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• Genome_Diversity_in_Africa_Project___GemCode_libraries

  Globally, human populations show structured genetic diversity as a result of geographical dispersion, selection and drift. Understanding this genetic variation can provide insights into the evolutionary processes that shape both human adaptation and variation in disease. Populations from Africa have the highest levels of genetic diversity. This characteristic, in addition to historical genetic admixture, can lead to complexities in the design of studies assessing the genetic determinants of disease and human variation. However, such studies of African populations are also likely to provide new opportunities to discover novel disease susceptibility loci and variants and refine gene–disease association signals. A systematic assessment of genetic diversity within Africa would facilitate genomic epidemiological studies in the region.The Genome Diversity in Africa Project (GDAP) will extend and expand the African Genome Variation (AGV) project, an international collaboration aimed to produce a comprehensive catalogue of human genetic variation in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Using a sequencing-based approach, GDA project aims to capture human genetic variation in Africa, including single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), structural variants, and haplotypes. This resource will make a substantial contribution to understanding patterns of genetic diversity within and among populations in Africa, as well as providing a global resource to help design, implement and interpret genomic studies in African populations and studies comprising globally diverse populations, complementing existing genomic resources. Specifically, we plan to carry out whole genome sequencing at high depth (30x) of up to 1000 individuals across Africa (25 individuals from each ethnolinguistic group). We have already completed sequencing from 5 ethno-linguistic groups and we are now adding others.Our scientific objectives are to: 1) develop a resource that provides a comprehensive catalogue of genetic variation in populations from Africa accessible to the global scientific community; 2) characterise population genetic diversity, structure, gene flow and admixture across Africa; 3) develop a cost-efficient, next-generation genotype array for diverse populations across Africa; and 4) facilitate whole genome-sequencing association studies of complex traits and diseases by developing a reference panel for imputation and resource for enhancing fine-mapping disease susceptibility loci. These scientific objectives will be supported by cross-cutting operational activities, including network and management of the consortium, research ethics, and research capacity building in statistical genetics and bioinformatics.

  Study EGAS00001001589

• Distinct evolutionary trajectories of primary high grade serous ovarian cancers revealed through spatial mutational profiling

  High-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSC) is characterized by poor outcome, often attributed to emergence of treatment-resistant sub-clones. We sought to measure the degree of genomic diversity within primary, untreated HGSC to examine the natural state of tumor evolution prior to therapy. We performed exome sequencing, copy number analysis, targeted amplicon deep sequencing and gene expression profiling on thirty-one spatially and temporally separated HGSC tumor specimens (six patients) including ovarian masses, distant metastases, and fallopian tube lesions. We found widespread intra-tumoral variation in mutation, copy number, and gene expression profiles, with key driver alterations in genes present in only a subset of samples (e.g. PIK3CA, CTNNB1, NF1). On average, only 51.5% of mutations were present in every sample of a given case (range: 10.2% to 91.4%), with TP53 as the only somatic mutation consistently present in all samples. Complex segmental aneuploidies, such as whole genome doubling, were present in a subset of samples from the same individual, with divergent copy number changes segregating independently of point mutation acquisition. Reconstruction of evolutionary histories showed one patient with mixed HGSC and endometrioid histology with common etiologic origin in the fallopian tube and subsequent selection of different driver mutations in the histologically distinct samples. In this patient, we observed mixed cell populations in the early fallopian tube lesion, indicating diversity arises at early stages of tumorigenesis. Our results reveal that HGSC exhibit highly individual evolutionary trajectories and diverse genomic tapestries prior to therapy, exposing an essential biological characteristic to inform future design of personalized therapeutic solutions and investigation of drug resistance mechanisms.

  Study EGAS00001000547

• Short-term fasting before living kidney donation has an immune-modulatory effect

  Background: Short-Term Fasting (STF) is an intervention reducing the intake of calories, without causing undernutrition or micronutrient-related malnutrition. It aims to systemically improve resilience against acute stress. Several (pre-)clinical studies have suggested protective effects of STF, marking the systemic effects STF can induce in respect to surgery and ischemia-reperfusion injury. In addition, STF also affects the number of circulating immune cells. We aim to determine the effect of STF on the abundance and phenotype of different immune cell populations. Methods: Thirty participants were randomly selected from the FAST clinical trial, including living kidneys donors, randomised to a STF-diet or control arm. In an observational cohort sub-study we prospectively included 30 patients who donated blood samples repeatedly during study runtime. Using flow cytometry analyses, immune cell phenotyping was performed on peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Three panels were designed to investigate the presence and activation status of peripheral T cells, B cells, dendritic cells (DCs) and myeloid cells. Results: Eight participants were excluded due to sample constraints. Baseline characteristics showed no significant differences, except for fasting duration. Weight changes were minimal and non-significant across different time intervals, with slight trends towards long-term weight loss pre-surgery. Glucose, insulin, and β-hydroxybutyrate levels differed significantly between groups, reflecting adherence to the fasting diet. Flow cytometry analysis revealed no baseline differences between groups, with high variability within each group. We observed significant changes in immune cell populations due to fasting, particularly in B cells, T cells, and DCs. Discussion: In this study, we found that STF changes the levels and phenotype of immune cells, reducing abundance and activation of T cells and regulatory T cells, increased presence of (naïve) B cells, and elevation of type 1 conventional DCs. Further research should focus on the clinical implications of the changes in immune cell populations and significance of these observed immunological changes. Background: Short-Term Fasting (STF) is an intervention reducing the intake of calories, without causing undernutrition or micronutrient-related malnutrition. It aims to systemically improve resilience against acute stress. Several (pre-)clinical studies have suggested protective effects of STF, marking the systemic effects STF can induce in respect to surgery and ischemia-reperfusion injury. In addition, STF also affects the number of circulating immune cells. We aim to determine the effect of STF on the abundance and phenotype of different immune cell populations. Methods: Thirty participants were randomly selected from the FAST clinical trial, including living kidneys donors, randomised to a STF-diet or control arm. In an observational cohort sub-study we prospectively included 30 patients who donated blood samples repeatedly during study runtime. Using flow cytometry analyses, immune cell phenotyping was performed on peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Three panels were designed to investigate the presence and activation status of peripheral T cells, B cells, dendritic cells (DCs) and myeloid cells. Results: Eight participants were excluded due to sample constraints. Baseline characteristics showed no significant differences, except for fasting duration. Weight changes were minimal and non-significant across different time intervals, with slight trends towards long-term weight loss pre-surgery. Glucose, insulin, and β-hydroxybutyrate levels differed significantly between groups, reflecting adherence to the fasting diet. Flow cytometry analysis revealed no baseline differences between groups, with high variability within each group. We observed significant changes in immune cell populations due to fasting, particularly in B cells, T cells, and DCs. Discussion: In this study, we found that STF changes the levels and phenotype of immune cells, reducing abundance and activation of T cells and regulatory T cells, increased presence of (naïve) B cells, and elevation of type 1 conventional DCs. Further research should focus on the clinical implications of the changes in immune cell populations and significance of these observed immunological changes.

  Study EGAS00001008034

• CD8-targeted IL-2 unleashes tumor-specific immunity in human cancer tissue by reviving the dysfunctional T cell pool

  Tumor-specific CD8+ T cells are key effectors of antitumor immunity but are often rendered dysfunctional in the tumor microenvironment. Immune checkpoint blockade can restore antitumor T cell function in some patients, however most do not respond to this therapy, often despite T cell infiltration in their tumors. We here explored a CD8-targeted IL-2 fusion molecule (CD8-IL2) to selectively reactivate intratumoral CD8+ T cells in patient-derived tumor fragments. Treatment with CD8-IL2 broadly armed intratumoral CD8+ T cells with enhanced effector capacity, thereby specifically enabling reinvigoration of the dysfunctional T cell pool to elicit potent immune activity. Notably, the revival of dysfunctional T cells to mediate effector activity by CD8-IL2 depended on simultaneous antigen recognition and was quantitatively and qualitatively superior to that achieved by PD-1 blockade. Finally, CD8-IL2 was able to functionally reinvigorate T cells in tumors resistant to anti-PD-1, underscoring its potential as a novel treatment strategy for cancer patients.

  Study EGAS00001007712

• Sequencing_component_for_the_whole_genome_methylation_analysis_in_PBMCs_and_cell_subsets__pilot_study_

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

  Study EGAS00001000490

• Next gen seq of eye cancers (2019-08-14)

  Retinoblastoma (RB), the commonest eye cancer in children was the first cancer for which a genetic cause was identified: the Rb1 gene is a tumour suppressor gene that is mutated in RB. The Rb1 gene defect alone does not predict the clinical outcome. We propose to study other possible mechanisms: 1. Stepwise further mutations occur in RB, increasing its carcinogenesis. We will sequence the whole genome in RB tissue, and relate the different genes expressed to the treatments used. 2. Extracellular matric proteins contribute to a tumour permissive environment for RB to continue to grow. This includes Samll Leucine Rich Proteoglycans (SLRP), a family of 15 secreted extracellular matrix proteins involved in eye development. 3. Cancer stem cells (CSC), a subpopulation of treatment resistant cells, drive RB tumours, and whether these stem cells can be manipulated for new therapies. The aim of this study is to assist finding targeted diagnostic techniques and treatments for RB. . This dataset contains all the data available for this study on 2019-08-14.

  Dataset EGAD00001005251

• 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

• Characterization of chromatin accessibility in metastatic prostate cancer

  The development of resistance to second-generation AR-signaling inhibitors (ARSIs) and progression to metastatic castrate-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) represents a huge obstacle to the improvement of patients’ clinical outcomes. Lineage plasticity is a common mechanism that drives the development of mCRPC by changing chromatin conformation at regulatory elements affecting downstream gene activity. ATAC-seq is a popular technique that measures accessible chromatin regions. To better understand of potential epigenomic mechanisms of ARSI resistance in prostate cancer, in this study, we performed ATAC-seq on 70 mCRPC tissue biopsies from the SU2C/PCF West Coast Dream Team (WCDT) cohort.

  Study EGAS00001006698

• Early Onset and Progression of Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia Lung Disease Prior to 10 Years of Age

  Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia (PCD) is a genetic defect in airway host-defense, and typically results in chronic infection of the airways. Patients with PCD have chronic lung, sinus and ear infections. This longitudinal study is designed to define the rate of progression of PCD lung function in participants prior to 10 years of age using special lung function tests, which help to track lung impairment and prognosis in other disorders of the airways such as cystic fibrosis. This longitudinal protocol will also systematically track other specific outcomes, including pathogens infecting the airways (assessed by respiratory cultures), and age at onset and progression of airway damage and bronchiectasis [assessed by high-resolution computerized tomography (HRCT) of the chest].

  Study phs001310

• WGS of gastric cancer in the Japanese population (81 gastric cancers of NCC)

  As a contribution to The International Cancer Genome Consortium Accelerating Research in Genomic Oncology (ICGC ARGO), whole-genome sequencing of 81 cases from Japanese gastric cancer with various histological subtypes has been conducted. This study aims to reveal the landscape of structural variants (SV) in gastric cancer and analyze mutational and rearrangement signatures simultaneously

  Study EGAS00001006051

• RNA-Seq of Whole Blood from Pediatric Sickle Cell Anemia (SCA) Patients

  The aim of this study is to define the immune cell transcriptome by next generation RNA sequencing in blood from individuals with SCA, in comparison to healthy African American controls. This study has a cross-sectional case-control design. We will compare the transcriptome profiles of blood mononuclear cells from healthy age-matched African American children without cardiovascular disease or risk factors (“Controls”) to those of children with SCA, age 5 -21 years, who are not receiving chronic red blood cell transfusions or hydroxyurea therapy to identify genes that are differentially expressed in SCA. 

  Study phs002687

• KRT17High/CXCL8+ Tumor Cells Display Both Classical and Basal Features and Regulate Myeloid Infiltration in the Pancreatic Cancer Microenvironment

  Recent studies have uncovered the co-existence of basal and classical subtypes within pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). We sought to characterize these intermediary cells using single-cell RNA sequencing of PDAC. We performed subtyping on 18 single-cell RNA sequencing human PDAC samples to identify multiple intermediary subtypes. We compared single-cell profiling of patient-matched blood and tumor samples to measure changes in the local and systemic immune microenvironments in CXCL8-high tumors vs. CXCL8-low tumors. Finally, we leveraged longitudinally patient-matched blood over the course of chemotherapy. In our studies we identified a cluster of KRT17high intermediary cancer cells that uniquely express high levels of CXCL8 and other cytokines which in turn influence the myeloid compartment both locally and systemically. We utilized sequencing data from dbGaP study accession phs002070. In addition to that, we included sequencing from new specimens which are deposited to this submission, consisting of one additional tumor specimen and 5 PBMC samples, sequenced after chemotherapy (longitudinally matched to PBMC samples in phs002071.v1.p1). FASTQ files of these sequencing runs are available through this dbGaP submission.

  Study phs003436

• Research on the identification of cancer stem cells for peidatric and adult malignancies.

  In recent years, "cancer stem cells" have been reported to exist in many cancers. Many reports have shown that they are the main cause of cancer recurrence. The aim of this study is to test whether cancer stem cells can be identified using patient samples. We will perform omics analysis of rare pediatric cancers by integrating genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics and metabolomics, including somatic and germline mutations, to deepen our understanding of the biological characteristics of the target disease. Based on the knowledge gained and clinical information from patients, we will conduct preclinical pharmacological studies using mouse models and in vitro models to investigate the therapeutic effects of novel therapeutic agents and novel therapeutic strategies such as cellular therapies.

  Study JGAS000623

• Regulatory Genomics of Human Embryonic Development

  We used epigenetic profiling to map active enhancers in the developing human limb and cortex as described in two published studies: Cotney J, Leng J, Yin J, Reilly SK et al. The evolution of lineage-specific regulatory activities in the human embryonic limb. Cell 2013;154(1):185-96. Reilly SK, Yin J, Ayoub AE, Emera D et al. Evolutionary changes in promoter and enhancer activity during human corticogenesis. Science 2015;347(6226):1155-9. We also used ChIP-seq to map binding sites for the chromatin modifier CHD8 in the developing human brain, as described in one published study: Cotney J, Muhle RA, Sanders SJ, Liu L et al. The autism-associated chromatin modifier CHD8 regulates other autism risk genes during human neurodevelopment. Nat Commun 2015;6:6404. We are also depositing primary human sequence reads related to processed datasets in the Gene Expression Omnibus under the following accession numbers: GSE42413 (Cotney et al. 2013); GSE63649 (Reilly et al. 2015); GSE57369 (Cotney et al. 2015).

  Study phs001226

• Genetics of Prostate Cancer in Africa

  African Americans (AA) suffer from the highest rates of Prostate Cancer (CaP) in the world, but while men of African descent around the world suffer disproportionately from CaP compared to men of other races or ethnicities, our understanding of the reasons for these disparities remains incomplete. To date, few exposure, lifestyle, or environmental influences have been identified in CaP etiology. In contrast, CaP is among the most heritable of common cancers, and over 290 susceptibility loci have been identified. However, many of these loci have not been replicated in AA, in part because of limited African descent sample sizes, incomplete capture of African alleles, and a limited understanding of African genomic architecture. To better understand the etiology of CaP in African descent men, we established a large, multicenter consortium known as “Men of African Descent and Carcinoma of the Prostate” (MADCaP). Using resources of this consortium, we have undertaken a multicenter study of CaP in Sub-Saharan Africa, enrolling CaP cases from 7 institutions in 4 countries in Africa (Nigeria, Senegal, Ghana, and South Africa) and age matched controls from the same institutions. We designed a novel genotyping array, in partnership with Thermo Fisher Scientific, leveraging its Applied BiosystemTM AxiomTM Genotyping solution, to provide good coverage of African genomic variation, as well as incorporating cancer loci, with the goal of being able to fine-map existing prostate cancer loci, as well as mapping novel loci. The data available encompasses genotyping our Africa cohort on this array.

