16490 results for "sec+and+unspecified+malignant+neoplasm"

in 28.00 milliseconds.

• Somatic Mutations in Individual Skin Cells

  Ultraviolet (UV) radiation is the primary cause of melanoma through the acquisition of driver mutations in melanocytes. It also plays a significant role in oncogenesis in other skin cells, such as keratinocytes. However, the mutational profiles vary widely among different skin cancers, and the early mutational processes in different cell types from the same skin, is not well understood. Additionally, our preliminary studies also suggest that the mutation burden in different skin cells vary significantly based on risk factors such as the anatomical site and the use of tanning beds. To explore this, we employed innovative Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) tools to perform a site-matched comparison of the genomic landscapes of melanocytes, keratinocytes, and fibroblasts. From 20 biopsies of physiologically normal skin, collected from various anatomical sites across 16 donors, we have performed DNA-sequencing on 106 melanocytes, 78 keratinocytes and 13 fibroblasts. Of these samples, we have also simultaneously performed RNA-sequencing on 78 melanocytes, 46 keratinocytes and 9 fibroblasts. For normal bulk DNA, we also performed targeted (UCSF500; n=9) or exome sequencing (n=8) of skin or saliva samples from the donors.

  Study phs003683

• Blood Group Genotypes and Phenotypes in Omani Blood Donors and Its Links With Susceptibility to Malaria

  The Omani population experienced endemic malaria prior to eradication in the late 1990's. Since malaria is known to be a strong selective pressure on the human genome, particularly at blood group associated loci, we aimed to understand how selective pressures from malaria may be affecting genetic variation at blood group loci. Blood samples were collected from 100 healthy, Omani blood donors. Serology testing for 10 clinically relevant blood groups and whole genome sequencing (WGS) to an average coverage of 16X were performed on all samples. Additionally, using the WGS data, genetic variants (SNPs and INDELs) were called for chromosomes 1 - 22 using GRCh38. We find signals of selection at the Plasmodium vivax associated locus, ACKR1 (the Duffy blood group), but not at any Plasmodium falciparum associated loci. We also characterized several previously undescribed blood group alleles in the Omani population affecting antigenic expression, mostly at the RHD, RHCE, and GYPB loci. The data available from this project include BAM files from 100 Omani samples aligned to GRCh38, per chromosome VCF files, and results from the serology tests for all 10 blood groups.

  Study phs003694

• Rapid brain tumor classification from sparse epigenomic data

  Although the intraoperative, molecular differential diagnosis of the approximately one hundred different brain tumor entities described to date has been a goal of neuropathology in the last decade, this has not yet been achieved in a clinically relevant time frame of less than one hour after biopsy collection. Recent advances in third-generation sequencing technologies have brought this once-elusive goal within reach. However, established machine learning techniques rely on concepts and methods, impractical for live diagnostic workflows in clinical applications. Here, we present MethyLYZR, a Naïve Bayesian framework enabling fully tractable live classification of cancer epigenomes. MethyLYZR can be run in parallel with an ongoing Nanopore experiment with negligible computational cost and provides clinically relevant and accurate cancer classification results within 15 minutes of sequencing. Therefore, only the time required for DNA extraction and the Nanopore sequencer's maximum parallel throughput remain limiting factors for even faster time-to-results. We demonstrate the potential utility of the MethyLYZR framework not only for the neurosurgical intraoperative use case but also for other oncologic indications and cell-free DNA from liquid biopsies.

  Study EGAS50000000559

• Effective screening strategy for deafness using a new-genetation sequencing platform: a consecutive analysis

  The diagnosis of the genetic etiology of deafness contributes to the clinical management of patients. We performed the following four genetic tests in three stages for 52 consecutive deafness subjects in one facility. We used the Invade assay and Sanger sequencing for the GJB2 gene or SLC26A4 gene in the first stage test, TaqMan genotyping assay in second stage test, and targeted exon sequencing using the massively parallel DNA sequencing in third stage test. Overall, we identified the genetic cause in 40% (21/52) of patients. The diagnostic rates of the first-, second- and third-stage genetic testing were 17%(9/52), 9%(4/43) and 21% (8/39), respectively. The combination approach using these genetic tests appears to be useful as a diagnostic tool for deafness patients. We recommended that genetic testing for the screening of common mutations in deafness genes using the Invader assay or TaqMan genotyping assay be performed as the initial evaluation. For the remaining undiagnosed cases, targeted exon sequencing using MPS is clinically and economically beneficial. This data set was MPS reads data (fastq) for 39 sensorineural hearing loss patients.

