in families had been discovered by whole genome sequencing (WGS). In this study, we performed WGS in familial NMTC patients in the U.S. Our aim is to identify rare germline variants with high penetrance that may contribute to thyroid cancer predisposition in NMTC families.

  Study phs001758

• 3/7 Psychiatric Genomics Consortium: Finding Actionable Variation

  The goal of this study was to generate new therapeutic hypotheses by targeted sequencing of 161 genes most likely to harbor schizophrenia (SCZ) causal variants in multi-ancestry schizophrenia case-control cohorts. The gene panel was intended to contain putative SCZ risk genes, from within which, the majority of new discoveries from additional WES/WGS would come. To this end, we integrated current knowledge of the genetic architecture of SCZ (results from The Schizophrenia Exome Sequencing Meta-Analysis Consortium, or SCHEMA) and gene membership in gene sets that have been implicated in SCZ using a Bayesian framework. A total of 23,352 individuals selected to be non-overlapping with SCHEMA, as well as other previous and ongoing sequencing efforts in the field, were identified from over 20 individual study sites. Sequencing of the exonic regions of 161 prioritized genes was performed on the Ion Torrent platform in between June 2018 and April 2019. Sequencing plates were matched with respect to ancestry and case/control composition whenever possible. The average sequencing depth across all samples was 224x. Single sample calling was performed using Torrent Variant Caller v5.8.0, which is specially optimized to exploit the underlying flow signal information generated by the Ion Torrent sequencing. The schizophrenia case-control status was obtained from each original study site.

  Study phs003138

• Identification of Cancer Predisposition Genes in Breast Cancer Families

  Breast cancer has a significant genetic component. The strongest epidemiologic risk factor is family history of the disease. Familial studies have identified a number of genes contributing to increased risk. Of these, the highly penetrant BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes account for the majority of families in whom disease-causal mutations have been identified. However, mutations in other genes have been associated with predisposition to breast or breast and ovarian cancer including (CHEK2, ATM, PALB2, RAD51C, RAD51D). Together these genes account for less than 20% of excess familial breast cancer risk and do not explain ~50% of high-risk families referred for genetic testing. This significant gap in our understanding of the genetic basis of breast cancer poses a significant barrier to our ability to identify women at increased risk, who would benefit greatly from appropriate clinical management. To identify additional breast cancer predisposition genes whole exome sequencing of familial high-risk breast cancer patients was undertaken. DNA samples from 50 pairs of breast cancer patients from high-risk breast cancer families with no pathogenic mutations in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 breast cancer predisposition genes were subjected to whole exome sequencing. The goal was to select candidate predisposition genes for further validation studies based on sharing of putative protein inactivating mutations among both members of each family and/or the frequency of inactivating mutations among the 50 families.

  Study phs000480

• Phase 2 Study of Nivolumab and Entinostat in Unresectable or Metastatic Cholangiocarcinoma and Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma

  The study was a single-center, open-label, phase II trial (registration no. NCT03250273) designed to evaluate the efficacy of entinostat in combination with nivolumab in patients with advanced pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). The aim was to assess the objective response rate using RECIST v1.1 criteria as the primary endpoint. A total of 27 patients with advanced PDA were enrolled from November 2017 to November 2020. Their treatment involved a 14-day lead-in with entinostat monotherapy, followed by a combination with nivolumab. The study utilized several molecular technologies to assess immune profiles and tumor microenvironment (TME) changes: high-dimensional mass cytometry by time of flight (CyTOF), Luminex for chemokine analysis in plasma, multiplexed immunohistochemistry (mIHC), image cytometry-based quantification, bulk RNA sequencing analysis. The objective response rate (ORR) was 11% with three patients showing a partial response (PR). The median duration of response was 10.2 months. Grade ≥ 3 treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs) occurred in 63% of patients, with the most common being decreased lymphocyte count, anemia, hypoalbuminemia, and hyponatremia. Gene expression analysis showed an enrichment in inflammatory response signaling pathways with the combination treatment. RNA sequencing data with clinical and demographic patient information will be available through dbGaP. For expression summaries, please refer to GEO submission GSE248014.