  Study phs002718

• Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis Network AntiCoagulant Effectiveness in Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPFNet-ACE-IPF-BioLINCC)

  Data Access NOTE: Please refer to the "Authorized Access" section below for information about how access to the data from this accession differs from many other dbGaP accessions. Objectives: The ACE-IPF trial tested the hypothesis that treatment with warfarin at recognized therapeutic doses would reduce rates of mortality, hospitalization, and declines in Forced Vital Capacity (FVC) in subjects with Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF).Background: IPF is a chronic, progressive lung disease of unknown cause characterized by the histopathologic pattern of usual interstitial pneumonia. The median survival of patients with IPF after the onset of symptoms is 2 to 5 years. Prior animal and human studies in pulmonary fibrosis provide a compelling rationale to examine anticoagulation as a therapeutic approach in IPF. Large epidemiologic studies link IPF with thrombosis-related clinical events, such as an increased risk of acute coronary syndrome and deep vein thrombosis. The suspected causal relationship may extend beyond simple coagulation cascade-induced thrombus formation, as procoagulant enzymes may directly stimulate fibrosis via cell surface receptor - mediated responses.Participants: Patients aged 35 to 80 years with progressive IPF were potentially eligible. Progressive IPF was defined as a history of (1) worsening of dyspnea, or (2) physiologic deterioration defined as an absolute decline of either FVC greater than or equal to 10% or DlCO greater than or equal to 15%, a reduction in arterial oxygen saturation of greater than or equal to 5%, or progression of radiographic findings. Between December 14, 2009 and April 1, 2011, 145 subjects were enrolled: 72 in the warfarin group and 73 in the placebo group. The mean age for the population was 67 years. 27% of the subjects were women and 92% were white.Participants were excluded if they met any of the following criteria: current indication for, or treatment with, warfarin, prasugrel, or clopidogrel combined with aspirin; the presence of an increased risk of bleeding; a recent cerebral vascular accident or gastrointestinal bleeding; any current signs or symptoms of severe, progressive, or uncontrolled comorbid illness; and their presence on the active list for lung transplantation. Design: ACE-IPF was a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial of warfarin targeting an international normalized ratio (INR) of 2.0 to 3.0 in patients with IPF. Subjects were randomized in a 1:1 ratio to warfarin or matching placebo for a planned treatment period of 48 weeks. Study subjects were provided two strengths of warfarin tablets (1 mg and 2.5 mg) or matching placebos. Subjects measured their INR with encrypted meters at least weekly. Participants were seen at screening, baseline, and at 16, 32, and 48 weeks after enrollment. Home monitoring was validated by plasma INR measurement at the week 1 and 16 visits.The primary outcome was a composite endpoint based on the time to all-cause mortality; nonelective, nonbleeding hospitalization; or a decrease in the absolute FVC greater than or equal to 10% from baseline value. Secondary outcome measures included rates of mortality, hospitalization, respiratory-related hospitalization, acute exacerbation, bleeding, cardiovascular events, and changes over time in FVC, 6-minute walk test distance, DlCO, plasma fibrin D-dimer levels, and quality of life (QOL).Conclusions: The study did not show a benefit for warfarin in the treatment of patients with progressive IPF and was terminated due to excess mortality in the warfarin treatment group. Treatment with warfarin was associated with an increased risk of mortality in an IPF population who lacked other indications for anticoagulation.Reported causes of death indicated 11 of the 14 were respiratory-related in the warfarin group versus three of the three in the placebo group. There were also three cardiovascular deaths in the warfarin group versus none in the placebo group. No deaths were attributed to bleeding. The warfarin group also demonstrated an increased rate of combined all-cause hospitalization and all-cause mortality. (Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2012 Jul 1;186(1):88-95.)

  Study phs004070

• The HLA-DQβ1 insertion is a strong achalasia risk factor and displays a geospatial north-south gradient among Europeans

  Idiopathic achalasia is a severe motility disorder of the esophagus and is characterized by a failure of the lower esophageal sphincter to relax due to a loss of neurons in the myenteric plexus. Most recently, we identified an 8 amino acid insertion in the cytoplasmic tail of HLA-DQβ1 as strong achalasia risk factor in a sample set from Central Europe, Italy, and Spain. Here, we tested whether the HLA-DQβ1 insertion also confers achalasia risk in the Polish and Swedish population. We could replicate the initial findings and the insertion shows strong achalasia association in both samples (Poland P = 1.84×10-04, Sweden P = 7.44×10-05). Combining all five European data sets – Central Europe, Italy, Spain, Poland, and Sweden – the insertion is achalasia associated with Pcombined = 1.67×10-35. In addition, we observe that the frequency of the insertion shows a geospatial north-south gradient. The insertion is less common in northern (around 6-7% in patients and 2% in controls from Sweden and Poland) compared to southern Europeans (around 16% in patients and 8% in controls from Italy) and shows a stronger attributable risk (AR) in the southern European population. Our study provides evidence that the prevalence of achalasia may differ between populations.

  Study EGAS00001001515

• Retinoblastoma Aqueous Humor Liquid Biopsy Repository

  This study involves the use of the aqueous humor (AH, the clear fluid in the front of the eye) as an organ specific liquid biopsy for retinoblastoma. This relatively new liquid biopsy platform was started at CHLA/USC and was developed to overcome the lack of tumor tissue -- due to contraindication to biopsy -- for this cancer. We have demonstrated that the aqueous humor is an enriched source of tumor DNA. Previously tumoral information was only available after the eye was removed for treatment failure. Due to the AH liquid biopsy, we are now able to assay tumor derived molecular information from these eyes at diagnosis and longitudinally during treatment -- as opposed to only eyes that have failed therapy. We have demonstrated that using the platform we can identify the specific mutations in the RB1 gene that initiate tumorigenesis in this cancer as well as the secondary chromosomal alterations the drive further tumor growth. This database will provide sequencing information as well as associated clinical information and globe salvage outcomes.

  Study phs003077

• PLCO - Limited Use Pilot Test Data

  This is a sample of Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian (PLCO) Cancer Screening Trial data for limited use in a pilot test for remote data access. The PLCO is a randomized, controlled trial of screening tests for prostate, lung, colorectal and ovarian cancers. Approximately 155,000 participants were enrolled between November 1993 and July 2001. Participants were individually randomized to the control arm or intervention arm in equal proportions. Participants assigned to the control arm received usual care, whereas participants assigned to the intervention arm were invited to receive screening exams for prostate, lung, colorectal and ovarian cancers as outlined in the study protocol. The goal of the study was to assess whether these screening exams reduce mortality from prostate, lung, colorectal and ovarian cancers. Data were collected on cancer diagnoses and deaths from all causes that occurred through December 31, 2009. Median follow-up time was 12.4 years.

  Study phs002011

• Human breast transcriptome analysis

  Obesity is a risk factor for the development of post-menopausal breast cancer and is associated with a worse breast cancer prognosis. Here we carried out transcriptome profiling on nontumorous breast tissue to define the molecular changes that occur related to excess body fat and adipose inflammation. A second goal was to determine if blood biomarkers reflect molecular changes in the breast. Increases in a variety of pathways linked to tumor development and progression were found. Moreover, increased expression of several drug targets including aromatase, the rate-limiting enzyme for estrogen biosynthesis, and PD-1 was observed. Various blood biomarkers that are associated with either elevated risk of breast cancer or worse prognosis were altered and correlated with molecular changes in the breast. Collectively, this study helps to explain both the link between obesity and breast cancer and the utility of blood biomarkers for determining risk and prognosis.

  Study EGAS00001004665

• IGNITE: Implementing GeNomics In practice: Genomic Medicine Implementation - The Personalized Medicine Program

  IGNITE is an NIH-funded network dedicated to supporting the implementation of genomics in healthcare. IGNITE was created to enhance the use of genomic medicine by supporting the development of methods for incorporating genomic information into clinical care and exploration of the methods for effective implementation, diffusion and sustainability in diverse clinical settings. As part of the IGNITE network, the University of Florida Health Personalized Medicine Program partners with health professionals and patients at UF Health and across the state to develop, implement, study and refine methods that allow genetic information to be used as a routine part of patient care. The program's initial focus is on pharmacogenetics. We also aimed to develop and implement innovative genomic medicine educational programs for health-care providers, health professions students, patients.

  Study phs001978

• Study for establishment for effective screening and diagnosis of Lynch syndrome

  The purpose of this study is to establish efficient diagnostic procedure of the Lynch syndrome in Japan and to determine the MMR gene mutation spectrum and clinicopathologic characteristics.The person who is suspected Lynch Syndrome and gives informed consent for participation in this study .To carry out the project ?Construction of clinical and genetic integral information database to help Lynch syndrome management?, the following three are required. 1) screening for Lynch syndrome-suspected cases, 2) genetic testing to define Lynch syndrome, 3) integration of detailed clinical data of Lynch syndrome, and 4) The case which has not been diagnosed Lynch syndrome, is investigated causing gene.

  Study JGAS000638

• Epigenetic Profiling of Human Colorectal Cancer

  DNA methylation, together with chromatin modifications, constitute the epigenome that functions to regulate gene expression and genome integrity. DNA methylation alterations are ubiquitous in human cancers, as many genes acquire DNA methylation in a cancer-specific manner. DNA methylation at these sites in the genome of cancer cells not only serves as a marker for tumor identification, but together with gene mutation and gene expression data, can also be used to describe subsets of tumors of the same organ source. We have previously shown distinct human colorectal cancer subtypes based on DNA methylation differences. Correlating these DNA methylation differences with clinical co-variates will serve to further understand how these distinct subtypes are generated. We have collected 100 colorectal tumor tissues (for which clinical information is known) and have obtained (unprotected) genome-wide DNA methylation and chromatin modification information for each sample for the purposes of identifying and classifying unique tumor subtypes of colorectal cancers. In addition, we have determined mutations of key genes relevant to colorectal cancer as well as gene expression profiles. We will use the clinical data for each de-identified sample to correlate with the DNA methylation, mutation and gene expression information so as to understand the driving forces behind these distinct colorectal subtypes. We have selected the most promising tumors for whole-genome bisulfite sequencing using next-generation sequencing technology to obtain complete maps of colon cancer methylomes. Researchers will be unable to identify the subjects because the samples and associated information have been de-identified and anonymized by the tissue source site. In addition, upon receipt by the USC Epigenome Center, we have assigned new random identifiers for each sample. The data generated using these new codes are not traceable to the patient identity.

  Study phs000385

• Characterizing microbiome-directed fibre snacks in gnotobiotic mice and humans

  Knowledge of the interrelationships between what we eat and the configurations of our gut microbial communities is providing important insights into how food components that are not directly metabolized by human enzymes are linked to our physiology and health status. Changing food preferences brought about by Westernization that have deleterious health effects1,2, plus rapid population expansion, ongoing challenges to sustainable agriculture, and other forces contributing to increased food insecurity, are catalyzing efforts to identify more nutritious and affordable foods3. The gut microbial community is complex, dynamic, and exhibits considerable intra- and interpersonal variation in its composition and functions. The massive number of potential interactions between its components makes it challenging to define the mechanisms by which food ingredients affect community properties. There is also a paucity of information about the ‘bioactive’ ingredients of foods that influence the fitness and expressed functions of community members. Here, plant fibres, from different sustainable sources and targeting distinct features of obese human gut microbiomes in gnotobiotic mice, were formulated into snack prototypes and used to supplement controlled diets consumed by overweight and obese adults; the results revealed fibre-specific changes in their microbiomes that were linked to changes in their plasma proteomes indicative of altered physiologic state.

  Study EGAS00001005268

• Genomics to select patients with metastatic breast cancer for targeted therapy (microarray_cytoscan)

  Cancer progression is driven in part by genomic alterations located in oncogenes or tumor suppressor genes. The genomic characterization of cancers has shown a large interpatient heterogeneity regarding the driver alterations, leading to the concept that generating a genomic profiling by multigene sequencing in patients with cancer could allow selecting effective targeted therapies. While this concept has been broadly implemented in daily practice, there is no evidence that such approach improves patient outcome, and how to optimally select the therapy to administer. A genomic profiling using next generation sequencing and copy number analyses was performed 1462 patients with Her2-non overexpressing metastatic breast cancer included in SAFIR02 Breast trial. 238 of these patients were randomized in two trials between a targeted therapy matched to genomic alteration and a maintenance chemotherapy. The trial shows that targeted therapies matched to genomics improves progression free survival (PFS) when genomic alterations are classified level I/II according to ESMO Scale for Clinical Actionability of Molecular Targets (ESCAT) (adjusted HR: 0.41, 90% CI: 0.27-0.61, p<0.001), but not when alterations are classified beyond level II (unadjusted HR: 1.15, 95% CI: 0.76-1.75). This trial provides evidence that the treatment decision led by genomics should be driven by a framework of target actionability in patients with mBC.

  Study EGAS00001005584

• Genomics to select patients with metastatic breast cancer for targeted therapy (microarray_oncoscan)

  Cancer progression is driven in part by genomic alterations located in oncogenes or tumor suppressor genes. The genomic characterization of cancers has shown a large interpatient heterogeneity regarding the driver alterations, leading to the concept that generating a genomic profiling by multigene sequencing in patients with cancer could allow selecting effective targeted therapies. While this concept has been broadly implemented in daily practice, there is no evidence that such approach improves patient outcome, and how to optimally select the therapy to administer. A genomic profiling using next generation sequencing and copy number analyses was performed 1462 patients with Her2-non overexpressing metastatic breast cancer included in SAFIR02 Breast trial. 238 of these patients were randomized in two trials between a targeted therapy matched to genomic alteration and a maintenance chemotherapy. The trial shows that targeted therapies matched to genomics improves progression free survival (PFS) when genomic alterations are classified level I/II according to ESMO Scale for Clinical Actionability of Molecular Targets (ESCAT) (adjusted HR: 0.41, 90% CI: 0.27-0.61, p<0.001), but not when alterations are classified beyond level II (unadjusted HR: 1.15, 95% CI: 0.76-1.75). This trial provides evidence that the treatment decision led by genomics should be driven by a framework of target actionability in patients with mBC.

  Study EGAS00001005586

• Genomics to select patients with metastatic breast cancer for targeted therapy (microarray_agilent)

  Cancer progression is driven in part by genomic alterations located in oncogenes or tumor suppressor genes. The genomic characterization of cancers has shown a large interpatient heterogeneity regarding the driver alterations, leading to the concept that generating a genomic profiling by multigene sequencing in patients with cancer could allow selecting effective targeted therapies. While this concept has been broadly implemented in daily practice, there is no evidence that such approach improves patient outcome, and how to optimally select the therapy to administer. A genomic profiling using next generation sequencing and copy number analyses was performed 1462 patients with Her2-non overexpressing metastatic breast cancer included in SAFIR02 Breast trial. 238 of these patients were randomized in two trials between a targeted therapy matched to genomic alteration and a maintenance chemotherapy. The trial shows that targeted therapies matched to genomics improves progression free survival (PFS) when genomic alterations are classified level I/II according to ESMO Scale for Clinical Actionability of Molecular Targets (ESCAT) (adjusted HR: 0.41, 90% CI: 0.27-0.61, p<0.001), but not when alterations are classified beyond level II (unadjusted HR: 1.15, 95% CI: 0.76-1.75). This trial provides evidence that the treatment decision led by genomics should be driven by a framework of target actionability in patients with mBC.