  Study JGAS000032

• Induction of fetal meiotic oocytes from embryonic stem cells in cynomolgus monkeys

  Human in vitro oogenesis provides a framework for clarifying the mechanism of human oogenesis. To create its benchmark, it is vital to promote in vitro oogenesis using a model physiologically close to humans. Here, we establish a foundation for in vitro oogenesis in cynomolgus (cy) monkeys: cy female embryonic stem cells harboring one active and one inactive X chromosome (Xa and Xi, respectively) differentiate robustly into primordial germ cell-like cells, which in xenogeneic reconstituted ovaries develop efficiently into oogonia and, remarkably, further into meiotic oocytes at the zygotene stage. This differentiation entails a comprehensive epigenetic reprogramming, including Xi reprogramming, yet, as partly observed in vivo, Xa and Xi remain epigenetically asymmetric with incomplete Xi reactivation. In humans and monkeys, the Xi epigenome in pluripotent stem cells functions as an Xi-reprogramming determinant. We further show that developmental-pathway over-activations with suboptimal up-regulation of relevant meiotic genes impede in vitro meiotic progression. Cy in vitro oogenesis exhibits critical homology with the human system, including with respect to bottlenecks, providing a salient model for advancing human in vitro oogenesis.

  Study JGAS000573

• Non-canonical NF-κB signaling skews B cells away from germinal center to low-affinity effector fate

  The non-canonical (NC) NF-κB pathway is a central regulator of B-cell development and survival, yet its role during B-cell mediated adaptive responses remains uncharted. Here, we uncover an unanticipated regulatory function for NC NF-κB in shaping humoral immunity. High-resolution mapping of NC NF-kB status in B cells from human lymphoid tissues revealed low activity in germinal center B-cells (GCB) than effector subsets, suggesting a selective attenuation. Consistently, mice model harboring B-cells with enforced NC NF-κB activation revealed near- complete loss of GCB and high-affinity antibodies, following vaccination. GCB loss was not driven by intrinsic defects in formation or expansion, but by an immune-niche dysregulation marked by regulatory T-cell expansion. Mechanistically, NC NF-κB activation promoted B-cell- derived IL-10, and blocking this axis normalize the niche and rescue GCB. Concurrently, NC NF- κB signaling boosted low-affinity antibody responses by transcriptionally priming follicular B- cells for plasmacytic differentiation. Together, these findings position NC NF-κB as a tunable rheostat linking B-cell signaling to immune-niche control and humoral immunity.

  Study EGAS50000001646

• Field_effect_of_healthy_and_diseased_livers_WGS

  Recent work in the Campbell group has revealed somatic mutations present in normal, non-cancerous human skin. A subset of the mutations conferred selective advantages to the host cells, leading to clonal expansions and raising the risk for future cancer development. Capturing such somatic mutations in normal tissue is important to advance our understanding about carcinogenesis and could provide prospective medical insights. In this project, our goal is to detect somatic mutations in normal (pre-cancerous) liver tissue. Using Laser Microdissection technology, we will dissect individual liver lobules from patient samples and submit these to sequencing. For each patient sample, we aim to sequence multiple lobules to characterise the mutagenic burden. Samples will be taken from patients with different liver disease aetiologies, including alcoholism and obesity, with a view on distinguishing the prevalent mutation types occurring in each disease context. We will perform both whole genome and targeted sequencing, initially using the WTSI cancer panel. Later we aim to use a novel bait set that captures both cancer genes as well as genes relevant to the non-cancerous samples (ie. genes implicated in hereditary disorders, immune sequences).

  Study EGAS00001002413

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

  Cell-free DNA (cfDNA) in the blood provides a noninvasive diagnostic avenue for patients with cancer. However, characteristics of the origins and molecular features of cfDNA are poorly understood. We developed an approach to evaluate fragmentation patterns of cfDNA across the genome and found that cfDNA profiles of healthy individuals reflected nucleosomal patterns of white blood cells, while patients with cancer had altered fragmentation profiles. We applied this method to analyze fragmentation profiles of 236 patients with breast, colorectal, lung, ovarian, pancreatic, gastric, or bile duct cancers and 245 healthy individuals. A machine learning model incorporating genome-wide fragmentation features had sensitivities of detection ranging from 57% to >99% among the seven cancer types at 98% specificity, with an overall AUC of 0.94. Fragmentation profiles could be used to identify the tissue of origin of the cancers to a limited number of sites in 75% of cases. Combining our approach with mutation based cfDNA analyses detected 91% of cancer patients. The results of these analyses highlight important properties of cfDNA and provide a proof of principle approach for screening, early detection, and monitoring of human cancer.