  Study phs003615

• Single-Cell RNA-Seq Profiling of Peripheral Immune Responses to Severe Infection in Uganda

  We conducted a prospective observational study (RESERVE-U-2-TOR) of adults admitted to Tororo General Hospital in eastern Uganda with severe, undifferentiated infection (i.e., suspected sepsis). Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were isolated from freshly collected heparinized whole-blood samples (4 - 5 mL) using a standard density-gradient protocol (STEMCELL Technologies). PBMCs were aliquoted, cryopreserved in CryoStor CS10 (STEMCELL Technologies), stored overnight at -80°C, and transferred to liquid nitrogen for longer-term storage. Upon thawing, viability was assessed using the Nexcelom Cellaca Cell Counter, and cells were diluted to optimal concentrations for loading onto the Chromium Controller (10X Genomics). Each sample targeted the capture of ~10,000 GEMs (gel bead-in-emulsions). Single-cell RNA libraries were prepared using the Chromium Single Cell 3' Reagent Kit v3.1 following the manufacturer's standard protocol. Libraries were quality-assessed using an Agilent TapeStation and quantified using both Qubit 2.0 Fluorometer (Invitrogen) and qPCR (Applied Biosystems). Sequencing was performed on the NovaSeq X Plus platform (Illumina) using a 28×91 read configuration per 10X guidelines, targeting ~50,000 reads per cell. Data from this study available through dbGaP include raw single-cell RNA-seq data generated from PBMC samples collected from a subset of RESERVE-U-2-TOR participants at study enrollment (N=8).

  Study phs004100

• Collaborative Cohort of Cohorts for COVID-19 Research (C4R): Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study (ARIC)

  Cohort Description The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study began in the mid-1980s with the initial aims being to describe the presence of subclinical atherosclerosis, the progression of atherosclerosis to clinical cardiovascular disease (CVD), and the association of novel risk factors with CVD. ARIC recruited its cohort of men and women aged 45-64 in 1987-89 from four communities (Forsyth County, NC; Jackson, MS; suburban Minneapolis, MN; and Washington County, MD). As of 2025, ARIC counts over 4,000 participants.Data Submitted Wave 1 questionnaire data includes 356 variables for up to 5763 ARIC participants in C4R. Wave 2 questionnaire data includes 367 variables for up to 5000 ARIC participants in C4R. Wave 3 questionnaire data includes 81 variables for up to 3450 participants in C4R.Dried Blood Spot/Serosurvey data includes 8 variables for up to 2437 ARIC participants in C4R. Derived data includes 62 variables for up to 18765 observations. Phenotype data includes 163 variables for up to 5937 ARIC participants in C4R. Brain MRI data includes 13 variables for up to 2550 participants in C4R.HCU data includes 21 variable for up to 631 ARIC participants in C4R.Lung CT data includes 15 variables for 1329 ARIC participants in C4R.Neurocognitive data includes 16 variables and 49826 observations.Serosurvey data includes 20 variables for 1707 ARIC participants in C4R.

  Study phs002988

• A thymic ILC1-like progenitor with differentiation potential towards KIR+NKG2A- NK cells

  KIR+NKG2A- Natural Killer (NK) cells have the unique ability to detect downregulation of single HLA-I allotypes, frequently occurring in malignantly-transformed and virus-infected cells in order to escape T cell recognition. We have recently shown that circulating Innate Lymphoid Cells 1 (cILC1) have the potential to generate such KIR+NKG2A- NK cells but their developmental origin was unknown. Here we demonstrate that the development of cILC1 is thymus-dependent and identify a putative progenitor of cILC1s in the thymus, called thyILC1. Single-cell RNAseq analysis revealed a close relationship of thyILC1s to CD34+ double-negative (DN) thymocytes, but in contrast to DNs, thyILC1s had lost T cell differentiation potential. However, like cILC1s they could be efficiently differentiated into KIR+NKG2A- NK cells. thyILC1s strongly expressed RAG1/2, PTCRA (preTCR, and NOTCH1/3, but lacked expression of TCR chains, suggesting that they failed to pass the -selection checkpoint of thymocyte development. Finally, analyses of patients with FOXN1het deficiency, showing thymic hypoplasia due to lack of mature thymic epithelial cells, exhibited a profound deficiency of cILC1s but not cILC2s and cILC3s, demonstrating thymus dependency of cILC1s. Together, the data suggest that thyILC1s are the source of a novel thymus-dependent NK cell differentiation pathway that promotes generation of KIR+NKG2A- NK cells.