  Study EGAS00001005587

• Collaborative Cohort of Cohorts for COVID-19 Research (C4R): Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA)

  Cohort Description The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) is a study of the characteristics of subclinical cardiovascular disease (CVD) and the risk factors that predict progression to clinically overt CVD or progression of the subclinical disease. MESA researchers study a diverse, population-based sample of 6,814 asymptomatic men and women aged 45-84. Participants were recruited from six field centers across the United States: Wake Forest University, Columbia University, Johns Hopkins University, University of Minnesota, Northwestern University and University of California - Los Angeles. Participants of this study are limited to MESA Classic participants. MESA Family and MESA Air Pollution cohorts are excluded from C4R. Data Being Submitted Wave 1 questionnaire data includes 397 variables for up to 3119 MESA participants in C4R. Wave 2 questionnaire data includes 448 variables for up to 1933 MESA participants in C4R. Dried Blood Spot/Serosurvey data includes 7 variables for up to 1058 MESA participants in C4R. Derived data includes 43 variables for up to 3283 MESA participants in C4R. Phenotype data includes 113 variables for up to 3136 MESA participants in C4R.

  Study phs003017

• A single-chain derivative of the integrin β1-activating TS2/16 antibody potentiates organoid growth in Matrigel and Collagen hydrogels.

  Culturing epithelial organoids from Adult Stem Cells (ASCs) requires interaction of their β1-integrins with extracellular matrix (ECM) components such as laminin or collagen. Matrigel and BME® (extracts from Engelbreth-Holm-Swarm tumor cells grown in the mouse abdomen) are a popular source of ECM proteins. Yet, these preparations are costly and subject to batch-to-batch variation due to animal-derived contaminations. Here, we describe a single chain version (scFv) of antibody TS2/16, allosterically activating integrin β1 function in organoids. Addition of 5 nM of monomeric scFv to organoid medium results in up to 5-fold higher yields of organoids in Matrigel/BME®. In addition, scTS2/16 generates 6-7-fold higher yields of intestinal organoids in collagen-I hydrogel, when grown both in 3D and in 2D. Collagen is well-defined, available at clinical grade, and in combination with scTS2/16, will enable the clinical use of gastrointestinal organoids.

  Study EGAS50000001113

• Sequencing_melanoma_germlines

  In this project we performed targeted sequencing of around 50 candidate melanoma genes in the germline of melanoma patients and matched controls. Our aim was to identify variants that contribute to melanoma susceptibility.

  Study EGAS00001002081

• Mutation screening in a large series of Japanese hearing loss patients using massively parallel DNA sequencing analysis.

  In the present study, mutation screening in a large series of Japanese hearing loss (HL) patients to clarify the prevalence and clinical characteristics of each deafness causative genes. Massively parallel DNA sequencing of 63 or 68 target genes were performed in 2969 unrelated Japanese HL patients to identify genomic variations responsible for HL.

  Study JGAS000490

• Illumina HumanOmniExpress genotyping data from the TEENAGE (TEENs of Attica: Genes and Environment) study.

  The TEENAGE study is a cross-sectional study comprising healthy Greek adolescents. The study was conducted according to the guidelines specified in the Declaration of Helsinki and all procedures involving human subjects were approved by the Institutional Review Board of Harokopio University and the Greek Ministry of Education, Lifelong Learning and Religious Affairs. The TEENAGE study target population comprised adolescent students aged 13 to 15 years attending the first three classes of public secondary schools located in the wider Athens area of Attica. The regions across Attica from which students were recruited were physically similar and all urban in nature. Sampling of regions and schools selected to participate was random. Students were enrolled from the wider urban region to ensure that they were coming from families with varying educational background and socio-economic status. Moreover, in order to exclude any vast economic disparities, all participating schools were exclusively public schools, which are free of charge. A total of twenty-four schools participated in the study out of 285 junior secondary public schools in Attica. Anthropometric, medical and dietary information was obtained. DNA samples were genotyped using Illumina HumanOmniExpress BeadChips (Illumina, San Diego, CA, USA) at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, UK. Genotype calling algorithm used was Illuminus (Teo et al., 2007).

  Study EGAS00001000996

• Molecular profiling of longitudinally observed small colorectal polyps: a cohort study

  Knowledge of the natural history of colorectal adenomas is limited because these lesions are removed upon detection. The few studies in which small adenomas have been left in situ for a limited period of time have shown that most lesions remain stable or even completely vanish. Lesions that have grown in size more often turn out to be advanced adenomas when resected. Specific DNA copy number changes (cancer associated events or CAEs) are associated with progression of adenomas to cancer. The aim of the study was to evaluate whether growth of small colorectal polyps left in situ is associated with specific molecular features.

  Study EGAS00001003284

• ChIP_sequencing_in_Cancer_Cell_Lines

  The project is to evaluate the genomic binding sites of the histone demethylase JARID1C. This gene was recently identified in CGP as a novel recessive cancer gene in human renal cell carcinoma.

  Study EGAS00001000203

• Heart Failure Network - Effectiveness of Ultrafiltration in Treating People with Acute Decompensated Heart Failure and Cardiorenal Syndrome (HFN CARRESS - BioLINCC)

  ObjectiveThe CARRESS trial examined the effectiveness of ultrafiltration compared with a strategy of diuretic-based stepped pharmacologic therapy on renal function and weight loss in patients with heart failure who have worsening renal function and persistent congestion.BackgroundAcute cardiorenal syndrome is defined as worsening renal function in patients with acute decompensated heart failure. It occurs in 25 to 33% of patients and is associated with poor outcomes. Current heart failure treatments focus on removing excess fluid buildup, however administration of intravenous diuretics may contribute to worsening renal function. Venovenous ultrafiltration is one alternative therapy that may be effective in patients with acute decompensated heart failure complicated by acute cardiorenal syndrome and persistent congestionSubjectsA total of 188 patients were randomized.DesignHospitalized subjects were randomly assigned to receive either ultrafiltration therapy or pharmacologic therapy. Ultrafiltration was performed at a fluid-removal rate of 200 ml per hour and loop diuretics were discontinued for the duration of the intervention. The addition of intravenous vasodilators or positive inotropic agents was prohibited, unless they were deemed to be necessary as rescue therapy. Patients assigned to stepped pharmacologic therapy received intravenous diuretics to manage congestion and maintain a urine output of 3 to 5 liters per day. In both groups, the assigned treatment strategy was to be continued until the signs and symptoms of congestion in the patient were reduced as much as possible. The primary end points were baseline changes in serum creatinine and weight as assessed at 96 hours after treatment assignment.ConclusionsThe use of a stepped pharmacologic-therapy algorithm was superior to a strategy of ultrafiltration for the preservation of renal function, and there was a similar amount of weight loss between the two groups. Ultrafiltration was associated with a higher rate of adverse events (Bart, et al., 2012, PMID: 23131078).

  Study phs003510

• Whole Exome Sequencing of DNA from Pre-and Post-Chemotherapy Needle Biopsies of Triple Negative and Inflammatory Breast Cancers Enrolled in the S0800 Trial

  Purpose: The purpose of this study was to assess the somatic mutation landscape of breast tumors before and after neoadjuvant chemotherapy. The data includes whole exome sequencing of pre- and post- tissues that were collected in the context of an already published clinical trial SWOG S0800 (ZA Nahleh et al. Breast Cancer Research and Treatment. 158:485-495, 2016). The trial compared the efficacy of sequential nab-paclitaxel followed or preceded by doxorubicin/cyclophosphamide anthracycline chemotherapy with or without bevacizumab as preoperative therapy for stage II-III breast cancer. Experimental Design: 29 pre-treatment biopsies and 9 matching post-treatment surgically resected cancer tissues were available for analysis and were subjected to whole exome sequencing to identify mutational patterns associated with response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy. The 9 paired samples with residual invasive cancer after therapy were also analyzed to assess changes in mutational patterns in response to therapy. No matching normal tissues were available for germline sequencing and therefore we used n=7 post-treatment breast tissues without residual cancer (i.e. complete eradication of cancer by therapy) as a normal cohort to facilitate somatic variant calling.Conclusion: These results suggest that genomic disturbances in BRCA-related DNA repair mechanisms, reflected by a dominant mutational signature 3, confer increased chemotherapy sensitivity. Cancers that survive neoadjuvant chemotherapy, frequently have alterations in cell cycle regulating genes but different genes are affected in different patients.

  Study phs001883

• single-stranded DNA study

  A ssDNA library protocol was applied to cfDNA from plasma samples obtained from different DNA extraction methods and revealed significant differences in DNA fragmentation patterns in comparison to dsDNA-based protocols. In particular, a specific combination of methods revealed a population of ultrashort fragments, organized at ~50 bp. We observed significant differences in the relative abundance of these ultrashort DNA fragments in plasma from healthy individuals and cancer patients. Through shallow whole genome sequencing (sWGS, <0.5-fold coverage) and the analysis of somatic copy number aberrations (SCNA), we determined the landscape of genetic alterations in this newly identified population of cfDNA fragments. In addition, we studied their potential link with regulatory regions by investigating the genome-wide coverage patterns at transcription start sites (TSS). Furthermore, we demonstrated that the ultrashort cfDNA fragments map to regions associated with secondary DNA structures, G-quadruplexes (G4s).

  Study EGAS00001005093

• National Cancer Institute (NCI) TARGET: Therapeutically Applicable Research to Generate Effective Treatments

  The Therapeutically Applicable Research to Generate Effective Treatments (TARGET) Initiative seeks to accelerate research in novel marker and drug development, along with understanding the molecular basis of pediatric malignancy, through identification of genomic changes associated with the following childhood cancers: Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) - A fast-growing type of blood cancer in which too many immature white blood cells are found in the blood and bone marrow. Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML), including AML Induction Failure cases (AML-IF) - Another type of blood cancer marked by too many myeloblasts, an alternate type of immature white blood cell, are found in the blood and bone marrow. Upon diagnosis, AML patients without high-risk genetic markers undergo standard chemotherapy regimen, called the primary induction phase, to eliminate most cancer cells and induce a remission state. Clear Cell Sarcoma of the Kidney (CCSK) - A rare type of kidney cancer, in which the inside of the cells looks clear when viewed under a microscope. Clear cell sarcoma can spread from the kidney to other organs, most commonly the bone, but also including the lungs, brain, and soft tissues of the body. Neuroblastoma (NBL) - Cancer of cells of the sympathetic nervous system. Cancer Model Systems (MDLS), including PPTP - MDLS includes acute leukemia cell lines and xenografts with matched primary and/or relapsed tumor information, NBL cell lines and xenografts with matched controls, kidney tumor cell lines, normal brain tissues, and embryonic stem cell lines that were sequenced for some TARGET disease projects. Osteosarcoma (OS) - A cancer of the bone that primarily affects children and adolescents. Rhabdoid Tumor (RT) - A rare, fast-growing cancer that usually forms in the kidney or central nervous system (the brain and spinal cord) but can also form in soft tissues in other areas of the body. Rhabdoid tumors tend to spread quickly, are hard to treat, and have a poor prognosis. Wilms' Tumor (WT) - A cancer of cells in the kidney that can spread to the liver, lung and lymph nodes. More information can be found about each TARGET subproject by following the links on the top of this page. Together these cancers account for the majority of the more than 10,000 childhood cancer cases diagnosed in the United States each year. TARGET has employed a set of advanced and complementary genome analysis technologies, including large scale 2nd and 3rd generation genome sequencing, to strategically characterize alterations in both gene expression and in genomic structure (such as deletions and amplification) that are involved in childhood cancers. The goal of this coordinated effort has been to create a comprehensive genomic and transcriptomic profile of each cancer. Integrated analysis of the TARGET data has identified those genes that are either altered in their expression level or mapped to the chromosome regions of deletion/amplification/translocation, as these genes represent strong candidates for therapeutic targeting. To learn more about the TARGET project, which is now completed, visit the website at https://www.cancer.gov/ccg/research/genome-sequencing/target. TARGET data is accessible at the NCI's Genomic Data Commons (GDC) via the GDC's Data Portal and from each of the TARGET Publication Pages at the GDC (Please see the "Supplemental Links" section of any TARGET publication's "Publication Information and Associated Data Files page" at the GDC.). Available datasets include raw sequencing data, datasets generated by the original TARGET research teams (fully annotated clinical information and higher-level/analyzed molecular characterization data - gene expression, copy number variation, epigenetics, targeted sequencing), as well as higher level data generated by the GDC. Please see the TARGET Use and Publication Guidelines for updated details on the sharing of any TARGET substudy data, including how to cite TARGET.

  Study phs000218

• NHLBI TOPMed: Recipient Epidemiology and Donor Evaluation Study-III Brazil Sickle Cell Disease Cohort (REDS-BSCDC)

  Establishing a Brazilian Sickle Cell Disease Cohort and Identifying Molecular Determinants of Response to Transfusions, Genetic Determinants of Alloimmunization, and Risk Factors Associated with HIV Infection. The REDS-III Brazil SCD Cohort study focused on transfusion practices and predictors of health outcomes in patients with Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) and began in the Fall of 2013. The four primary aims of this study are: 1) Aim A - Establish a cohort of SCD patients with a comprehensive centralized electronic database of detailed clinical, laboratory and transfusion information, as well as establish a repository of blood samples to support biological studies relevant to SCD pathogenesis and transfusion complications; 2) Aim B - Characterize changes in markers of inflammation in response to transfusion by analyzing chemokine/cytokine panels in serial post transfusion specimens; 3) Aim C - Identify single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that contribute to the risk of red blood cell alloimmunization in SCD by performing a genome-wide association (GWA) study in transfused SCD patients; and, 4) Aim D - Characterize risk of HIV and HIV outcomes in the Brazilian SCD population and compare SCD outcomes among HIV sero-positive and sero-negative SCD patients. Patients are enrolled from six hospitals affiliated with the participating four REDS-III Brazil hemocenters.

  Study phs001468

• Genomics of Brain Metastases

  Brain metastases are the most frequently occurring intracranial tumors in adults. Median survival after the diagnosis of a brain metastasis is in the order of a few months. Despite its large burden of disease and devastating clinical sequelae, we continue to have a limited understanding of the molecular mechanisms driving brain metastasis. We subjected 86 trios consisting of primary tumor, brain metastasis, and matched normal tissue to whole exome sequencing (WES). To analyze the data, we developed novel computational tools to perform an integrative analysis of somatic single nucleotide variants (SSNVs) and somatic copy-number alterations (SCNAs). This analysis allowed us to estimate the clonal architecture of the primary and metastatic samples of each patient, and to reconstruct a phylogenetic tree relating all of the subclones.

  Study phs000730

• UK10K NEURO ABERDEEN

  In the UK10K project we propose a series of complementary genetic approaches to find new low frequency/rare variants contributing to disease phenotypes. These will be based on obtaining the genome wide sequence of 4000 samples from the TwinsUK and ALSPAC cohorts (at 6x sequence coverage), and the exome sequence (protein coding regions and related conserved sequence) of 6000 samples selected for extreme phenotypes. Our studies will focus primarily on cardiovascular-related quantitative traits, obesity and related metabolic traits, neurodevelopmental disorders and a limited number of extreme clinical phenotypes that will provide proof-of-concept for future familial trait sequencing. We will analyse directly quantitative traits in the cohorts and the selected traits in the extreme samples, and also use imputation down to 0.1% allele frequency to extend the analyses to further sample sets with genome wide genotype data. In each case we will investigate indels and larger structural variants as well as SNPs, and use statistical methods that combine rare variants in a locus or pathway as well as single-variant approaches. This sample set comprises cases of schizophrenia with additional cognitive measurements, collected in Aberdeen, Scotland.For further information on the Aberdeen cohort please contact David St Clair (d.stclair@abdn.ac.uk).