  Study EGAS00001003611

• Reference Exome Data for a Northern Brazilian population

  Whole exome sequencing (WES) is a popular technology widely used in the diagnosis of rare genetic diseases and provides useful variant data for analysis of complex diseases. However, there is not always adequate population-specific reference data available to assist clinical geneticists in assigning a diagnostic variant to a specific clinical condition. Here we provide a catalogue of variants called after sequencing the exomes of 45 babies from the State of Rio Grande do Nord in Brazil. Sequence data were processed using an ‘intersect-then-combine’ (ITC) approach, using GATK and SAMtools to call variants. A total of 612,761 variants were identified in at least one individual in this Brazilian Cohort, including 559,448 single nucleotide variants (SNVs) and 53,313 insertion/deletions. Of these, 58,111 overlapped with nonsynonymous (nsSNVs) or splice site (ssSNVs) SNVs in dbNSFP. As an aid to clinical diagnosis of rare diseases, we used the American College of Medicine Genetics and Genomics (ACMG) guidelines to assign pathogenic/likely pathogenic status to 439 (0.755%) of the 58,111 nsSNVs and ssSNVs. Our data set provides a useful reference point for diagnosis of rare diseases in Brazil.

  Study EGAS00001004112

• SINGLE_CELL_ANALYSIS_OF_IN_VITRO_ERYTHROPOIESIS

  We are developing a protocol to differentiate mouse and human induced pluripotent stem (IPS) and embryonic stem (ES) cells towards the haematopoietic pathway to generate erythrocytes in vitro. This system has many applications such as the study of the role of specific genes and human polymorphisms in infectious diseases such as malaria, as well as haematological diseases such as myelodysplastic syndrome. The nature of the in vitro differentiation process means that a heterogeneous population of cells is generated. In order to understand the types of cells produced with our protocol, we have performed a single cell analysis, which has the power to reveal the different populations of cells and their characteristics. For this, a cDNA library has been made that needs to be sequenced to obtain the gene expression profiles of the different cells. With this information we will be able to assess the quality of the differentiation protocol and improve it in order to produce better cells for the downstream applications.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 EGAS00001000764

• noninvasive lung cancer subtyping

  Accurate diagnosis of lung cancer is important for treatment decision-making. Currently, the gold standard for diagnosing histological subtypes of lung cancer relies on tumor biopsies. Recently, liquid biopsy, particularly cell-free DNA (cfDNA), has shown promising results in cancer detection and classification. In this study, we investigated the potential of cfDNA methylome for the noninvasive classification of lung cancer histological subtypes. Specifically, we focused on the two most prevalent lung cancer subtypes, lung adenocarcinoma and lung squamous cell carcinoma. Using a fragment-based marker discovery approach, we identified robust subtype-specific methylation markers from tumor samples. These markers were successfully validated in independent cohorts and associated with subtype-specific transcription activity. Leveraging these markers, we constructed a subtype classification model using cfDNA methylation profiles, achieving an AUC of 0.808 in the cross-validation and an AUC of 0.747 in the independent validation. Additionally, tumor copy number variations inferred from cfDNA methylome analysis revealed potential implications for treatment selection. In summary, our study demonstrates the potential of cfDNA methylome analysis for noninvasively lung cancer subtyping, offering insights for cancer monitoring and early detection.