  Study EGAS50000000760

• Somatic rearrangements causing oncogenic ectodomain deletions of FGFR1 in squamous cell lung cancer

  The discovery of frequent 8p11-p12 amplifications in squamous cell lung cancer (SQLC) has fueled hopes that FGFR1, located inside this amplicon, might be a therapeutic target. In a clinical trial, only 11% of patients with 8p11 amplification (detected by FISH) responded to FGFR kinase inhibitor treatment. To understand the mechanism of FGFR1 dependency, we performed deep genomic characterization of 52 SQLCs with 8p11-p12 amplification, including 10 tumors obtained from patients who had been treated with FGFR inhibitors. We discovered somatically altered variants of FGFR1 with deletion of exons 1-8 that resulted from intragenic tail-to-tail rearrangements. These ectodomain-deficient FGFR1 variants (ΔEC-FGFR1) were expressed in the affected tumors and were tumorigenic in both in vitro and in vivo models of lung cancer. Mechanistically, breakage-fusion-bridges were the source of 8p11-p12 amplification, resulting from frequent head-to-head and tail-to-tail rearrangements. Generally, tail-to-tail rearrangements within or in close proximity upstream of FGFR1 were associated with FGFR1 dependency. Thus, the genomic events shaping the architecture of the 8p11-p12 amplicon provide a mechanistic explanation for the emergence of FGFR1-driven SQLC. Specifically, we believe that FGFR1 ectodomain-deficient and FGFR1-centered amplifications caused by tail-to-tail rearrangements are a novel somatic genomic event that might be predictive of therapeutically relevant FGFR1 dependency.

  Study EGAS50000001368

• Personalized peptide vaccination among 173 patients with IDH wildtype glioblastoma: a retrospective analysis

  Tumors from 173 GBM patients were analysed for somatic mutations to generate a personalized peptide vaccine targeting tumor-specific neoantigens. Exome libraries for 173 glioblastoma tumors and matched normal DNA were sequenced on Illumina platform, alongside whole transcriptomes from the tumor samples. Paper Abstract: Current treatment outcome of patients with glioblastoma (GBM) remains poor. Following standard therapy, recurrence is universal with limited survival. GBM tumors from 173 patients were analysed for somatic mutations to generate a personalized peptide vaccine targeting tumor-specific neoantigens. Among all patients, including 70 treated prior to progression (primary) and 103 treated after progression (recurrent), the median overall survival from first diagnosis was 31.9 months (95% CI: 25.0-36.5). Side effects were infrequent and were predominantly grade 1 or 2. A vaccine-induced immune response to at least one of the vaccinated peptides was detected in blood samples of 87 of 99 (88%) monitored patients. T-cell responses to vaccinated neoepitope peptides were durable in most patients. Significantly prolonged survival was observed for patients with multiple vaccine-induced immune responses (53 months) compared to those with no/low induced responses (27 months; P=0.03). Altogether, our results highlight that the application of personalized neoantigen-targeting peptide vaccine is feasible and represents a promising potential treatment option for GBM patients.

  Study EGAS50000000449

• Organoid BulkRNAseq

  Here, we aim to understand early determinants of brain organoid quality and generated a set of brain organoids from 12 different hPSC lines using an adaptation of the unguided Lancaster protocol (Lancaster & Knoblich, 2014). All cell lines were obtained from healthy donors. 12 donor hPSC lines were differentiated into brain organoids and a set of 72 individual organoids (6 per line) were randomly selected morphologically diverse organoids and subjected to bulk RNA sequencing for gene expression analysis. RNA was extracted using the RNeasy kit (Qiagen, Germany) according to the manufacturer’s instructions. A total of 1000 ng per sample was sent for RNA sequencing to Azenta Life Sciences (Genewiz Leipzig, Germany) for sequencing. Library preparation was performed using the NEBNext Ultra II RNA Library Prep Kit for Illumina following manufacturer’s instructions (NEB, Ipswich, MA, USA). mRNAs were first enriched with Oligo(dT) beads. The samples were sequenced using a 2x150 Pair-End (PE) configuration v1.5 at a depth of >20 million reads in each sample. Raw sequence data (.bcl files) generated from Illumina NovaSeq6000 was converted into fastq files and de-multiplexed using Illumina bcl2fastq program version 2.20. The raw sequence reads were aligned to the human reference genome GRCh38 using the STAR aligner (Dobin et al., 2013). Gene expression levels were quantified using the FeatureCounts tool (Liao et al., 2014).

  Study EGAS50000000659

• A thymic ILC1-like progenitor with differentiation potential towards KIR+NKG2A- NK cells - sc