  Study EGAS00001000109

• Nanopore_and_Illumina_sequencing_of_human_glioblastomas

  Liquid biopsy analysis refers to methods designed to detect tumour-specific material (e.g., circulating tumour cells or tumour DNA) in body fluids, such as urine or blood samples. A widely-used liquid biopsy approach consists of genotyping the circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA) through sequencing of plasma/serum DNA. Although useful in the context of metastatic disease (where the concentration of ctDNA is high), current liquid biopsy technologies show limited sensitivity of detection for the early detection of cancer, and low specificity, as cancer-related mutations accumulate in healthy tissues as part of the ageing process, thus making it difficult to distinguish these from tumour mutations, and because sequencing errors and true mutations show overlapping profiles. Therefore, developing liquid biopsy protocols with increased sensitivity and specificity represents an urgent clinical need. Here we harness extrachromosomal circular DNA (eccDNA) elements, which are circular DNA structures physically separated from the chromosomes of up to several Mbp long pervasive in human cancers, for liquid biopsy analysis. In this pilot study we will focus on the analysis of glioblastomas, because there is strong evidence for the presence of eccDNA in these tumour types, and because developing liquid biopsy approaches for brain tumours to reduce the invasiveness of brain tumour biopsies remains an unmet clinical need.

  Study EGAS00001005812

• Localised colon cancer WES study contaning WBCs, tissue and plasma samples at different time points

  Decision-making based on circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) status following curative-intent surgery in stage II-III colon cancer (CC) is where the strongest clinical evidence lies. Commercial or academic assays are predominantly used to detect ctDNA, aiming to reveal minimal residual disease (MRD) and identify patients at high risk of recurrence. However, while current tests demonstrate exceptional specificity in detecting MRD among patients who later experience recurrence, their sensitivity is notably limited, particularly immediately after surgery when decisions regarding ACT are crucial. Additionally, up to 70% of patients with stage II-III colon cancer fail to clear ctDNA after standard adjuvant treatment (ACT) and subsequently experience recurrence. In this study, we performed whole exome sequencing (WES) of ctDNA at different timepoints in relapsed CC patients using two independent cohorts, alongside transcriptomic and proteomic analyses of metastases to gain a deeper understanding of progression mechanisms. An assay based on a tumor-agnostic approach from WES could enhance sensitivity in detecting MRD disease compared to current assays. Immune evasion appears to be the primary driver of progression in the localized CC setting, facilitated by a functional mutational burden at relapse. This suggests that immunotherapy could extend its efficacy to patients with microsatellite stability, broadening treatment options. Moreover, organoid modeling affirms the promising potential of targeted therapy to surpass conventional treatments in eradicating MRD.

  Study EGAS50000000204

• Targeted resequencing of ribosomal proteins in multiple myeloma patient samples.

  We studied 38 multiple myeloma samples to discover mutations in ribosomal proteins. To this end, we ran a specifically designed targeted resequencing study to resequence the coding regions of all ribosomal proteins.

  Study EGAS00001002405

• Mate-pair sequencing of 12q-amplified osteosarcomas

  Mate-pair sequencing of 12q-amplified osteosarcomas for the detection of structural variants. This was carried out in order to study the structure of the chromosome 12q-amplicons and whether material from other chromosomes is also intertwined and amplified in a bid to further characterise these tumours beyond CDK4 and MDM2 amplification. Mate-pair data was also used to verify gene fusions detected with RNA-seq.

  Study EGAS50000000493

• GILD_ExomeSeq_PTNHL

  This study is meant to gain further knowledge in haematological cancers. Patients samples (mainly DNAs or PCR products) from haematolocical cancer patients will be sequenced, and the outputs will be correlated to their diagnosis and/or prognosis; the findings may also add more insight into the understanding of biology in this type of tumour. We will be sequencing Primary Testicular Lymphomas (PTL) to identify genetic drivers of this rare cancer

  Study EGAS00001001613

• RNA-sequencing of mechanical stress induced osteoarthritis-like damage in aged human cartilage explants treated with the anti-deiodinase iopanoic acid

  The current study aimed to confirm chondroprotective effects of the D2 inhibitor iopanoic acid (IOP) in an ex vivo aged human osteochondral explant model in which injurious mechanical stress is applied to inflict OA-like damage. This dataset contains RNA-seq (Illumina HiSeq X ten) of osteochondral explant cartilage from aged human patients that underwent a joint replacement surgery due to OA (N=10 donors; n=21 explants).

  Study EGAS00001006242

• ZRSR2 Mutant Myelodysplastic Syndromes

  Mutations in splicing factor genes are common in myelodysplastic syndromes but the reason for selection of these mutations remains incompletely understood. This study aimed to identify the effect of minor intron retention due to ZRSR2 mutations in myelodysplastic syndromes. Nine samples from patients with myelodysplastic syndromes bearing ZRSR2 mutations and ten samples from patients with myelodysplastic syndromes not bearing any splicing factor mutations were subjected to transcriptomic analysis for mis-splicing events after RNA-sequencing. 

  Study phs002212

• NCI's Collection of Studies for General Cancer Research

  This collection contains all of NCIs authorized individual-level genomic datasets currently in dbGaP that are approved for Cancer Research (DS-CA) use only and limitations outlined in the model Data Use Certification Agreement. Access to this study will include any additional authorized individual-level DS-CA datasets that become available. Renewal of this study is required annually. To request access to this study collection, select phs003967.v1.p1 in the dbGaP Authorized Access System.

  Study phs003967

• Mutational analysis of an oligoprogressive sarcomatoid hepatocellular carcinoma treated with an immune checkpoint inhibitor.

  In this study, we describe a patient diagnosed with metastatic sarcomatoid hepatocellular carcinoma that showed a remarkable tumor response to Nivolumab, an immune checkpoint inhibitor, followed by an oligoprogression. Molecular analysis of the primary tumor in addition to a bone and brain metastasis was performed and we were able to identify driver genetic alterations indicating a possible role in the tumorigenesis process besides some alterations that may be associated with metastasis.

  Study EGAS00001005064

• The EGA at the International Congress of Human Genetics

  Today is the start of the International Congress of Human Genetics (ICHG). This event, hosted by the African Society of Human Genetics (AfSHG) and the Southern African Society for Human Genetics (SASHG), will reunite international experts to highlight how genomic technologies are being managed to address challenges generated by the current status of Human Health and Genomics. The European Genome-phenome Archive (EGA) will be at the Congress participating in workshops, meetings and talks where topics such as data access and discovery as well as the Federated EGA will be present. Data access and discovery In the context of the “Federated data analysis workshop“ that will be held the 26ᵗʰ, managed in the context of the CINECA project, a hands-on-session on Beacon v2 Discovery will be led by Mauricio Moldes. Another session on authorisation and data access will be presented by Mallory Freeberg and Coline Thomas, with and introduction by Thomas Keane. During the workshop, an end-to-end federated data analysis use case will be presented. Data access and discovery In the context of the “ Federated data analysis workshop“ that will be held the 26ᵗʰ, managed in the context of the CINECA project, a hands-on-session on Beacon v2 Discovery will be led by Mauricio Moldes. Another session on authorisation and data access will be presented by Mallory Freeberg and Coline Thomas, with and introduction by Thomas Keane. During the workshop, an end-to-end federated data analysis use case will be presented. During the last four years, CINECA has been identifying gaps in data sharing between Africa, Canada and Europe in order to build a federated solution for data access. Thomas Keane will present the project within the sessions happening the 24ᵗʰ. The Federated EGA at the ICHG A Federated EGA poster will be shown during the Poster Session 1 that will take place the 23ʳᵈ. The objective is to bring awareness of the European Genome-phenome Archive as a resource for permanent archive and secure data sharing. In this context, the network generated by the Federated EGA is key for cases where research data cannot be shared outside local jurisdictions. The Federated EGA was officially launched on 2022 with research institutes from five countries becoming the first nodes of this network. Nowadays, with more than 20 nodes preparing to join, it aims to become the largest human omics data sharing initiative towards understanding human health and disease. The H3Africa Initiative and the African research represented in the EGA 1.1% of the EGA studies include samples from African populations. Countries such as South Africa, Kenya, Uganda or Egypt, among others, are present in the 72.577 samples from African individuals archived at the EGA. 23 EGA datasets are managed by the Human Heredity and Health in Africa Initiative (H3Africa). This Initiative will celebrate its Consortium Meeting the 27ᵗʰ and 28ᵗʰ, back-to-back with the ICHG. H3ABioNet, the Pan African Bioinformatics Network for the H3Africa consortium, will also take this context to celebrate its 10-Year Symposium during the Congress. Members of the EGA team will attend both of them, as the H3ABioNet works in conjunction with H3Africa projects, to submit data to the European Genome-Phenome Archive.

  Blog the-ega-at-the-international-congress-of-human-genetics

• After the completion of CINECA, EUCANCan, and euCanSHare. What's next?

  CINECA, EUCANCan, and euCanSHare were part of the EUCAN Cluster, made up of six projects that received funding under the same Horizon 2020 call. All EUCAN projects (CINECA, EUCANCan, EUCAN-Connect, euCanSHare, Receptor Plus, and ReCoDID) were aimed at facilitating data reuse and knowledge discovery by enhancing data exchange and long-term collaboration in the health field. Here are some highlights about EGA’s contribution to these projects. CINECA: advances in Federated discovery and infrastructure for cohorts CINECA (Common Infrastructure for National Cohorts in Europe, Canada, and Africa) developed a federated cloud-based infrastructure for making genomic and biomolecular data accessible. The project has assembled a virtual cohort of 1.4 million individuals from sources such as the EGA, CanDIG and H3Africa. The EGA–CRG co-leaded a work package Work Package 1 on Federated Data Discovery and Querying. Beacon v2, championed by Jordi Rambla and Lauren Fromont, has been one of the central elements for the discovery of human genetic and phenotypic data. The EGA-CRG contributed to the development of a model for cohort discovery inside the Beacon v2 model. The team also delivered a Discovery Portal was implemented to explore cohorts and individuals of synthetic data. It is a UI that gathers a network of Beacons, a service for query expansion, and a visualisation tool. Have a look at the Discovery Portal UI, gathering a network of Beacons. You will find entities such as the Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC), BioData.pt and the European Genomic Data Infrastructure (GDI), among others. euCanSHare: facilitation of data access management This joint EU-Canada project aimed to build a European and Canadian FAIR platform for cardiovascular data sharing and analysis. The EGA’s tasks contributed to the development of the data management plan and data flows, main web-portal and interoperability protocols. An important part of the EuCanShare platform is the data access manager, a tool for the data owners to control the access to their sensitive datasets. We built a user-friendly interface for data access committees (data owners) to easily manage their data requests and access credentials. The data access portal facilitates the creation and internal organization of the data access committees as well as the linkage of data usage conditions to specific datasets. The interface includes filters for browsing requests and page to visualize the request history helping with the handling of data access requests. EUCANCan: toward a federation of clinical institutions in oncology The EUropean-CAnadian CANcer Network worked towards building a federated network to advance personalized medicine in oncology, by promoting the standard analysis, management and sharing of harmonized genomic and phenotypic data. The EGA led tasks on defining data flows and preparing an adapted infrastructure for long-term data storage and sharing. One of the key contributions was the conception of the EGA communities, offering standard and interoperable solutions for data discovery, processing, and sharing to projects and institutions that would like to manage and share data in the context of the EGA ecosystem. What's Next? The participation in projects such as CINECA, EUCANCan, and euCanSHare provide us with experience for future projects. We are happy to enhance data sharing and reuse, vital for advancing clinical and genomic research. The Discovery Portal is a wonderful proof of concept for the Beacon network. Next, we will finalise both the network and the user interface, and make sure it can be applied to more clinically-centred settings like hospitals. Most data hosted at the EGA are about cancer research. Currently, we contribute to building tools and infrastructure to empower oncology research in several European projects such as EUCAIM, EUCANIMAGE and EOSC4Cancer. We also do not lose sight of initiatives in the field such as the International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC) with the project ARGO, whose data model was adopted in EUCanCan.

  Blog cineca-eucancan-and-eucanshare-were-concluded-in-june

• Genomic and transcriptomic characterization of chordoma

  In this study, we performed paired tumor/normal whole exome and shallow long insert whole genome sequencing, as well as tumor RNAseq, from archival chordoma specimens collected from four patients at the Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix, AZ. The purpose of this analysis was to identify potential therapeutic targets. In three patients, we observed that although different DNA and RNA changes were present in each tumor, alterations fell on converging pathways. In the fourth patient, constitutional DNA demonstrated potentially pathogenic alterations that may have predisposed the patient to chordoma.

  Study phs001643

• Framingham Cohort

  Startup of Framingham Heart Study. Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death and serious illness in the United States. In 1948, the Framingham Heart Study (FHS) -- under the direction of the National Heart Institute (now known as the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, NHLBI) -- embarked on a novel and ambitious project in health research. At the time, little was known about the general causes of heart disease and stroke, but the death rates for CVD had been increasing steadily since the beginning of the century and had become an American epidemic. The objective of the FHS was to identify the common factors or characteristics that contribute to CVD by following its development over a long period of time in a large group of participants who had not yet developed overt symptoms of CVD or suffered a heart attack or stroke. Design of Framingham Heart Study. In 1948, the researchers recruited 5,209 men and women between the ages of 30 and 62 from the town of Framingham, Massachusetts, and began the first round of extensive physical examinations and lifestyle interviews that they would later analyze for common patterns related to CVD development. Since 1948, the subjects have returned to the study every two years for an examination consisting of a detailed medical history, physical examination, and laboratory tests, and in 1971, the study enrolled a second-generation cohort -- 5,124 of the original participants' adult children and their spouses -- to participate in similar examinations. The second examination of the Offspring cohort occurred eight years after the first examination, and subsequent examinations have occurred approximately every four years thereafter. In April 2002 the Study entered a new phase: the enrollment of a third generation of participants, the grandchildren of the original cohort. The first examination of the Third Generation Study was completed in July 2005 and involved 4,095 participants. Thus, the FHS has evolved into a prospective, community-based, three generation family study. The FHS is a joint project of the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute and Boston University. Research Areas in the Framingham Heart Study. Over the years, careful monitoring of the FHS population has led to the identification of the major CVD risk factors -- high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, smoking, obesity, diabetes, and physical inactivity -- as well as a great deal of valuable information on the effects of related factors such as blood triglyceride and HDL cholesterol levels, age, gender, and psychosocial issues. Risk factors have been identified for the major components of CVD, including coronary heart disease, stroke, intermittent claudication, and heart failure. It is also clear from research in the FHS and other studies that substantial subclinical vascular disease occurs in the blood vessels, heart and brain that precedes clinical CVD. With recent advances in technology, the FHS has enhanced its research capabilities and capitalized on its inherent resources by the conduct of high resolution imaging to detect and quantify subclinical vascular disease in the major blood vessels, heart and brain. These studies have included ultrasound studies of the heart (echocardiography) and carotid arteries, computed tomography studies of the heart and aorta, and magnetic resonance imaging studies of the brain, heart, and aorta. Although the Framingham cohort is primarily white, the importance of the major CVD risk factors identified in this group have been shown in other studies to apply almost universally among racial and ethnic groups, even though the patterns of distribution may vary from group to group. In the past half century, the Study has produced approximately 1,200 articles in leading medical journals. The concept of CVD risk factors has become an integral part of the modern medical curriculum and has led to the development of effective treatment and preventive strategies in clinical practice. In addition to research studies focused on risk factors, subclinical CVD and clinically apparent CVD, Framingham investigators have also collaborated with leading researchers from around the country and throughout the world on projects involving some of the major chronic illnesses in men and women, including dementia, osteoporosis and arthritis, nutritional deficiencies, eye diseases, hearing disorders, and chronic obstructive lung diseases. Genetic Research in the Framingham Heart Study. While pursuing the Study's established research goals, the NHLBI and the Framingham investigators has expanded its research mission into the study of genetic factors underlying CVD and other disorders. Over the past two decades, DNA has been collected from blood samples and from immortalized cell lines obtained from Original Cohort participants, members of the Offspring Cohort and the Third Generation Cohort. Several large-scale genotyping projects have been conducted in the past decade. Genome-wide linkage analysis has been conducted using genotypes of approximately 400 microsatellite markers that have been completed in over 9,300 subjects in all three generations. Analyses using microsatellite markers completed in the original cohort and offspring cohorts have resulted in over 100 publications, including many publications from the Genetics Analysis Workshop 13. Several other recent collaborative projects have completed thousands of SNP genotypes for candidate gene regions in subsets of FHS subjects with available DNA. These projects include the Cardiogenomics Program of the NHLBI's Programs for Genomics Applications, the genotyping of ~3000 SNPs in inflammation genes, and the completion of a genome-wide scan of 100,000 SNPs using the Affymetrix 100K Genechip. Framingham Cohort Phenotype Data. The phenotype database contains a vast array of phenotype information available in all three generations. These will include the quantitative measures of the major risk factors such as systolic blood pressure, total and HDL cholesterol, fasting glucose, and cigarette use, as well as anthropomorphic measures such as body mass index, biomarkers such as fibrinogen and CRP, and electrocardiography measures such as the QT interval. Many of these measures have been collected repeatedly in the original and offspring cohorts. Also included in the SHARe database will be an array of recently collected biomarkers, subclinical disease imaging measures, clinical CVD outcomes as well as an array of ancillary studies. The phenotype data is located here in the top-level study phs000007 Framingham Cohort. To view the phenotype variables collected from the Framingham Cohort, please click on the "Variables" tab above. The Framingham Cohort is utilized in the following dbGaP substudies. To view genotypes, analysis, expression data, other molecular data, and derived variables collected in these substudies, please click on the following substudies below or in the "Substudies" section of this top-level study page phs000007 Framingham Cohort. phs000342 Framingham SHARe phs000282 Framingham CARe phs000363 Framingham SABRe phs000307 Framingham Medical Resequencing phs000401 Framingham ESP Heart-GO phs000651 Framingham CHARGE-S phs000724 Framingham DNA Methylation phs001610 Framingham T2D-GENES phs002558 Framingham ADSP phs002559 Framingham BRIDGET phs002560 Framingham Cholesterol phs002611 Framingham Post-Mortem Brain Tissue phs002938 Framingham Molecular QTL The unflagging commitment of the research participants in the NHLBI FHS has made more than a half century of research success possible. For decades, the FHS has made its data and DNA widely available to qualified investigators throughout the world through the Limited Access Datasets and the FHS DNA Committee, and the SHARe database will continue that tradition by allowing access to qualified investigators who agree to the requirements of data access. With the SHARe database, we continue with an ambitious research agenda and look forward to new discoveries in the decades to come.