  Study EGAS00001007717

• The Ovarian Cancer Association Consortium OncoArray genome-wide association study

  A custom Illumina genotyping array, the OncoArray. The array includes a genome-wide backbone, comprising 230,000 SNPs tagging most common genetic variants, together with dense mapping of known susceptibility regions, rare variants from sequencing experiments, pharmacogenetic markers, and cancer-related traits. A total of 494,763 SNPs passed quality control steps with a sample success rate of 97% of the samples. Participating sites performed ancestry analysis using a common set of markers and a scoring algorithm based on principal components analysis as described in PMID:27697780.The array was used to genotype ovarian cancer cases and controls from multiple studies participating in the Ovarian Cancer Association Consortium, of which 54,747 passes QC.An initial principal components analysis was carried out using a method described in PMID:27697780 to assign subject to intercontinental ancestry groups: “European”, “African”, “Asian” and "Other". Within ancestry principal components analysis was carried using a set of ~33k unlinked markers. Subsequent analyses were adjusted for the ancestry specific PCs: 9 Eur, 10 Asian, 1 African and 6 Mixed. These PCs are included in the imputed dataset phenotypes file

  Study EGAS00001002305

• Hominin-specific NOTCH2 paralogs expand human cortical neurogenesis through regulation of Delta/Notch interactions.

  The human cerebral cortex has undergone rapid expansion and increased complexity during recent evolution. Hominid-specific gene duplications represent a major driving force of evolution, but their impact on human brain evolution remains unclear. Using tailored RNA sequencing (RNAseq), we profiled the spatial and temporal expression of Hominid-specific duplicated (HS) genes in the human fetal cortex, leading to the identification of a repertoire of 36 HS genes displaying robust and dynamic patterns during cortical neurogenesis. Among these we focused on NOTCH2NL, previously uncharacterized HS paralogs of NOTCH2. NOTCH2NL promote the clonal expansion of human cortical progenitors by increasing self-renewal, ultimately leading to higher neuronal output. NOTCH2NL function by activating the Notch pathway, through inhibition of Delta/Notch interactions. Our study uncovers a large repertoire of recently evolved genes linking genomic evolution to human brain development, and reveals how hominin-specific NOTCH paralogs may have contributed to the expansion of the human cortex. The dataset contains raw sequences (FASTQ files) from the Illumina 2x150bp paired-end RNA sequencing profiles of 11 fetal human brain samples at 7, 9, 12, 15 and 21 gestational weeks.

  Study EGAS00001002798

• An_evaluation_of_different_strategies_for_large_scale_pooled_sequencing_study_design_

  Second generation sequencing technology has enabled the design of large-scale sequencing experiments in targeted disease-related regions in thousands of cases and controls. Cost implications dictate a pooled DNA sequencing design, evaluation of allele frequency differences based on the resequenced samples and large-scale targeted follow-up in further samples. To evaluate the feasibility of this approach and to assess different study design strategies, we have carried out a pilot study which tests the feasibility of PCR-based and pull-down DNA pooling for (a) SNP discovery and (b) allele frequency comparison purposes. All samples are from the HapMap or 1958 BC. The sample composition of the pool is listed below: Pool 5: 31 HapMap Individuals (NA12249, NA12156, NA12004, NA11831, NA12716, NA11832, NA11993, NA12057, NA11995, NA12006, NA12144, NA12802, NA12146, NA12005, NA12003, NA07000, NA12043, NA12044, NA11992, NA11881, NA11994, NA07345, NA12154, NA06994, NA06985, NA12239, NA07022, NA07034, NA12155, NA07056, NA06993); 19 1958 BC Individuals (WTCCC88214, WTCCC88215, WTCCC88216, WTCCC88217, WTCCC88222, WTCCC88233, WTCCC88240, WTCCC88241, WTCCC88242, WTCCC88247, WTCCC88249, WTCCC88262, WTCCC88264, WTCCC88278, WTCCC88294, WTCCC88298, WTCCC88302, WTCCC88305, WTCCC88321) Some pools were carried out in duplicate to assess reproducibility. We focused on 10 (PD), 7(PCR) chromosomal regions, ~2(PD), ~1.6 (PCR) Mb in total.

  Study EGAS00001000134

• Full blood mRNA sequencing of myotonic dystrophy type 1 patients after cognitive behavioural therapy

  Myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1) is an incurable multisystem disease caused by a CTG-repeat expansion in the DM1 protein kinase (DMPK) gene. The OPTIMISTIC clinical trial demonstrated positive and heterogenous effects of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) on the capacity for activity and social participations in DM1 patients. Here, we performed mRNA sequencing of full blood for 27 patients of the OPTIMISTIC cohort before and after the CBT intervention. We identified 608 genes for which their expression was significantly associated with the disease causing CTG-repeat expansion, as well as with 1176 genes significantly associated with the average clinical response towards the intervention. Remarkably, all 97 genes significantly associated with both returned to more normal levels in patients who benefited most from CBT. This trend was consistent with the difference observed between DM1 patients and controls in an earlier study of blood mRNA expression levels, singling these genes out as candidate biomarkers for therapy response. Together these results highlight the ability to find disease relevant information in full blood of DM1 patients and open new avenues to monitor therapy effects.

