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• Impact of Chemotherapy on the Somatic Mutation Burden of Sperm and Other Tissues

  We applied high-fidelity duplex sequencing to 94 samples from 36 individuals exposed to diverse chemotherapies along with 32 controls. We found that in many of the sperm samples from men exposed to chemotherapy, the somatic mutation burden was elevated compared to controls as well as the expected burden based on trio studies. We then validated this finding using other tissues, and also found increased somatic mutation burden in the blood and liver of many subjects exposed to chemotherapy compared to unexposed controls.

  Study phs003476

• Somatic_evolution_in_the_psoriatic_skin

  We will use laser capture microdissection to dissect groups of a few hundred cells, from which we will isolate and sequence nucleic acids. We aim to whole-genome, whole-exome and RNA sequence the samples in effort to understand the accumulation of somatic mutations in psoriasis and their effect on transcription.

  Study EGAS00001004882

• Molecular_characterization_of_invasive_lobular_carcinoma

  Invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC) is the second most common histological subtype of breast cancer accounting for 10-15% of cases. ILC differs from invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC)with respect to epidemiology, histology, and clinical presentation. Moreover, ILC is lesssensitive to chemotherapy, more frequently bilateral, and more prone to form gastrointestinal, peritoneal, and ovarian metastases than IDCs. In contrast to IDC, the prognostic value ofhistological grade (HG) in ILC is controversial. One of the three major components of histological grading (tubule formation) is missing in ILC which hinders the process of gradingin this histological subtype and results in the classification of approximately two thirds of ILC as HG 2.Over the last decade, a number of gene expression signatures have shed light onto breast cancer classification, allowing breast cancer care to become more personalized. Withrespect to the management of estrogen receptor (ER)-positive breast cancer, several gene expression signatures provide prognostic and/or predictive information beyond what is possible with current classical clinico-pathological parameters alone. Nevertheless, most studies using gene expression signature have not considered different histologic subtypesseparately. Recently, a comprehensive research program has elucidated some of the biological underpinnings of invasive lobular carcinoma. Genetic material extracted from 200 ILC tumor samples were studied using gene expression profiling and identified ILCmolecular subtypes. These proliferation-driven gene signatures of ILC appear to have prognostic significance. In particular, the Genomic Grade (GG) gene signature improved upon HG in ILC and added prognostic value to classic clinico-pathologic factors. In addition this study demonstrated that most ILC are molecularly characterized as luminal-A (~75%)followed by luminal-B (~20%) and HER2-positve tumors (~5%). Moreover, we investigated the prognostic value of known gene signatures/ gene modules in the same cohort of ILC. As a second step within the scope of this project, we aim to investigate the interactionsbetween somatic ILC tumor mutations to observed transcriptome findings. To this end, we aim to perform somatic mutation analysis for the ILC tumors for which Affymetrix gene expression profiling is available. To this end, we will use a gene screen assay, which specifically interrogates the mutational status of a few hundreds of cancer genes. We believe that this pioneering effort will be fundamental for a tailored treatment of ILC withimprovement in patients' outcome.

  Study EGAS00001000292

• WFS1 mutation screening in a large series of Japanese hearing loss patients: Massively parallel DNA sequencing-based analysis

  A heterozygous mutation in the Wolfram syndrome type 1 gene (WFS1) causes autosomal dominant nonsyndromic hereditary hearing loss, DFNA6/14/38, or Wolfram-like syndrome. To date, more than 40 different mutations have been reported to be responsible for DFNA6/14/38. In the present study, WFS1 variants were screened in a large series of Japanese hearing loss (HL) patients to clarify the prevalence and clinical characteristics of DFNA6/14/38 and Wolfram-like syndrome. Massively parallel DNA sequencing of 68 target genes was performed in 2,549 unrelated Japanese HL patients to identify genomic variations responsible for HL. The detailed clinical features in patients with WFS1 variants were collected from medical charts and analyzed. We successfully identified 13 WFS1 variants in 19 probands: eight of the 13 variants were previously reported mutations, including three mutations (p.A684V, p.K836N, and p.E864K) known to cause Wolfram-like syndrome, and five were novel mutations.

  Study JGAS000123

• Detection of cell-free DNA fragmentation and copy number alterations in cerebrospinal fluid from glioma patients

  Glioma is difficult to detect or characterise using current liquid biopsy approaches. Detection of cell-free tumor DNA (cftDNA) in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) has been proposed as an alternative to detection in plasma. We used shallow whole-genome sequencing (sWGS, at a coverage of < 0.4x) of cell-free DNA from the CSF of 13 patients with primary glioma to determine somatic copy number alterations and DNA fragmentation patterns. This allowed us to determine the presence of cftDNA in CSF without any prior knowledge of point mutations present in the tumor. We also showed that the fragmentation pattern of cell-free DNA in CSF is different from that in plasma. This low-cost screening method provides information on the tumor genome and can be used to target those patients with high levels of cftDNA for further larger-scale sequencing, such as by whole-exome and whole-genome sequencing.