  Study phs000007

• RNA Sequence-Based Analysis Used to Compare Breast Primary and Metastatic Tumor Pairs

  The goal of this study is to capture the transcriptome landscape of luminal and basal-like metastatic breast tumors. We will aim to show the importance of using the most up-to-date cancer biopsy for detecting cancer drivers that were often not present in the primary tumor.

  Study phs001866

• Deciphering the complex clonal heterogeneity of polycythemia vera and the response to interferon alpha

  We integrated colony formation and differentiation assays with single-cell RNA sequencing and single-cell genotyping in PV patient-derived cells vs. healthy controls to dissect how IFNa targets diseased clones during erythroid differentiation. Our findings indicate that PV-derived clones either undergo apoptosis or pass through their typical differentiation cycle, contributing to the long-term exhaustion of mutant cells in the bone marrow. The pivotal roles of ribosomal genes and clonal prerequisites in the therapeutic mechanism of IFNa are underscored by our study.

  Study EGAS50000000904

• Genome Diversity in Africa Project: Uganda (2021-02-17)

  Globally, human populations show structured genetic diversity as a result of geographical dispersion, selection and drift. Understanding this genetic variation can provide insights into the evolutionary processes that shape both human adaptation and variation in disease. Populations from SSA have the highest levels of genetic diversity. This characteristic, in addition to historical genetic admixture, can lead to complexities in the design of studies assessing the genetic determinants of disease and human variation. However, such studies of African populations are also likely to provide new opportunities to discover novel disease susceptibility loci and variants and refine gene-disease association signals. A systematic assessment of genetic diversity within SSA would facilitate genomic epidemiological studies in the region. The Genome Diversity in Africa Project (GDAP) aims to produce a comprehensive catalogue of human genetic variation in SSA, including single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), structural variants, and haplotypes. This resource will make a substantial contribution to understanding patterns of genetic diversity within and among populations in SSA, as well as providing a global resource to help design, implement and interpret genomic studies in SSA populations and studies comprising globally diverse populations, complementing existing genomic resources. Specifically, we plan to carry out high depth whole genome sequencing of up to 2000 individuals across Africa (25 individuals from each ethnolinguistic group). Our scientific objectives are to: 1) develop a resource that provides a comprehensive catalogue of genetic variation in populations from SSA accessible to the global scientific community; 2) characterise population genetic diversity, structure, gene flow and admixture across SSA; 3) develop a cost-efficient, next-generation genotype array for diverse populations across SSA; and 4) facilitate whole genome-sequencing association studies of complex traits and diseases by developing a reference panel for imputation and resource for enhancing fine-mapping disease susceptibility loci. These scientific objectives will be supported by cross-cutting operational activities, including network and management of the consortium, research ethics, and research capacity building in statistical genetics and bioinformatics . This dataset contains all the data available for this study on 2021-02-17.

  Dataset EGAD00001006976

• The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)-funded Next Generation Genetic Association Studies (NextGen) Consortium: Phenotyping Lipid traits in iPS derived hepatocytes Study (PhLiPS Study)

  The goal of the PhLiPS study is to create a library of induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) lines and iPSC-derived hepatocytes of diverse genotypes for use in metabolic profiling and interrogating lipid phenotypes. These cell lines were created as a part of the Next Generation Genetic Association Studies (Next Gen) Program, which was a five-year, $80 million program to investigate functional genetic variation in humans by assessing cellular profiles that are surrogates for disease phenotypes. To achieve this, researchers from multiple institutions across the U.S. were awarded grants to derive iPSC lines from more than 1,500 individuals representing various conditions as well as healthy controls for use in functional genomic ("disease in a dish") research. This extensive panel includes a diverse set of age, gender, and ethnic backgrounds, and therefore will be an invaluable tool for evaluations across demographics. Further enhancing the utility of these cell lines are data sets such as phenotyping, GWAS, genome sequencing, gene expression and -omics analyses (e.g., lipidomic, proteomic, methylomic) that can be matched to the cell lines. The PhLiPS Study focuses on individuals free of cardiovascular disease or with lipoprotein metabolism disorders in the community served by the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.

  Study phs001341

• A comprehensive DNA methylation landscape of human and mouse cell lines derived from hematological malignancies

  Human cancer cell lines constitute useful models to study the primary disease and many relevant findings in tumor biology have been originated from them since the first immortalized cell line (HeLa) was obtained. The easy experimental intervention, the purity of the transformed cells and their versatility to undergo high-throughput screenings represent advantageous features of the established cancer cell lines. In recent years, major efforts have characterized in detail the multiomics make-up of hundreds of cancer cell lines and studied their association with sensitivity to anticancer drugs. Most of these studies have been genetic-centric and have not characterized in detail the epigenetic profiles underlying the characteristics of these cells or their impact on the efficacy of antitumoral compounds. In this regard, a past version of a DNA methylation microarray or a less accessible and more time-consuming such as reduced representation bisulfite sequencing have been used in those attempts to interrogate the epigenetic setting. Herein, we have obtained the DNA methylation profiles of 210 cell lines derived from hematological malignancies utilizing comprehensive DNA methylation microarrays that interrogates more than 850,000 and 285,000 CpG sites from human and mouse genomes, respectively. Importantly, we also provide a pharmacoepigenetic example of the potential use of this resource by showing how DNA methylation can predict response to nucleoside analogues.

  Study EGAS50000000627

• scRNA-seq of HGSC tumor and ascites

  Immune regulatory metabolites are key features of the tumor microenvironment (TME), yet with a few notable exceptions, their identities remain largely unknown. We uncovered the immune regulatory metabolic states and metabolomes of sorted tumor and stromal, CD4+, and CD8+ cells from the tumor and ascites of patients with high-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSC) using high-dimensional flow cytometry and metabolomics supplemented with single cell RNA sequencing. Flow cytometry revealed that tumor cells show a consistently greater uptake of glucose than T cells, but similar mitochondrial activity. Cells within the ascites and tumor had pervasive metabolite differences, with a striking enrichment in 1-methylnicotinamide (MNA) in T cells infiltrating the tumor compared to ascites. Despite the elevated levels of MNA in T cells, the expression of nicotinamide N-methyltransferase, the gene encoding the enzyme that catalyses the transfer of a methyl group from S-adenosylmethionine to nicotinamide, was restricted to fibroblasts and tumor cells. Treatment of T cells with MNA resulted in an increase in T cell-mediated secretion of the tumor promoting cytokine tumor necrosis factor alpha. Thus, the TME-derived metabolite MNA contributes to an alternative and non-cell autonomous mechanism of immune modulation of T cells in HGSC. Collectively, uncovering the tumor-T cell metabolome may reveal metabolic vulnerabilities that can be exploited using T cell-based immunotherapies to treat human cancer.

  Study EGAS00001004829

• PRDM9_loss_of_function_follow_up_from_Born_in_Bradford_Autozygosity_sequencing

  In the autozygosity exome sequencing of Born-in-Bradford samples of Pakistani origin thereis a mother who is homozygous for an apparent truncating stop codon in PRDM9, the generesponsible for localising recombination during meiosis. We plan to deep sequence motherand child with X10, and physically phase the mother with PacBio sequencing.We will use this data to identify recombination locations, and test whether these areconsistent with the known fine scale recombination map.

  Study EGAS00001001301

• Breast Cancer - immune clusters - RNA-seq

  In this study we use expression data from breast cancer tumors to define immune clusters in breast cancer. Immune clusters have gradual levels of immune infiltration. In the intermediate immune infiltration cluster, we found a worse prognosis which is independent of known clinicopathological features. We also found the immune clusters associated with treatment response. Further using gene expression data and deconvolution algorithms to dissect the immune contexture of the clusters.

  Study EGAS00001003631

• Systematic Growth Factor Profiling Platform for 3D Tumor Models Reveals EstradiolResponsive Cellular Mechanisms of Immunotherapy Resistance

  Epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) exhibits significant molecular heterogeneity, which is thought to be influenced by the tumor microenvironment (TME). However, the specific factors driving this heterogeneity remain poorly understood. In this study, we integrated growth factoromics and genomic data to identify TME factors contributing to EOC heterogeneity and immunosuppression. Our analysis revealed distinct subgroups of EOC samples with differential responsiveness to specific growth factors, particularly estradiol and R-spondin. Notably, samples with high responsiveness to estradiol and Wnt (C1 cluster) were enriched in the Mesenchymal (MES) molecular subtype, while samples with high responsiveness to R-spondin (C2 cluster) were associated with the Differentiated (DIF) and Immunoreactive (IMR) subtypes. We discovered that the G protein-coupled estrogen receptor (GPER), rather than the classical estrogen receptor alpha (ERα), was the key mediator of estrogen responsiveness and a determinant of molecular subtype classification. Single-cell sequencing analysis identified subsets of estrogen-responsive malignant cell (MAL.PDCD5) and cancer-associated fibroblast (FB.TNFSF10), which were associated with immunosuppressive patterns in the TCGA cohort. Importantly, the interaction between these cell populations significantly increased upon estrogen treatment, suggesting a potential mechanism by which estrogen signaling may contribute to the development of an immunosuppressive TME. Our findings highlight the critical role of estrogen signaling in shaping the molecular heterogeneity and immunosuppressive TME of EOC and provide novel insights into potential therapeutic targets for overcoming immunosuppression in this malignancy.

  Study EGAS50000000422

• Center for Craniofacial and Dental Genetics: Study of Dental Caries and Cleft Lip/Palate in Guatemala

  This study provides an opportunity to investigate the genetics of both dental caries and orofacial clefts (OFCs) in one set of families ascertained in Guatemala. This study is part of the Gene Environment Association Studies initiative (GENEVA, http://www.genevastudy.org), which was developed through the trans-NIH Genes, Environment, and Health Initiative (GEI). Furthermore this study brings together multiple research priorities of the University of Pittsburgh Center for Craniofacial and Dental Genetics (www.ccdg.pitt.edu). A genome-wide panel of 610,000 SNPs was genotyped at the Broad Institute to be comparable to our other pertinent GENEVA studies that are also part of dbGaP (dbGaP accession number phs000095, "Dental Caries: Whole Genome Association and Gene x Environment Studies" and dbGaP accession number phs000094, "International Consortium to Identify Genes and Interactions Controlling Oral Clefts"). The goal of this study is to investigate genetic determinants to dental caries and to OFCs in a novel study population. To date, most genetic studies of dental caries have been conducted in Caucasians, and of OFCs in Caucasians and Asians. The Guatemalan population under study is rural and ethnically mixed with a high proportion of Native-South-Americans. Thirty-six Guatemalans from this dataset were also part of the recent GWAS studies of cleft lip and cleft palate (Beaty et al., 2010 and 2011, dbGaP Study Accession: phs000094, "International Consortium to Identify Genes and Interactions Controlling Oral Clefts"). In addition to the families ascertained in Guatemala, some subjects were genotyped with this cohort to augment the data in the parent GENEVA study (Dental Caries: Whole Genome Association and Gene x Environment Studies, dbGaP accession number phs000095), in particular individuals from the IOWA and PITT GENEVA study sites. Their data are available with the parent study. Dental caries (also known as tooth decay) remains the most common chronic disease of childhood, five times more common than asthma and seven times more common than environmental allergies, with more than 40% of children exhibiting caries when they enter kindergarten. In 2005, it was estimated that dental health care costs were approximately $84 billion, of which 60% or about $50 billion were related to treatment of dental caries. The etiology of dental caries has been studied for many years. Multiple factors contribute to a person's risk for caries, including: 1) environmental factors such as diet, oral hygiene, fluoride exposure and the level of colonization of cariogenic bacteria and 2) host factors such as salivary flow, salivary buffering capacity, position of teeth relative to each other, surface characteristics of tooth enamel and depth of occlusal fissures on posterior teeth. In spite of all that is known about this disease, there are still individuals who appear to be more susceptible to caries and those who are extremely resistant, regardless of the environmental risk factors to which they are exposed, implying that genetic factors also play an important role in caries etiology. This conclusion is supported by studies in both humans and animals, with the most compelling evidence coming from studies of twins reared apart in which investigators found significant resemblance within monozygotic (MZ) but not dizygotic (DZ) twin pairs for percentage of teeth and surfaces restored or carious and estimated the genetic contribution to caries as 40%. Other recent studies of twins reared together estimated the heritability for caries, adjusted for age and gender, as ranging from 45-64%. In our study populations of families, we also estimated caries heritability as approximately 54%-70% of variation in primary dentition caries scores and 35%-55% in the permanent dentition (Wang et al., 2010). Orofacial clefts (OFCs), particularly cleft lip with or without cleft palate (CL/P) and isolated cleft palate (CP) are a major public health problem, affecting one in every 500-1000 births worldwide thus representing the most common facial birth defect and one of the most common of all congenital anomalies. CL/P is a major structural birth defect that is notable for significant lifelong morbidity and complex etiology. The extensive psychological, surgical, speech and dental involvement emphasize the importance of understanding the underlying causes of CL/P. Therefore, many research groups have attempted to elucidate the etiology of CL/P, with some recent success by our research group and others (see Beaty et al., 2010, 2011; Dixon et al., 2011). It is clear that CL/P can occur as part of Mendelian syndromes, that certain chromosomal abnormalities include CL/P in the phenotype, and that certain teratogens can increase the risk of having an offspring with CL/P. However, phenotypes of known etiology comprise only a small portion of all individuals with a CL/P or CP, and the major focus of research into OFCs is to develop an understanding of the etiology of nonsyndromic (NS) forms of clefting. A major focus of the University of Pittsburgh CCDG has been to study additional phenotypes within nonsyndromic OFC families in order to identify sub-clinical expressions of OFC risk genes or risk variants, e.g. SNPs (see Weinberg et al., 2006). A detailed oral exam is conducted as part of these extended phenotypic studies, including a dental caries exam. Note that although there are some reports in the literature of higher caries experience in individuals with clefts, the most recent meta-analysis of those literature reports concluded that individuals born with these defects do not have a higher frequency of caries (Hasslöf and Twetman, 2007). Notably, we investigated the association of CL/P and caries in three of our study populations (including part of the Guatemalan population in this GWAS study) and also found no increase in caries rates of CL/P cases versus controls (Jindal et al., 2011). This study is part of the Gene Environment Association Studies initiative (GENEVA, http://www.genevastudy.org), which was developed through the trans-NIH Genes, Environment, and Health Initiative (GEI). The overarching goal is to identify novel genetic factors that contribute to dental caries and oral clefts through large-scale genome-wide association studies of well-characterized Guatemalan families and individuals. Genotyping was performed at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard. The study was supported by the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR, U01-DE018903). Data cleaning and harmonization were done at the GEI-funded GENEVA Coordinating Center at the University of Washington.