  Study EGAS00001005830

• Heat selection enables highly scalable methylome profiling in cell-free DNA for noninvasive monitoring of cancer patients

  Genome-wide analysis of cell-free DNA (cfDNA) methylation profile has been recognized as a promising approach for sensitive and specific detection of many cancers. However, scaling such genome-wide assays for clinical translation is impractical due to the high cost of whole genome bisulfite sequencing. We have shown that the small fraction of GC-rich genome is highly enriched in CpG sites and disproportionately harbors the majority of cancer-specific methylation signature. Here, we report on the simple but effective Heat enrichment of CpG-rich regions for Bisulfite Sequencing (Heatrich-BS) platform that allows for focused methylation profiling in these highly informative regions. Our novel method and bioinformatics algorithm enable accurate tumor burden estimation with high sensitivity and quantitative tracking of colorectal cancer patient’s response to treatment, at much reduced sequencing cost suitable for frequent monitoring. We also show, for the first time, tumor epigenetic subtyping from cfDNA using Heatrich-BS, which could enable patient stratification from non-invasive liquid biopsy. As such, Heatrich-BS holds great potential for highly scalable screening and regular monitoring of cancer using liquid biopsy.

  Study EGAS00001006198

• Case Report: Rare IKZF1 gene fusions identified in neonate with congenital KMT2A-rearranged Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

  Here we describe a rare case of congenital KMT2Ar ALL presenting with co-occurring IKZF1 gene fusions and a predictably aggressive disease trajectory. We report for the first time, the novel IKZF1::TUT1 and KDM2A::IKZF1 gene fusions. Rearrangements in-volving KMT2A are commonly retained in relapsed infant ALL, however, in this case the KMT2A::AFF1 gene fusion did not appear to be the lesion driving leukemic relapse. Instead, our data suggest that relapse was driven by IKZF1::TUT1. This gene fusion remained in all samples investigated, including the on-blinatumomab therapy sample taken immediately prior to relapse. Conversely, the KMT2A::AFF1 gene fusion was only detected in the diagnosis and refractory post-induction samples highlighting a key role for IKZF1::TUT1 in disease pathogenesis. Intriguingly, both IKZF1 gene fusions are predicted to be out-of-frame, however, our data demonstrate the IKZF1 gene is still expressed. This is not unprecedented and it has previously been observed that out-of-frame fusions can cause transcriptional activation/repression of genes involved in the fusions leading to increases or decreases of their expression and the as-sociated functional outcomes.

  Study EGAS00001006947

• RNAseq

  Familial Mediterranean Fever (FMF) is a prototypical periodic fever syndrome caused by genetic variation in MEFV. While it is known that especially IL-1β responses are dysregulated in FMF, its innate immune landscape has not been comprehensively described. Therefore, we extensively characterized the function of monocytes and neutrophils in patients with FMF in between disease attacks, as well as their circulating inflammatory proteome. We found that monocyte IL-1 and IL-6 production was enhanced following a range of stimulations, in concordance with alterations in the plasma inflammatory proteome. In contrast, neutrophil function in FMF was normal. Additionally, ATAC-seq and RNA-seq analyses revealed important epigenetic and transcriptional reprogramming arguing for monocyte function dysregulation. Interestingly, chromatin-accessibility was down-regulated in genomic regions related to cellular responses. This argues that the primary immune dysregulation in monocytes due to MEFV mutations leads to a chronic inflammatory profile that is subsequently associated with counterregulatory epigenetic and transcriptional changes reminiscent of tolerance (rather than trained immunity) induction. These data increase our understanding of the innate immune changes in FMF, that can be used in the design of novel approaches to manage chronic inflammation of these patients.