  Study EGAS00001003255

• Prediction of pigmentation phenotypes by SNP typing in a Northern German population

  Human pigmentation traits are of great interest to many research areas, from ancient DNA analysis to forensic science. We aimed to develop a gene-based predictive model for pigmentation phenotypes in a realistic target population for forensic case work from Northern Germany. Our aim was to determine whether better prediction accuracy can be achieved, or fewer genetic markers may suffice, than in previously studied, genetically more heterogeneous populations. We investigated the association between eye, hair and skin colour, and 12 candidate single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from six genes. Our study comprised two samples of 300 and 100 individuals from Northern Germany who were carefully characterized with regard to pigmentation phenotypes. The first sample was used to select trait-associated SNPs whereas the second sample served to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and to quantify the predictive capability of the respective SNP genotypes. SNP rs12913832 in HERC2 was found to be strongly associated with blue eye colour (OR=15.6, p<1.2•10-4) and to yield reasonable predictive power (90% sensitivity, 63% specificity). SNP associations with hair and skin colour were weaker and genotypes less predictive. A comparison to two recently published sets of markers to predict eye and hair colour revealed that the consideration of additional SNPs with weak to moderate effect increases the predictive power in Northern Germans for eye colour, but not for hair colour. In addition, fine phenotyping and differentiation of hair colour (light / dark and red tint / no red tint) were found to increase the number of significant genotype-phenotype associations.

  Study EGAS00001001174

• Potential Modulatory Role of Osteoprotegerin in Bone Metabolism of Patients with 21-Hydroxylase Deficiency

  21-hydroxylase deficiency (21-OHD) is an inherited disorder that results from a mutation on the CYP21A2 gene. It affects the adrenal glands and is the most common cause of congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH). 21-OHD CAH causes the body to produce an insufficient amount of cortisol and an excess of androgen, the type of hormone that produces male characteristics. The primary treatment for 21-OHD CAH, glucocorticoid replacement therapy, has been shown to cause bone loss. However, the elevated hormone levels caused by 21-OHD CAH may increase production of the protein osteoprotegerin (OPG), which in turn may protect against bone loss. This study will compare bone density and OPG levels in women who have 21-OHD CAH and have undergone a lifetime of glucocorticoid replacement therapy to that in women who have neither of these criteria. In doing so, the study will aim to determine the relationship between OPG and bone loss. Because of the excess of androgen caused by 21-OHD CAH, women with CAH may exhibit some male-like characteristics. Glucocorticoids are a member of a class of drugs called corticosteroids, which are used in hormone replacement therapy. In order to counteract the effects of 21-OHD CAH, women with the disease are given hormone replacement therapy with glucocorticoids beginning at infancy. Glucocorticoids are known to cause bone loss. Despite many years of treatment with glucocorticoids, however, young women with 21-OHD CAH seem to be protected against bone loss. Researchers believe that the increased androgen levels in these women lead to increased estrogen levels, which in turn increase OPG production. The increase in OPG levels may protect women against bone loss. This study will evaluate bone density and OPG levels in women with and without 21-OHD CAH to determine the relationship between OPG and bone loss. Participants in this observational study will attend only one study visit. At this visit, they will undergo a blood draw; a scan of their lower spine, hip, and forearm; height and weight measurements; and a body fat analysis test. This last test will entail a weak and painless electrical signal being sent from foot to foot. Participants will not attend any follow-up visits for this study.