  Study phs000440

• Effectiveness and Safety of Intermittent Antimicrobial Therapy for the Treatment of New Onset Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Airway Infection in Young Patients With Cystic Fibrosis (EPIC-BioLINCC)

  Data Access NOTE: Please refer to the “Authorized Access” section below for information about how access to the data from this accession differs from many other dbGaP accessions. Objectives: To investigate the efficacy and safety of 4 antipseudomonal treatments in children with cystic fibrosis (CF) with recently acquired Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA) infection.Background: CF is an inherited disease that causes mucus to build up in the lungs and digestive tract, which can cause lung infections and digestive problems. It is the most common type of chronic lung disease in children and young adults and may result in early death. There is no cure for this disease. The primary cause of death in individuals with CF is progressive obstructive pulmonary disease associated with chronic Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA) infection. PA infection can occur early in life and can become highly resistant to antibiotics. Once an individual has been diagnosed with chronic PA infection, it is almost impossible to manage effectively. The need exists for an effective treatment to control and eliminate PA infection. Past research has shown that if PA infection is treated early, there is a greater likelihood that it may be eliminated completely.Participants: There were 304 participants.Design: Participants were randomized to 1 of 4 antibiotic regimens for 18 months (six 12-week quarters) between December 2004 and June 2009. Participants randomized to cycled therapy received tobramycin inhalation solution (300 mg twice a day) for 28 days, with oral ciprofloxacin (15-20 mg/kg twice a day) or oral placebo for 14 days every quarter, while participants randomized to culture-based therapy received the same treatments only during quarters with positive P aeruginosa cultures. The primary end points were time to pulmonary exacerbation requiring intravenous antibiotics and proportion of PA - positive cultures.Conclusions: No difference in the rate of exacerbation or prevalence of PA positivity was detected between cycled and culture-based therapies. Adding ciprofloxacin produced no benefits (Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med 2011; 165(9):847-856).

  Study phs004067

• Heart Failure Network: Functional Impact of GLP-1 for Heart Failure Treatment (HFN FIGHT-BioLINCC)

  Objectives To test whether therapy with a GLP-1 agonist improves clinical stability following hospitalization for acute heart failure. Background Heart failure was the leading cause of hospitalization in the United States with more than 4 million admissions per year from 2003–2009. Abnormal cardiac metabolism contributes to the pathophysiology of advanced heart failure with reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). As heart failure progresses, these abnormalities become more pronounced and are observed in both patients with and without type 2 diabetes. At this time of this study, there was no heart failure therapy that targeted these metabolic abnormalities; however, in earlier clinical studies, glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) agonists showed cardioprotective effects in patients with advanced heart failure, irrespective of type 2 diabetes status. Glucagon-like peptide 1 is an endogenous incretin hormone that improves insulin sensitivity with minimal risk of hypoglycemia. This study was created to determine if use of GLP-1 agonists improved clinical stability in recently hospitalized patients with acute heart failure and reduced LVEF. Participants There were 300 participants. Design Participants were identified by hospital admission records and were enrolled during either the last 24 hours of his or her hospitalization for heart failure or the 2-week interval after the hospitalization. Baseline evaluations were conducted, which included echocardiographic measures, the 6-minute walk test, the Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire (KCCQ), and blood tests. After the baseline evaluation, patients were randomized in a 1:1 ratio to receive either the GLP-1 agonist liraglutide or placebo as a daily subcutaneous injection. The protocol involved titration of study drug dosage as tolerated every 14 days from 0.6 mg/d to 1.2 mg/d to 1.8 mg/d during the first 30 days of the trial (as tolerated). Follow-up testing was performed at 30-, 90-, and 180-day study visits. The primary end point was a global rank score in which all participants, regardless of treatment assignment, were ranked across 3 hierarchical tiers: time to death, time to rehospitalization for heart failure, and time-averaged proportional change in N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) level from baseline to 180 days. Conclusions The GLP-1 agonist liraglutide did not improve post-hospitalization clinical stability in patients with advanced heart failure and reduced LVEF. There was no significant between-group difference in the global rank scores and furthermore, there were no significant differences detected in any of the secondary endpoints.

  Study phs003542

• Illumina HumanCoreExome genotyping data from the TEENAGE (TEENs of Attica: Genes and Environment) study.

  The TEENAGE study is a cross-sectional study comprising healthy Greek adolescents. The study was conducted according to the guidelines specified in the Declaration of Helsinki and all procedures involving human subjects were approved by the Institutional Review Board of Harokopio University and the Greek Ministry of Education, Lifelong Learning and Religious Affairs. The TEENAGE study target population comprised adolescent students aged 13 to 15 years attending the first three classes of public secondary schools located in the wider Athens area of Attica. The regions across Attica from which students were recruited were physically similar and all urban in nature. Sampling of regions and schools selected to participate was random. Students were enrolled from the wider urban region to ensure that they were coming from families with varying educational background and socio-economic status. Moreover, in order to exclude any vast economic disparities, all participating schools were exclusively public schools, which are free of charge. A total of twenty-four schools participated in the study out of 285 junior secondary public schools in Attica. Anthropometric, medical and dietary information was obtained. DNA samples were genotyped using Illumina HumanCoreExome BeadChips (Illumina, San Diego, CA, USA) at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, UK. Genotypes were called using GenCall (Illumina Genome Studio) followed by zCall and quality control (QC) was performed in two stages (pre- and post-zCall).

  Study EGAS00001001001

• Mega-GWAS ALS I

  Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative disorder clinically characterized by rapidly progressive paralysis and death due to respiratory failure, typically within two to three years of symptom onset. The number of ALS cases across the globe will increase to nearly 400,000 in 2040, predominantly due to aging of the population. Unraveling the genetics underlying ALS provides insights into the cellular mechanism leading to motor neuron death and provides targets for therapeutic intervention. We performed a genome-wide association study involving a meta-analysis of 20,806 ALS cases and 59,804 controls. The current study release makes available genotype data of the 15,480 subjects assayed in the Laboratory of Neurogenetics for this effort.

  Study phs000101

• Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) - PATHWAYS - Conditions Affecting Neurocognitive Development and Learning in Early Childhood (CANDLE)

  Pregnant women are exposed daily to multiple chemical and non-chemical stressors, including air pollutants, phthalates, and psychosocial stress. The Developmental Origins of Health and Disease model (DOHaD) states that exposure to these stressors in pregnancy affects fetal development in a manner that impacts offspring health across the life course. Yet epidemiologic data in these areas is limited, particularly with U.S. samples. It is also poorly understood whether these exposures prenatally affect childhood neurodevelopment and airway health in an independent or combined manner, and likely moderators of effects, such as the sex of the child, are infrequently addressed. We propose to unify three diverse extant pregnancy cohorts: TIDES (N=717, 2010-12), GAPPS (N=1133, 2012-16), and CANDLE (N=1385, 2007-11), for a combined sample size of 3235 mother-child dyads in the PATHWAYS study. PATHWAYS will investigate how chemical (air pollutants and phthalates) and non-chemical (psychosocial stress) exposures during pregnancy are related to placental gene expression (transcriptome) and childhood neurodevelopment and airway health (at ages 4-6, 8-9, and 10-11 years). Each cohort has rich resources of prenatal data and banked specimens (urine, blood, and placenta) that will be harmonized for the PATHWAYS study and will contribute to the ECHO consortium. We will develop a national model with high spatiotemporal resolution of key air pollutants and assess urinary markers of maternal exposure. A composite measure will capture multilevel maternal psychosocial stress across pregnancy, and urinary phthalate and blood stress hormone [Corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH)] levels in the second and third trimesters will provide individual assessment of those exposures in potential critical periods. We will characterize the placental transcriptome using RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) and will assess neurodevelopment and airway health prospectively into middle childhood. PATHWAYS will examine how these prenatal exposures are related to the placental transcriptome and child health outcomes in main effect and interactive models, with emphasis on sex-specific associations. For both neurodevelopment and airway health, we propose to measure both phenotypic precursors of health outcomes (i.e. fluid cognition, lung function growth), which yield dimensional tests of proposed associations, as well as clinically meaningful and policy relevant outcomes (i.e. asthma, mental health). Our study is powered to assess interactive effects of chemical and non-chemical stressors and will be the first study to characterize how prenatal environmental exposures relate to placental transcriptome pathways in relation to childhood health outcomes. This represents a significant scientific advance in testing DOHaD hypotheses. Major contributions to the ECHO Consortium include: 1) the development of a state of the art national model of air pollution, 2) a large, diverse pregnancy cohort with extensive biorepositories and extant prenatal and postnatal biomarkers, placental transcriptome, psychosocial and environmental data, and 3) an experienced, interdisciplinary team that will contribute meaningfully to the ECHO program of work.The sequencing data in this submission pertains only to the 794 subjects from the CANDLE study for whom placental tissue transcriptomics was performed.

  Study phs003619

• Small-molecule inhibitors in melanoma - Kenski / Kong - WES (2019-04-11)

  Small-molecule inhibitors targeting the most commonly activated pathway in melanoma, MAPK pathway (either alone or in combination) are already given to melanoma patients for few years, and initially reduce tumour burden dramatically, eventually melanomas become resistant and tumours progress while on treatment. Resistance to this treatment occurs by acquisition of additional mutations or other alterations that affect the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway by either direct or indirect signalling. Many resistance mechanisms somehow lead to reactivation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), thereby restoring signalling of the oncogenic BRAF/MEK/ERK pathway. In addition, PI3K pathway activation contributes to resistance to BRAF inhibition. Less frequent but equally important to the phenomenon of targeted drug resistance is the observation that B15-20% of BRAF mutant melanoma patients fail to respond to BRAF inhibition already early on treatment, owing to intrinsic resistance. These patients have little therapeutic options, unless immunotherapy can be given. To better understand the resistance mechanisms in MAPK inhibitor-treated melanoma patients and melanoma biology, our lab generated a big panel of MAPK inhibitor resistant melanoma cell lines by continuous drug exposure. The understanding of the genetic landscape and gene expression as well as cross resistance to other treatment regimens, and other aspects of melanoma biology such as phenotype switch, will allow us to better exploit new therapeutic strategies for melanoma patients. . This dataset contains all the data available for this study on 2019-04-11.

  Dataset EGAD00001004952

• Genomic Profiling of Pediatric B-cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

  Pediatric leukemia is the most common type of childhood cancer and, despite tremendous progress in treatment, remains the second leading cause of cancer deaths in children. B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) is the most common type of pediatric leukemia. Recent studies using transcriptional profiling of large cohorts of pediatric B-ALL have shown that patients can be grouped into transcriptional subtypes that are often defined by specific driver mutations. Interestingly, many of these mutational subtypes are defined by gene fusions or rearrangements that drive altered expression of transcription factors (ETV6-RUNX1, PAX5, DUX4, TCF3-PBX1, ZNF384) or in chromatin regulatory machinery (KMT2A), suggesting that transcriptional dysregulation is a major driver of B-ALL. While the transcriptional distinctions are clear, the relationship between patients in terms of their chromatin regulatory landscape remains unclear. To address this, we profiled gene expression, open chromatin, and 3D genome folding in patient derived B-ALL samples. We identified that at the level of 3D genome organization, many chromatin interactions and looping events are shared across mutational subtypes, suggesting that shared transcriptional programs, in addition to group specific driver mutations, possibly regulate the chromatin landscape in B-ALL. Using RNA-seq and ATAC-seq data, we were able to identify "latent" signatures of expression related to non-mutant transcription factors (TFs) that also contribute to expression heterogeneity across TF subtypes. These are related to patient specific patterns of 3D genome folding, and in some cases, are predictive of disease outcomes. This study helps shed light on the chromatin landscape in B-ALL and furthers our understanding of the interactions between diverse mutant TFs that drive B-ALL and non-mutant TFs that help shape the B-ALL chromatin landscape.

  Study phs003226

• Baylor College of Medicine Advancing Sequencing in Childhood Cancer Care (BASIC3) Clinical Exome Sequencing Study - Clinical Sequencing Exploratory Research Consortium

  The BASIC3 (Baylor College of Medicine Advancing Sequencing in Childhood Cancer Care) study is a National Genome Human Research Institute (NHGRI) and National Cancer Institute-funded Clinical Sequencing Exploratory Research (CSER) consortium project that focuses on prospective implementation of clinical whole exome sequencing in the pediatric oncology clinic. The primary study objective are to integrate information from CLIA-certified germline and tumor exome sequencing into the care of newly diagnosed solid tumor patients at Texas Children's Cancer Center, and to perform parallel evaluation of the impact of tumor and germline exomes on families and physicians. Blood and frozen tumor (if available) samples are collected from children undergoing surgery or biopsy of newly diagnosed solid tumors and subjected to exome sequencing in a CLIA-certified laboratory. Germline and tumor (if applicable) exome sequencing reports are generated and submitted into the electronic health record and returned to each patient/family by their primary oncologist. If specific (optional) consent is obtained, research sequencing studies (including transcriptome sequencing) are performed in addition to the clinical exome sequencing.

  Study phs001026

• Female Infertility: Primary Ovarian Insufficiency

  Premature ovarian failure, or primary ovarian insufficiency (POI) is a phenotype of diminished or absent ovarian function occurring in 1-2% of reproductive aged women. Most cases occur spontaneously. Evaluation of the gametes in women with POI is difficult and invasive. Practitioners must often rely on indirect biomarkers of ovarian function and oocyte health, making it difficult to identify patients who may benefit from therapies allowing them to achieve pregnancy utilizing their own oocytes. This study will generate exome sequences from POI patients in an effort to elucidate the causes of unexplained POI and to better understand the normal processes of ovarian aging. A better understanding of the genetics of ovarian function may lead to new non-invasive tools for managing women's reproductive health, and direct better use of existing biomarkers in diagnosis, screening and predicting clinical outcomes.