  Study EGAS00001007165

• Massively parallel functional dissection of schizophrenia associated non-coding genetic variants

  Schizophrenia (SCZ) is a severe mental disorder affecting 1% of the world population. SCZ is characterized by an underlying genetic architecture that is highly polygenic. Genome wide association studies have identified thousands of genetic variants that are statistically linked to the disease. However, the translation of these associations into insights on the pathomechanisms has been challenging because the causal genetic variants, their molecular function, and their target genes remain largely unknown. To address these questions, we combined induced pluripotent stem cell technology with a massively parallel variant annotation pipeline (MVAP) to functionally characterize 35,000 SCZ associated non-coding genetic variants. This approach identified a set of 620 (1.7%) single nucleotide polymorphisms as functional on the molecular level in a highly cell type and condition specific fashion. Subsequent multi-modal integration of epigenomic data combined with CRISPR screening in human neurons enabled us to systematically translate SCZ variant associations into target genes, biological processes, and ultimately alterations of neuronal physiology. These results provide a new high-resolution map of functional variant-gene combinations and offer comprehensive biological insights into the developmental context and stimulus dependent molecular processes modulated by SCZ genetic variation beyond statistical association.

  Study EGAS00001007542

• Phosphoproteomics adds value to treatment recommendations in molecular tumor boards

  Precision oncology approaches employing genomics-guided targeted therapies for individual patients have provided significant survival benefits in several cancer types. However, low response rates in most solid malignancies, many patients without actionable genomic lesions, and increasing evidence that non-genomic mechanisms may play an important role in tumors indicate that genomics alone is often insufficient to inform and guide the clinical care of patients. Here, we show for the first time that comprehensive (phospho)proteome profiling is feasible and informative in a real-world prospective precision oncology setting. We developed a novel tumor pathway activity (TUPAC) scoring methodology that provides a holistic perspective on dysregulated receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) signaling in individual patients. Based on 919 tumor tissue profiles of patients enrolled in the national NCT/DKTK MASTER study and the INFORM registry trial, we illustrate how TUPAC scoring can be used to uncover individual tumor biology in rare cancers and demonstrate that TUPAC methodology identifies EGFR-driven sarcomas despite the absence of genetic EGFR alterations. Overall, our work demonstrates the utility of the additional phosphoproteome data layer to enhance therapeutic recommendations in molecular tumor boards.

  Study EGAS00001007891

• Profiling_the_Microbiome_of_Early_Life_Gut_Samples

  The human gut microbiome (GM), defined as the microorganisms that reside in the human gastrointestinal tract, has been identified as critical for normal intestinal development and physiology. However, to-date, the majority of studies characterizing the gut microbiome has relied on stool samples, thereby limiting insights into the regionality of the gut and how its microbiota differs along its length. As a result, this project seeks to profile the adjacent microbiota of various regions along the intestinal tract from pediatric intestinal tissue and their associated mucosal washes, enabling insights into tissue-specific microbiomes. Due to the expected low microbial biomass of these samples, donor stool (when available) will also be metagenomically profiled as positive controls, which will enable us to benchmark our low-biomass processing methods with existing protocols. By sampling pediatric patients of diverse ages and health statuses, this metagenomic data will also be valuable for understanding the gut microbiome of the developing human gut across time and space. 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 please see http://www.sanger.ac.uk/datasharing/

  Study EGAS00001008081

• BIOKEY: A single-cell catalogue of the dynamic changes underlying Checkpoint Immunotherapy response in Early Breast Cancer

  Checkpoint immunotherapy combined with neoadjuvant chemotherapy improves complete pathologic response in a subset of breast cancer patients. Here, we applied single-cell profiling to tumor biopsies collected before and during anti-PD1 therapy. One-third of tumors exhibited proliferative T-cells expanding along CD8+ or CD4+ lineages, which were either characterized by increased cytotoxicity and exhaustion or improved T-helper function, respectively. Lineage tracing in non-expanding tumors revealed at which point in the lineage T-cells were impaired, while gene expression modeling along these lineages revealed novel genes and underlying transcription factors involved in T-cell expansion. Interestingly, different dendritic and myeloid cell phenotypes could either stimulate or inhibit expanding T-cells, while cell-to-cell communication revealed an integrated immune context highly predictive of T-cell expansion, consisting of immune-stimulatory/-inhibitory interactions between cancer and various immune cell types. Our data yield unprecedented insights into the dynamic changes underlying checkpoint immunotherapy response in breast cancer.