  KIR+NKG2A- Natural Killer (NK) cells have the unique ability to detect downregulation of single HLA-I allotypes, frequently occurring in malignantly-transformed and virus-infected cells in order to escape T cell recognition. We have recently shown that circulating Innate Lymphoid Cells 1 (cILC1) have the potential to generate such KIR+NKG2A- NK cells but their developmental origin was unknown. Here we demonstrate that the development of cILC1 is thymus-dependent and identify a putative progenitor of cILC1s in the thymus, called thyILC1. Single-cell RNAseq analysis revealed a close relationship of thyILC1s to CD34+ double-negative (DN) thymocytes, but in contrast to DNs, thyILC1s had lost T cell differentiation potential. However, like cILC1s they could be efficiently differentiated into KIR+NKG2A- NK cells. thyILC1s strongly expressed RAG1/2, PTCRA (preTCR, and NOTCH1/3, but lacked expression of TCR chains, suggesting that they failed to pass the -selection checkpoint of thymocyte development. Finally, analyses of patients with FOXN1het deficiency, showing thymic hypoplasia due to lack of mature thymic epithelial cells, exhibited a profound deficiency of cILC1s but not cILC2s and cILC3s, demonstrating thymus dependency of cILC1s. Together, the data suggest that thyILC1s are the source of a novel thymus-dependent NK cell differentiation pathway that promotes generation of KIR+NKG2A- NK cells.

  Study EGAS50000000790

• TRACERx 100: metastatic samples

  Whole exome sequencing of 10 metastatic biopsies from four TRACERx100 patients (see EGA dataset EGAS00001002247), collected either after relapse or death. The data from these samples are initially published with Abbosh, C. et al. Phylogenetic ctDNA analysis depicts early stage lung cancer evolution. Nature http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nature22364 (2017). Abstract: Earlier detection of relapse following primary surgery for non-small cell lung cancer and the characterization of emerging subclones seeding metastatic sites might offer new therapeutic approaches to limit tumor recurrence. The potential to non-invasively track tumor evolutionary dynamics in ctDNA of early-stage lung cancer is not established. Here we conduct a patient-specific approach to ctDNA profiling in the first 100 lung TRACERx (TRAcking Cancer Evolution through therapy (Rx)) study participants, including one patient co-recruited to the PEACE (Posthumous Evaluation of Advanced Cancer Environment) post-mortem study. We identify independent predictors of ctDNA release in early-stage non-small cell lung cancer and perform tumor volume limit of detection analyses. Through blinded profiling of post-operative plasma, we observe evidence of adjuvant chemotherapy resistance and identify patients destined to experience recurrence of their lung cancer. Finally, we show that phylogenetic ctDNA profiling tracks the subclonal nature of lung cancer relapse and metastases, providing a new approach for ctDNA driven therapeutic studies.

  Study EGAS00001002415

• Detection of mutational patterns in cell free DNA (cfDNA) of colorectal cancer by custom amplicon sequencing

  Monitoring the mutational patterns of solid tumors during cancer therapy is a major challenge in oncology. Analysis of mutations in cell free (cf) DNA offers a non-invasive approach to detect mutations that may be prognostic for disease survival or predictive for primary or secondary drug resistance. A main challenge for the application of cfDNA as a diagnostic tool is the diverse mutational landscape of cancer. Here, we developed a flexible end-to-end experimental and bioinformatics workflow to analyze mutations in cfDNA using custom amplicon sequencing. Our approach relies on open software tools to select primers suitable for multiplex PCR using minimal cfDNA as input. In addition, we developed a robust linear model to identify specific genetic alterations from sequencing data of cfDNA. We used our method to design a custom amplicon panel suitable for detection of hotspot mutations relevant for colorectal cancer and analyzed mutations in serial cfDNA samples from 34 patients with advanced colorectal cancer. Our data demonstrates that recurrent and patient-specific mutational patterns can be reliably detected for the majority of patients. Furthermore, we show that the allele frequency of mutations in cfDNA correlates well with disease progression. Finally, we demonstrate that monitoring of cfDNA can outperform the predictive power of currently used tumor markers and reveal mechanisms of resistance to anti-EGFR antibody treatment.

  Study EGAS00001003382

• mFAST-SeqS

  Recent progress in the analysis of cell-free DNA fragments (cell-free circulating tumor DNA, ctDNA) now allows monitoring of tumor genomes by non-invasive means. However, previous studies with plasma DNA from patients with cancer demonstrated highly variable allele frequencies of ctDNA. The comprehensive analysis of tumor genomes is greatly facilitated when plasma DNA has increased amounts of ctDNA. Therefore, a fast and cost-effective pre-screening method to identify such plasma samples without previous knowledge about alterations in the respective tumor genome could assist in the selection of samples suitable for further extensive qualitative analysis. To address this, we adapted the recently described FAST-SeqS method, which was originally established as a simple and effective, non-invasive screening method for fetal aneuploidy from maternal blood. We show that our modified FAST-SeqS method (mFAST-SeqS) can be used as a pre-screening tool for an estimation of the ctDNA percentage. Using a combined evaluation of genome-wide and chromosome-arm specific z-scores from dilution series with cell line DNA and by comparisons of plasma-Seq profiles with data from mFAST-SeqS, we established a detection limit of 10% or more of mutant alleles. Plasma samples with an mFAST-SeqS z-score above 5 showed highly concordant results compared to copy number profiles obtained from our previously described plasma-Seq approach.