  Study phs001174

• SudanMitoSeq: Sudanese mitochondrial sequencing

  In various contexts, mitochondrial function or dysfunction can be linked to mitochondrial genome variations. The use of mitochondrial genetics thus promises personalized diagnostics and treatments. In order to devise specific precision medicine approaches based on mitochondrial genetic variation and to test them within clinical studies, control data is indispensable. Such control data needs to comprehensively cover genetic variation commonly observed and thus expected. In the context of this study we assessed whether current, world-wide mitochondrial data sufficiently represents the region of North and East Africa, that is, whether current reference data is ready for precision medicine in this region. Towards this, we sequenced mitochondrial genomes of 159 Sudanese individuals provided as part of this EGA study and analyzed them together with various other, publicly available data concerning mitochondrial variation. For details, please refer to the publication.

  Study EGAS00001005669

• Next Generation Mendelian Genetics: Familial Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis

  The NHGRI Next Generation Mendelian Genetics project uses exome resequencing to identify variants in unsolved Mendelian diseases. Familial hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (fHLH) is a serious immune disorder that results from defective cytotoxic lymphocyte function. Autosomal recessive mutations in PFP1, UNC13D, STX11, STBP2, or RAB27, and hemizygous mutations in SH2D1A or BIRC4, account for known causes of the disease, but 30-70% of patients in North America lack a known genetic etiology. This project was designed to identify additional genetic abnormalities from HLH patients. The exome sequences of four unrelated individuals with a diagnosis of HLH, but without mutations in genes known to cause disease, were obtained by massively parallel DNA sequencing.

  Study phs000537

• Persistent Mutation Burden Drives Sustained Anti-Tumor Immune Responses

  Tumor mutation burden is an imperfect proxy of tumor foreignness and has therefore failed to consistently demonstrate clinical utility in predicting responses in the context of immunotherapy. We evaluated mutations in regions of the genome that are unlikely to undergo loss and discovered that clonal mutations in single-copy regions and those present in multiple copies per cell constitute a persistent tumor mutation burden (pTMB) that is linked with therapeutic response to immune checkpoint blockade. Persistent mutations were retained in the context of tumor evolution under selective pressure of immunotherapy and tumors with a high pTMB content were characterized by a more inflamed tumor microenvironment. pTMB imposes an evolutionary bottleneck that cancer cells cannot overcome and may thus drive sustained immunologic tumor control in the context of immunotherapy.

  Study EGAS00001006660

• Assessment of Health-related Quality of Life in Rare Kidney Stones

  The purpose of this study is to learn about Health-related Quality Of Life (HRQoL) in patients enrolled in the Rare Kidney Stone Consortium (RKSC) registries. Quality of life studies look at different aspects of both physical and mental components of people's lives. HRQoL data for people affected by kidney stones are not currently available for people followed over time. All participants enrolled in the RKSC registries will be invited, via email or postal mail, to participate in this study. Health-related quality of life in people with rare kidney stones enrolled in the RKSC registries will be measured. Instruments used in this study are the SF-10 for pediatric participants and SF-36v2 for adult participants. The surveys will be completed online. Participants without a computer or internet access will participate using a paper version of the survey. These surveys will be done at enrollment and annually thereafter. The SF-36v2 includes 36 questions and is estimated to take 15 minutes for its completion, while the SF-10 includes 10 questions and could be completed in 5 minutes. The research questions are: Assessment of HRQoL in patients with rare kidney stones. Comparison of HRQoL results between rare kidney stone formers, general population and other populations with relevant chronic diseases. Comparison of HRQoL results in the same populations affected by different stones and analyzed with attention to the effects of various factors included in the disease registry, such as stone activity, burden of urologic interventions, medication and other treatments. Evaluation of HRQoL and its trends over time in patients undergoing treatment for rare kidney stones. About this study: The plan is to have 400 participants from all four registries take part in this multi-center study. The assessment of your HRQoL will be done annually for 5 years.

  Study phs001770

• Multiple Myeloma Genomic Study (MMGS)

  Multiple Myeloma (MM) is a plasma cell dyscrasia characterized by bone marrow (BM) infiltration and lytic bone lesions. Recent studies of massive parallel sequencing of tumor cells obtained from the BM of patients with MM have demonstrated significant clonal heterogeneity in MM. Despite this remarkable clonal heterogeneity, it could be envisioned that such clonal diversity may be even higher since single BM samples only represent a small fraction of the whole BM compartment, and the pattern of BM infiltration in MM is typically patchy. In addition, BM biopsies are painful and cannot be repeated multiple times during the course of therapy, indicating a need for less invasive methods to molecularly characterize MM patients and monitor disease progression during the therapy. Thus, optimal characterization of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) may represent a non-invasive method to capture relevant mutations present in PC clones. In addition, MM almost always progresses from precursor states of monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS)/smoldering multiple myeloma (SMM) to overt MM. However, some patients rapidly progress from MGUS/SMM to overt MM (progressors) with a rate of progression of up to 70% over 5 years, while others remain indolent with minimal progression over the same time period (non-progressors). Although many patients are diagnosed with earlier phases of disease, most patients do not receive treatment until their disease progresses, at which time they have overt end-organ damage. This concept of initiating therapy at the time of symptomatic disease is analogous to initiating therapy in patients with solid tumors only after the development of measurable metastatic disease. It is therefore not surprising that cure is not achieved for most patients with MM. Interestingly, studies have demonstrated that MGUS/SMM clones may already harbor chromosomal alterations (Ig loci or hyperdiploidy) and that progression to MM is mainly due to expansion of clones that were already present in the early stages of MGUS/SMM. However, the biological factors that discriminate progressors from non-progressors in MGUS/SMM are not well known. Therefore, our overarching hypothesis is that an effective therapeutic intervention will result from defining genomic and transcriptomic markers that are associated with disease progression. We believe, therefore, that focused research studies that define molecular mechanisms of clonal evolution in MGUS/SMM/MM will identify novel biomarkers of disease progression and help develop therapeutic agents that prevent or delay progression from MGUS to overt MM. Indeed, by eradicating the disease at the precursor stages, MM may become a preventable disease. Recently, a new term called Clonal Hematopoiesis of Indeterminate Potential (CHIP) has been proposed to describe asymptomatic individuals with hematologic malignancy-associated somatic mutations. Those individuals do not fulfill any diagnostic criteria for any hematological malignancy yet they have a tendency to progress into myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) or myeloid or lymphoid neoplasia at a rate of around 0.5-1% per year, similar to MGUS. The frequency of CHIP and role of HSCs mutations in enhancing acquisition of somatic mutations in MM plasma cells, allowing progression following treatment, has not been studied. Investigating the dysregulated pathways in early progenitor cells would allow us to understand the reasons of progression and establish novel therapeutic and potentially preventive strategies. This study dissects genomic and transcriptomic characteristics of clonal evolution from MGUS/SMM to MM as well as the characteristics of the tumor microenvironment/immune cells/peripheral blood. Our hypothesis is that molecular biomarkers will be strong predictors of progression from MGUS/SMM to MM and will allow for the development of novel therapeutic agents that prevent or delay this progression. We aim to define genomic and transcriptomic markers that lead to progression from MGUS/SMM to MM in tumor cells, blood biopsies (cell free DNA and circulating tumor cells), and the tumor microenvironment.

  Study phs001323

• Human liver cholangiocyte organoids capture the heterogeneity of in vivo human liver ductal epithelium

  Human liver ductal epithelium is morphologically, functionally and transcriptionally heterogeneous. However, understanding the dynamics within human biliary/ductal epithelium has been hampered by the absence of an in vitro system that fully mimics its complex cellular heterogeneity. Here, we found that the human liver cholangiocyte (ductal-cell) organoids we previously published (Huch et al., 2015) are fairly homogenous and do not retain the cellular heterogeneity of the in vivo human biliary/ductal epithelium. Inspired by the knowledge of the in vivo niche, we refined our previous organoid culture medium to fully capture the cellular heterogeneity of the human ductal epithelium. We employed this refined system to analyse the interactions and relationships between the different human biliary epithelial cell states and discovered that acquiring a bipotent ductal cell state is necessary for differentiating the human ductal epithelium into functional hepatocyte-like cells. Our improved cholangiocyte organoid model represents a new platform to investigate cell plasticity and duct-to-hepatocyte differentiation in human liver.

  Study EGAS50000001000

• Characterization of Autosomal CNV Among the Negrito from Peninsular Malaysia

  Copy number variation (CNV) has been recognized as a major contributor to human genome diversity. It plays an important role in determining phenotypes and has been associated with a number of common and complex diseases. However the CNV data from diverse populations is rather limited. Here we report the first investigation of copy number variation (CNV) in the indigenous populations from Peninsular Malaysia. We genotyped 34 Negrito genomes from Peninsular Malaysia using the Affymetrix SNP 6.0 microarray and identified 62 putative novel CNVs, consisting of 25 gains and 37 losses. These CNVs appear unique to the Negrito population and were absent in the DGV, HapMap3 and Singapore Genome Variation Project (SGVP) datasets. Analysis of gene ontology revealed that genes within these CNVs were enriched in the immune system (GO:0002376), response to stimulus mechanisms (GO:0050896), as well as the metabolic pathways (GO:0001852). Copy number gains in CNVRs enriched with genes were significantly higher than the losses (P value <0.001). Therefore, in view of the small population size, relative isolation and semi-normadic lifestyles of this community, we speculate that these CNVs may be attributed to recent local adaptation of Negritos from Peninsular Malaysia.

  Study phs000664

• The evolution of hematopoietic cells under cancer therapy

  Chemotherapies may increase mutagenesis of healthy cells and change the selective pressures in tissues thus influencing their evolution. However, their contributions to the mutation burden and clonal expansions of healthy somatic tissues are not clear. Here, exploiting the mutational footprint of some chemotherapies, we explore their influence on the evolution of hematopoietic cells. Cells of Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) secondary to treatment with platinum-based drugs showed the mutational footprint of these drugs, indicating that non-malignant blood cells received chemotherapy mutations. No trace of 5-fluorouracil (5FU) mutational signature was found in AML secondary to exposure to 5FU, suggesting that cells establishing the AML were quiescent during treatment. Using the platinum-based mutational signature as a barcode, we determined that secondary AMLs began their clonal expansion after the start of the cytotoxic treatment. Its absence in clonal hematopoiesis cases is consistent with a clonal expansion that predates the exposure to the cytotoxic agent.

  Study EGAS00001005234

• Presence of rare potential pathogenic variants in subjects under 65 years old with very severe or fatal COVID‑19

  Rare variants affecting host defense against pathogens could be involved in COVID‑19 severity and may help explain fatal outcomes in young and middle‑aged patients. Our aim was to report the presence of rare genetic variants in certain genes, by using whole exome sequencing, in a selected group of COVID‑19 patients under 65 years who required intubation or resulting in death (n = 44). To this end, different etiopathogenic mechanisms were explored using gene prioritization‑based analysis in which genes involved in immune response, immunodeficiencies or blood coagulation were studied. We detected 44 different variants of interest, in 29 different patients (66%). Some of these variants were previously described as pathogenic and were located in genes mainly involved in immune response. A network analysis, including the 42 genes with candidate variants, showed three main components, consisting of 25 highly interconnected genes related to immune response and two additional networks composed by genes enriched in carbohydrate metabolism and in DNA metabolism and repair processes. In conclusion, we have detected candidate variants that may potentially influence COVID‑19 outcome in our cohort of patients. Further studies are needed to confirm the ultimate role of the genetic variants described in the present study on COVID‑19 severity.

  Study EGAS00001006372

• TRACERx 100: RNAseq data from the first 100 TRACERx tumours

  TRACERx (TRAcking Cancer Evolution through therapy (Rx)) is a prospective cohort study designed to investigate intratumor heterogeneity (ITH) in relation to clinical outcome, and to determine the clonal nature of driver events and evolutionary processes in early stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). This study looks at the multi-region RNAseq data from the TRACERx100 cohort with high enough quality RNA available. There is RNAseq data from 164 regions (64 patients).

  Study EGAS00001003458

• Myeloid-specific KDM6B inhibition sensitizes Glioblastoma to PD1 blockade

  Glioblastoma (GBM) tumors are enriched in immune-suppressive myeloid cells and are refractory to immune checkpoint therapy (ICT). Targeting epigenetic pathways to reprogram the functional phenotype of immune-suppressive myeloid cells to overcome resistance to ICT remains unexplored. Single-cell and spatial transcriptomic analyses of human GBM tumors demonstrated high expression of an epigenetic enzyme - histone 3 lysine 27 demethylase (KDM6B) in intra-tumoral immune-suppressive myeloid cell subsets. Importantly, myeloid-cell specific Kdm6b deletion enhanced pro-inflammatory pathways and improved survival in GBM tumor-bearing mice. Mechanistic studies elucidated that the absence of Kdm6b enhances antigen-presentation, interferon response and phagocytosis in myeloid cells by inhibiting mediators of immune suppression including Mafb, Socs3 and Sirpa. Further, pharmacological inhibition of KDM6B mirrored the functional phenotype of Kdm6b deleted myeloid cells and enhanced anti-PD1 efficacy. Thus, this study identified KDM6B as an epigenetic regulator of the functional phenotype of myeloid cell subsets and a potential therapeutic target to improve response to ICT.

  Study EGAS00001007002

• Childhood Cancer Data Initiative (CCDI): Genomic Analysis in Pediatric Malignancies

  Pediatric solid tumors are highly heterogeneous, encompassing a large number of histotypes. The genomic landscape of these diseases is characterized by few single-nucleotide variants (SNVs) compared to adult cancers. In contrast, many exhibit a high prevalence of structural or epigenetic changes that alter gene expression, underlining the need for comprehensive genomic approaches such as whole-genome sequencing (WGS). Several studies have specifically addressed the clinical utility of genomic analysis in the pediatric and AYA cancer setting. Review of these studies point to key challenges that must be addressed in order to advance the routine use of genomics in this population. We have established a large collection of solid tumor tissue samples through our biobanking efforts. Where possible, we obtain longitudinal samples from the same patient. These primary patient samples and their corresponding germline have been analyzed using whole genome and whole transcriptome sequencing methods and have been linked to clinical metadata using both manual curation and robust methods for automatic extraction from the electronic health record (EHR). Importantly, research-grade genomic analysis is performed in parallel to our CLIA-grade sequencing (“UCSF500”) efforts for some of the patients in this study cohort and have been submitted as part of the American Association for Cancer Research's project GENIE and/or the National Childhood Cancer Registry. For our sequenced tumor samples, we have retrospective clinical data and ongoing efforts to prospectively record key events throughout the patient's cancer journey. In our solid tumor program, we have developed many patient-derived xenograft models and a number of PDX-derived cell lines. These unique models have been evaluated using genomic and functional approaches including (in some cases) treatment with conventional chemotherapy or investigational agents. Lastly, these samples were collected from a population that is among the most diverse in the nation and includes significant numbers of Asian, Latino, Indigenous and African-American patients, groups that are traditionally underrepresented in many banking efforts.

  Study phs002430

• Whole genome sequencing of tumor samples from advanced pre-treated NSCLC patients recruited in a phase I/II single-arm trial utilising CVA21, an oncolytic coxsackie virus, in combination with pembrolizumab.