  Study EGAS00001004809

• Single cell RNA-seq mapping of nasal and tracheobronchial airways in human healthy volunteers

  The respiratory tract constitutes an elaborated line of defense based on a unique cellular ecosystem. Single-cell profiling methods enable the investigation of cell population distributions and transcriptional changes along the airways. We have explored cellular heterogeneity of the human airway epithelium in 10 healthy living volunteers by single-cell RNA profiling. 77,969 cells were collected by bronchoscopy at 35 distinct locations, from the nose to the 12th division of the airway tree. The resulting atlas is composed of a high percentage of epithelial cells (89.1%), but also immune (6.2%) and stromal (4.7%) cells with peculiar cellular proportions in different sites of the airways. It reveals differential gene expression between identical cell types (suprabasal, secretory, and multiciliated cells) from the nose (MUC4, PI3, SIX3) and tracheobronchial (SCGB1A1, TFF3) airways. By contrast, cell-type specific gene expression was stable across all tracheobronchial samples. Our atlas improves the description of ionocytes, pulmonary neuro-endocrine (PNEC) and brush cells, which are likely derived from a common population of precursor cells. We also report a population of KRT13 positive cells with a high percentage of dividing cells which are reminiscent of “hillock” cells previously described in mouse. Robust characterization of this unprecedented large single-cell cohort establishes an important resource for future investigations. The precise description of the continuum existing from nasal epithelium to successive divisions of lung airways and the stable gene expression profile of these regions better defines conditions under which relevant tracheobronchial proxies of human respiratory diseases can be developed.

  Study EGAS00001004082

• Search for new loci and low-frequency variants influencing glioma risk by exome-array analysis

  To identify protein altering variants (PAVs) for glioma we analysed Illumina HumanExome BeadChip exome array data on 1,882 glioma cases and 8,079 controls from three independent European populations. In addition to single variant tests we incorporated information on the predicted functional consequences of PAVs and analysed sets of genes with a higher likelihood of having a role in glioma on the basis of the profile of somatic mutations documented by large-scale sequencing initiatives. Globally tThere was a strong relationship between effect size and SNPs predicted to be damaging (P=2.29x10-49); however, these variants which are most likely to impact on risk, are rare (MAF<5%). While no single variant showed an association which was statistically significant at the genomewide threshold a number of represented promising Notable associations - were seen with the BRCA2:c.9976A>T, p.(Lys3326Ter)BRCA2 p.Lys332X variant, which has been shown documented to influence breast and lung cancer risks (OR=2.3, P=4.00x10-4 for glioblastoma [GBM]) and IDH2:c.782G>A, p.(Arg261His)IDH2 p.Arg261His (OR=3.21, P=7.67x10-3, for non-GBM). Additionally, gene burden tests revealed a statistically significant association for HARS2 and risk of GBM (P=2.20x10-6). Genome scans of low frequency PAVs represent a complementary strategy to identify disease-causing variants compared with scans based on tagSNPs. Strategies to lessen the multiple testing burden by restricting analysis to PAVs with higher priors affords an opportunity to maximise study power.

  Study EGAS00001001258

• Sequencing-based counting and size profiling of plasma Epstein-Barr virus DNA enhance population screening of nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

  Circulating tumor-derived DNA testing for cancer screening has recently been demonstrated in a prospective study on identification of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) among 20,174 asymptomatic individuals. Plasma EBV DNA, a marker for NPC, was detected using real-time PCR. While plasma EBV DNA was persistently detectable in 97.1% of the NPCs identified, ∼5% of the general population had transiently detectable plasma EBV DNA. We hypothesized that EBV DNA in plasma of subjects with or without NPC may have different molecular characteristics. We performed target-capture sequencing of plasma EBV DNA and identified differences in the abundance and size profiles of EBV DNA molecules within plasma of NPC and non-NPC subjects. NPC patients had significantly higher amounts of plasma EBV DNA, which showed longer fragment lengths. Cutoff values were established from an exploratory dataset and tested in a validation sample set. Adopting an algorithm that required a sample to concurrently pass cutoffs for EBV DNA counting and size measurements, NPCs were detected at a positive predictive value (PPV) of 19.6%. This represented superior performance compared with the PPV of 11.0% in the prospective screening study, which required participants with an initially detectable plasma EBV DNA result to be retested within 4 weeks. The observed differences in the molecular nature of EBV DNA molecules in plasma of subjects with or without NPC were successfully translated into a sequencing-based test that had a high PPV for NPC screening and achievable through single time-point testing.

  Study EGAS00001002707