  Study EGAS00001001133

• Mutational signatures of aflatoxin

  Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) is a mutagen and IARC (International Agency for Research on Cancer) Group 1 carcinogen that causes hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Here we present the first whole genome data on the mutational signatures of AFB1 exposure from a total of > 40,000 mutations in four experimental systems: two different human cell lines, and in liver tumors in wild-type mice and in mice that carried a hepatitis B surface antigen transgene – this to model the multiplicative effects of aflatoxin exposure and hepatitis B in causing HCC. AFB1 mutational signatures from all four experimental systems were remarkably similar. We integrated the experimental mutational signatures with data from newly-sequenced HCCs from Qidong County, China, a region of well-studied aflatoxin exposure. This indicated that COSMIC mutational signature 24, previously hypothesized to stem from aflatoxin exposure, indeed likely represents AFB1 exposure, possibly combined with other exposures. Among published somatic mutation data, we found evidence of AFB1 exposure in 0.7% of HCCs treated in North America, 1% of HCCs from Japan, but 16% of HCCs from Hong Kong. Thus, aflatoxin exposure apparently remains a substantial public health issue in some areas. This aspect of our study exemplifies the promise of future widespread resequencing of tumor genomes in providing new insights into the contribution of mutagenic exposures to cancer incidence.

  Study EGAS00001002490

• Inquiring the potential of donor derived CD19-CAR TSCM to treat B-cell malignancies.

  Relapse after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (alloHSCT) is associated with poor survival in advanced B-cell malignancies. Donor-derived CD19-CAR T cells offer the potential for durable remissions but are limited by poor engraftment, expansion, and persistence. We report results from a sequential Phase 1 study (NCT01087294) in which patients with B-cell malignancies relapsed after alloHSCT received either donor-derived standard or stem cell memory T (TSCM)-enriched CD19-CAR T cells without lymphodepletion preconditioning. CAR TSCM cells exhibited delayed but superior expansion and persistence, leading to higher complete remission rates (45% vs. 10%) for doses < 3×108 CAR T cells. Despite their potency, CAR TSCM cells induced milder cytokine-mediated toxicities, driven by IFN-γ rather than IL-6, as observed in standard CAR T cell recipients. While both T cell products differentiated into effectors, only CAR TSCM cells robustly reconstituted the stem-like compartment. Longitudinal clonal-tracking revealed CAR TSCM cells were maintained by clonal succession, whereas standard CAR T cells persisted through maintenance or attrition of early-expanded clones. Unlike standard CAR T cells, CAR TSCM treatment failure was primarily due to tumor- and host-related factors rather than intrinsic T cell defects. These findings establish TSCM cells as a safe and highly effective CAR T cell platform.

  Study EGAS00001008119

• Targeted de-methylation of the FOXP3-TSDR

  CD4+ regulatory T cells (Tregs) are key mediators of immunological tolerance and promising effector cells for immuno-suppressive adoptive cellular therapy to fight autoimmunity and chronic inflammation. Their functional stability is critical for their clinical utility and has been correlated to the demethylated state of the TSDR/CNS2 enhancer element in the Treg lineage transcription factor FOXP3. However, proof for a causal contribution of the TSDR de-methylation to FOXP3 stability and Treg induction is so far lacking. We here established a powerful transient-transfection CRISPR-Cas9-based epigenetic-editing method for the selective de-methylation of the TSDR within the endogenous chromatin environment of a living cell. The induced de-methylated state was stable over weeks in clonal T cell proliferation cultures even after expression of the editing complex had ceased. Epigenetic editing of the TSDR resulted in FOXP3 expression, even in its physiological isoform distribution, proving a causal role for the de-methylated TSDR in FOXP3 regulation. However, successful FOXP3 induction was not associated with a switch towards a functional Treg phenotype, in contrast to what has been reported from FOXP3 overexpression approaches. Thus, TSDR de-methylation is required, but not sufficient for a stable Treg phenotype induction. Therefore, targeted demethylation of the TSDR may be a critical addition to published in vitro Treg induction protocols which so far lack FOXP3 stability.

  Study EGAS00001004867

• Genetic Heterogeneity of Diffuse Large B Cell Lymphoma

  We sequenced exomes of 94 DLBCL tumors and cell lines. 34 of the tumors had paired normal tissue. Our work elucidates commonly occurring gene-coding mutations in DLBCL.

  Study phs000573