  Acquired or de novo resistance to immune checkpoint inhibitors occurs in the majority of advanced non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLC). There is an unmet need to improve outcomes for patients with this condition. Oncolytic viruses represent an attractive treatment approach due to their dual activity in inducing tumor cell lysis directly and potentially augmenting anti-tumor immunity. Here, we present the safety, efficacy and translational findings from a phase I/II single-arm trial utilising CVA21, an oncolytic coxsackie virus, in combination with pembrolizumab in patients with advanced pre-treated NSCLC. We performed paired biopsies pre- and post-treatment in 10 patients who received intravenous CVA21 and pembrolizumab, 8 of whom had prior treatment with immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy. Whole genome sequencing and spatial proteomics were performed to comprehensively characterise the response to CVA21. Combination CVA21/pembrolizumab (anti PD-1) therapy was well tolerated with no serious treatment-related adverse events. Partial responses were seen in two patients with prior acquired anti-PD-1 resistance and disease stabilisation in 6 patients, giving a clinical benefit rate of 80%. High baseline tumor mutational burden and PD-L1 expression were observed in patients with better response to treatment. Interestingly, an increase in antigen presentation and CD8+ T cell infiltration was observed on treatment compared with baseline in patients with better progression-free survival. This study demonstrates the potential of CVA21 to modulate the immunogenicity of tumor cells and remodelling the tumor microenvironment, providing novel insights for patient selection for trials involving novel immunotherapeutic approaches.

  Study EGAS00001008258

• Spatial_transcriptome_analysis_of_Paediatric_Thymus

  Cell atlas of Paediatric Thymus Cell atlas of Paediatric Thymus - The Human Cell Atlas initiative is an ambitious global research effort which aims to describe every cell in the human body across all developmental stages to generate a reference map to accelerate progress in science and medicine particularly relating to human development and disease. The initiative is led by investigators based at the Wellcome Sanger Institute and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard and funding support from the Wellcome and NIH. We aim to interrogate the cellular composition and molecular regulators underpinning a cells identity through; genetic and genomic analysis, expression analysis, non-identifiable video imaging and cell line and organoid production, as well as, computational algorithms to predict cellular developmental trajectories and cell-cell interactions. We will subsequently validate these findings in situ using spatial genomic and imaging technologies e.g. immunohistochemistry, RNAscope, in situ sequencing and spatial transcriptomic analyses. 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 EGAS00001004281

• Diversity of the immune microenvironment and response to checkpoint inhibitor immunotherapy in mucosal melanoma

  Mucosal melanoma (MucM) is a rare cancer with a poor prognosis and low response rate to immune checkpoint inhibition (ICI) compared to cutaneous melanoma (CM). To explore the immune microenvironment and potential drivers of MucM’s relative resistance to ICI drugs, we characterized 101 MucM tumors (43 head and neck, 31 female urogenital, 13 male urogenital, 11 anorectal, and 3 other gastro-intestinal) using bulk RNA-sequencing (RNAseq). The original publication is written by JL Vos, JJH Traets, et al. and published in JCI Insight in 2024.

  Study EGAS50000000631

• Mitochondrial DNA mutations contribute to autism and also to the characteristics of mitochondrial disorders present in patients with autism spectrum disorders

  Intellectual disability (ID) is common among autism spectrum disorder (ASD) patients. Also, evidence from many fields of medicine has documented multiple non-CNS physiological abnormalities associated with ASD, suggesting that, in some individuals, ASD arises from systemic, rather than organ-specific abnormalities. Oxidative phosphorylation and mitochondrial dysfunction are frequently reported in ASD and ID and can be due to mitochondrial DNA mutations. Therefore, the objective of the study was to analyze the mitochondrial DNA of ID subjects with ASD (N=98) and without ASD (N=95) to identify putative pathogenic variants that could be associated with ID or ASD. The genome of reference used in this is study is NC_012920.1 (rCRS) (Homo sapiens mitochondrion).

  Study EGAS00001002750

• The Intestinal Bacterial Metagenome in Pediatric Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD)

  Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common cause of chronic liver disease in children in the United States. NAFLD is associated with obesity and metabolic syndrome; however, there is limited understanding of the development and progression of NAFLD. There is evidence of abnormalities of bacterial colonization, and intestinal bacterial product-induced inflammation associated with NAFLD and disease progression. The goal of this study was to characterize the intestinal microbiome in pediatric participants with NAFLD and in both obese and normal weight controls to determine the relationship between alterations in the intestinal microbiome, inflammation, and the development of NAFLD. We hypothesized that alterations in the intestinal microbiome are associated with increased systemic inflammation and the development and severity of NAFLD.

  Study phs001837

• Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) - PATHWAYS - Global Alliance to Prevent Prematurity and Stillbirth (GAPPS)

  Pregnant women are exposed daily to multiple chemical and non-chemical stressors, including air pollutants, phthalates, and psychosocial stress. The Developmental Origins of Health and Disease model (DOHaD) states that exposure to these stressors in pregnancy affects fetal development in a manner that impacts offspring health across the life course. Yet epidemiologic data in these areas is limited, particularly with U.S. samples. It is also poorly understood whether these exposures prenatally affect childhood neurodevelopment and airway health in an independent or combined manner, and likely moderators of effects, such as the sex of the child, are infrequently addressed. We propose to unify three diverse extant pregnancy cohorts: TIDES (N=717, 2010-12), GAPPS (N=1133, 2012-16), and CANDLE (N=1385, 2007-11), for a combined sample size of 3235 mother-child dyads in the PATHWAYS study. PATHWAYS will investigate how chemical (air pollutants and phthalates) and non-chemical (psychosocial stress) exposures during pregnancy are related to placental gene expression (transcriptome) and childhood neurodevelopment and airway health (at ages 4-6, 8-9, and 10-11 years). Each cohort has rich resources of prenatal data and banked specimens (urine, blood, and placenta) that will be harmonized for the PATHWAYS study and will contribute to the ECHO consortium. We will develop a national model with high spatiotemporal resolution of key air pollutants and assess urinary markers of maternal exposure. A composite measure will capture multilevel maternal psychosocial stress across pregnancy, and urinary phthalate and blood stress hormone [Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone (CRH)] levels in the second and third trimesters will provide individual assessment of those exposures in potential critical periods. We will characterize the placental transcriptome using RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) and will assess neurodevelopment and airway health prospectively into middle childhood. PATHWAYS will examine how these prenatal exposures are related to the placental transcriptome and child health outcomes in main effect and interactive models, with emphasis on sex-specific associations. For both neurodevelopment and airway health, we propose to measure both phenotypic precursors of health outcomes (i.e., fluid cognition, lung function growth), which yield dimensional tests of proposed associations, as well as clinically meaningful and policy relevant outcomes (i.e., asthma, mental health). Our study is powered to assess interactive effects of chemical and non-chemical stressors and will be the first study to characterize how prenatal environmental exposures relate to placental transcriptome pathways in relation to childhood health outcomes. This represents a significant scientific advance in testing DOHaD hypotheses. Major contributions to the ECHO Consortium include: 1) the development of a state of the art national model of air pollution, 2) a large, diverse pregnancy cohort with extensive biorepositories and extant prenatal and postnatal biomarkers, placental transcriptome, psychosocial and environmental data, and 3) an experienced, interdisciplinary team that will contribute meaningfully to the ECHO program of work.The sequencing data in this submission pertain only to the 408 subjects from the GAPPS study for whom placental tissue transcriptomics was performed.

  Study phs003620

• Exome_sequencing_in_patients_with_Calcific_Aortic_Valve_Stenosis

  The objective is to identify new genes involved in calcific aortic valve stenosis (CAVS) by screening the exome of at least 20 patients with familial CAVS. The recruitment of patients with CAVS has been achieved by l’institut du thorax (Nantes, France). DNA from the selected patients has been analysed by exome capture (Agilent SureSelect) and massively parallel sequencing (Illumina). The data generated by this project will lead to the identification of candidate genes involved in CAVS, which can be further screened for mutation in additional patients with CAVS.

  Study EGAS00001000049

• Genomic sequencing of Pediatric Rhabdomyosarcoma

  Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is the most common soft tissue sarcoma of childhood accounting for approximately 350 newly diagnosed cases yearly in the United States. With the development of multimodal chemotherapy regimens, relapse-free survival rates have improved to 70-80% in patients with localized disease albeit with significant toxicity. Unfortunately, despite aggressive treatment, patients with metastatic or recurrent disease continue to suffer from high mortality. Further characterization of the genetic events underlying this tumor type is critical for the development of more effective diagnostic, prognostic and therapeutic strategies. In a collaborative effort between the National Cancer Institute, the Children's Oncology Group, and the Broad Institute, we use a combination of whole-genome and whole-exome sequencing to characterize the landscape of somatic alterations in 147 tumor/normal pairs.

  Study phs000720

• Prebiotic inulin-type fructans induce specific changes in the human gut microbiota

  ObjectiveContrary to the long-standing prerequisite of inducing selective (i.e. bifidogenic) effects, recent findings suggest that prebiotic interventions lead to ecosystem-wide microbiota shifts. Yet, a comprehensive characterization of this process is still lacking. Here, we apply 16S rDNA microbiota profiling and matching (GC-MS) metabolomics to assess the consequences of inulin fermentation both on the composition of the colon bacterial ecosystem and fecal metabolites profiles.DesignFecal samples collected during a double blind, randomized, cross-over intervention study (NCT02548247) set up to assess the effect of inulin consumption on stool frequency in healthy adults with mild constipation were analyzed. Fecal microbiota composition and metabolite profiles were linked to the study’s clinical outcome as well as to quality-of-life measurements recorded.ResultsWhile fecal metabolite profiles were not significantly altered by inulin consumption, our analyses did detect a modest effect on global microbiota composition. At the same time, specific inulin-induced changes in relative abundances of Anaerostipes, Bilophila, and Bifidobacterium were identified. The observed decrease in Bilophila abundances following inulin consumption was associated with both softer stools and a favorable change in constipation-specific quality of life measures.ConclusionsEcosystem-wide analysis of the effect of a dietary intervention with prebiotic inulin-type fructans on the colon microbiota revealed that this effect is specifically associated to three genera, one of which (Bilophila) representing a promising novel target for mechanistic research.

  Study EGAS00001002173

• The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) Genetics of Genetic Epidemiology of Metabolic Syndrome in an Island Population

  The major objective of this study was to conduct a systematic genetic study of metabolic traits involved in metabolic syndrome through collection and analysis of epidemiological, demographic, environmental, and relevant biological and clinical data from a relatively isolated island population of the eastern Adriatic coast of Croatia. The population was chosen for the following reasons: 1) in spite of practicing a largely traditional life style and dietary habits, high rates of obesity, arterial hypertension, dyslipidemia and related metabolic abnormalities were found in previous studies; 2) the population was established by a relatively small number of founders, predominantly of Slavic descent from the mainland during 15th to 18th century AD, a genetically homogeneous population living in a homogeneous environment; 3) sharing a common European ancestry, a relevant population for study in the context of the general US population; 4) Croatian collaborators have been conducting anthropological and genetic studies in these communities for over three decades. There were two major aims of the study: 1) to recruit ~1200 adult participants and collect blood samples together with demographic, anthropometric, environmental and clinical data from the island of Hvar; to perform biochemical tests to measure glucose, insulin, uric acid and lipid levels; 2) conduct a genome-wide association analysis of metabolic traits and phenotypes using genome-wide SNP arrays (Affymetrix Genome-Wide Human SNP Array 5.0).

  Study phs000737

• Use_of_Deep_Sequencing_to_Dectect_Clonal_Mutations_In_Sun_Exposed_Skin_Epidermis

  This study aims to define the landscape of somatic mutations in sun exposed human skin by deep sequencing, analyse their frequency and use the data to infer the effect of mutations on proliferating cell behaviour. The frequency of each mutation will reflect the size of the clone of cells in the tissue sample. By analyzing small samples, clones with as few as 100 cells will be detectable. Allele frequency distributions for each mutation will be used to infer cell fate using published methods (Klein et al. 2010). This study will shed unprecedented light on the early clonal events that lead to the emergence of cancer.

  Study EGAS00001000515

• Use_of_Deep_Sequencing_to_Dectect_Clonal_Mutations_In_Sun_Exposed_Skin_Epidermis_PART2

  This study aims to define the landscape of somatic mutations in sun exposed human skin by deep sequencing, analyse their frequency and use the data to infer the effect of mutations on proliferating cell behaviour. The frequency of each mutation will reflect the size of the clone of cells in the tissue sample. By analyzing small samples, clones with as few as 100 cells will be detectable. Allele frequency distributions for each mutation will be used to infer cell fate using published methods (Klein et al. 2010). This study will shed unprecedented light on the early clonal events that lead to the emergence of cancer.

  Study EGAS00001000603

• Aspirin and Inflammation: Mutations, Genes, Pathways and Prevention in Barrett's Esophagus

  Background: Use of aspirin and other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) has been shown to protect against tetraploidy, aneuploidy, and chromosomal alterations in the metaplastic condition Barrett's esophagus (BE) and to lower the incidence and mortality of esophageal adenocarcinoma (EA). The esophagus is exposed to both intrinsic and extrinsic mutagens resulting from gastric reflux, chronic inflammation and exposure to environmental carcinogens such as those found in cigarettes. Here we test the hypothesis that NSAID use inhibits accumulation of point mutations/indels during somatic genomic evolution in BE. Methods: Whole exome sequences were generated from 82 purified epithelial biopsies and paired blood samples from a cross-sectional study of 41 NSAID users and 41 nonusers matched by sex, age, smoking, and continuous time using or not using NSAIDs. Results: NSAID use reduced overall frequency of point mutations across the spectrum of mutation types, lowered the frequency of mutations even when adjusted for both TP53 mutation and smoking status, and decreased the prevalence of clones with high variant allele frequency. Never smokers who consistently used NSAIDs had fewer point mutations in signature 17, which is commonly found in EA. NSAID users had on average a 50% reduction in functional gene mutations in nine cancer-associated pathways and also had less diversity in pathway mutational burden compared to nonusers. Conclusions: These results indicate NSAID use functions to limit overall mutations on which selection can act and supports a model in which specific mutant cell populations survive or expand better in the absence of NSAIDs. Galipeau PC, et al. Genome Med. 2018 Feb 27;10(1):17. PMID: 29486792.

  Study phs001654

• CIRdb: Array genotype data

  The current inhabitants of the Canary Islands have a unique genetic makeup in the European diversity landscape due to the existence of African footprints from recent admixture events, especially of North African components (>20%). The underrepresentation of non-Europeans in genetic studies and the sizable North African ancestry, which is nearly absent from all existing catalogs of worldwide genetic diversity, justify the need to develop CIRdb, a population-specific reference catalog of natural genetic variation in the Canary Islanders. Based on array genotyping of the selected unrelated donors and comparisons against available datasets from European, sub-Saharan, and North African populations, we illustrate the intermediate genetic differentiation of Canary Islanders between Europeans and North Africans and the existence of within-population differences that are likely driven by genetic isolation. In addition, here we describe the overall design and the methods that are being implemented to develop CIRdb.

  Study EGAS00001006050

• Genetic makeup of agnospheres

  Agnospheres are cultures of cancer stem cells isolated from tissue biopsies from patients with Cancer of Unknown Primary (CUPs). The latter is a lethal malignancy (median survival <1 year), representing approximately the 3% of all cancers, and characterized by metastatic dissemination in the absence of a primary tumor recognizable by a standardized protocol including thorough body imaging and histopathological analysis. Agnospheres are long-term propagated in culture and, after subcutaneous injection into immunocompromised mice, they display high tumorigenicity and quickly reproduce the clinical presentation of the original tumor, featuring a multi-organ metastatic pattern and poorly differentiated histology. The goal of the project is to analyse the mutational profile of agnospheres in detail, as to verify its correspondance with that of the original tumors. Genetic information will be exploited to investigate the genetic drivers of the CUP phenotype, in particular the hypermetastatic ability and the differentiative block.

  Study EGAS00001004868