  Study phs001314

• Characterization of Structural Variants in Acute Myeloid Leukemia Patients

  Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is the most common form of acute leukemia in adults and is expected to increase in frequency as the population ages. Most subtypes of AML are difficult to treat, in part due to a lack of understanding of possible molecular targets. Furthermore, the peak incidence of AML is in the sixth decade, and patients over the age of 65 do not tolerate chemotherapeutic regimens well. Moreover, AML has been highly studied as a model for other cancers. An RNA Biology Program is established aiming to develop comprehensive datasets through the profiling of all different classes of RNA expression, RNA editing, alternative splicing, and non-coding RNAs in CD34+ normal hematopoietic stem cells (HSC), their differentiated progeny, and AML clinical samples that could be utilized to understand leukemia. These datasets will allow us to computationally identify and characterize various RNA species and processes to enable the development of effective therapeutics to AML, leukemia and other types of cancers. Epigenetic factors such as methylation and histone modifications will also be characterized from these clinical samples allowing for integrated dataset analysis to look at the cross-talk between RNA and DNA/epigenomics in leukemia. The following is a subsidiary study of the above study description where whole genome sequencing was performed on two collected AML patients' samples using Illumina and Oxford Nanopore sequencing technologies. The aim is to characterize the roles of structural variants (SV) in RNA biology which are potentially important for AML development using our own established long-read SV characterization tool, NanoVar. The advent of Oxford Nanopore sequencing technologies has opened a new avenue for better SV characterization by having longer sequencing reads. NanoVar is an accurate and rapid SV characterization tool that utilizes low-depth Nanopore sequencing data. NanoVar makes use of split-reads and hard-clipped reads for SV discovery and employs a simulation-trained neural network classifier for true positive enrichment. NanoVar exhibited higher accuracy and faster computational speed amongst other long-read SV detection tools in simulated data. In AML patient data, NanoVar displayed excellent accuracy in SV characterization (16/16 SVs validated in two patients) by using only 4x depth sequencing data. In summary, NanoVar improves the accuracy and speed of SV characterization at a lower sequencing cost, an approach compatible with clinical studies.

  Study phs001847

• Genome_Diversity_in_Africa_Project__Uganda

  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

  Study EGAS00001002523

• Resuscitation Outcomes Consortium (ROC) Cardiac Epidemiologic Registry (Cardiac Epistry) Version 3 (ROC-Cardiac Epistry 3-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. Available Data The ROC Cardiac Epistry version 3 include all cardiac arrest cases entered into the ROC database from April 1, 2011 to June 30, 2015. This is separate from versions 1 and 2 because of the major changes in how and which data were collected. Version 3 represents the following major changes to the structure and data collection: separate ED Arrival and Hospital Admits forms, mandatory ED and Hospital elements and a revamped CPR Process form. For ROC traumatic injury Epistry data please see: ROC-Trauma Epistry Objectives To build a prospective population-based registry of participants with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest responded to by Emergency Medical Services (EMS). Specific aims included: to establish whether the results of Resuscitation Outcomes Consortium (ROC) trials can be generalized to the larger population of participants that experience cardiac arrest; to more fully establish the burden of cardiac arrest; and to examine the relationships between variation in EMS structure and process, regional and periodic factors, and participant outcomes. Background Cardiac arrest is a common, serious, debilitating and costly public health problem. Although there has been a steady decline in morbidity and mortality from most cardiovascular diseases, high mortality rates for out-of-hospital cardiac arrests continue to pose a challenge for healthcare providers and a significant public health burden. The Resuscitation Outcomes Consortium (ROC) was established in 2004 to conduct clinical research in the areas of cardiopulmonary arrest and life-threatening traumatic injury with the overall goal of improving resuscitation outcomes. Participant and care characteristics can predict favorable outcomes in cardiac arrests, but there is still a wide variation in outcomes that is not well understood. EMS factors such as service level, number of responding providers, use of procedures or drugs in the field, training, quality assurance/feedback, and response time intervals also vary significantly by region. Variations in geographic, socioeconomic and periodic factors may also be associated with differences in outcomes. Prior to ROC Cardiac Epistry, there were no North American population-based registries for out-of-hospital cardiac arrests. Therefore there was a need for standardized data collection of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests in diverse geographic locations in order to identify the independent effects of prognostic or treatment factors accounting for variations in survival. Participants There were 120,306 participants. Design ROC Epistry collected standardized data regarding episode-specific factors, participant demographics, clinical information, pre-hospital interventions and disposition, hospital information, and participant outcome for all out-of-hospital cardiac arrests in the ROC regions. Each ROC site had to ensure capture of all eligible cases within the EMS service areas. Out-of-hospital data were extracted from existing databases whenever possible and augmented with targeted review of EMS reports. Hospital data were abstracted directly from the hospital file in most cases. Alternative methods included linkage to death registries and obituaries if the death occurred within 30 days. Sites submitted data using a web-based interface or batch uploads. Participants were not contacted directly.

  Study phs003726

• Exploiting evolutionary steering in cancer therapy

  Drug resistance, mediated by intra-tumour heterogeneity and clonal evolution, is arguably the biggest problem in cancer therapy today. However, evolving resistance to one drug may come at the cost of increased sensitivity to another due to so-called evolutionary trade-offs. This weakness can be exploited in the clinic using an approach called ‘evolutionary herding’ that aims at controlling the tumour cell population to delay or prevent resistance. However, model systems able to recapitulate cancer evolution experimentally are lacking and current in vitro techniques based on small populations, re-plating and escalating dose, are unsuitable to develop evolutionary herding strategies. We present a novel methodology for evolutionary herding in vitro and ex vivo using patient-derived organoids. Our approach is based on a combination of single-cell barcoding, very large populations of 108-109 cells grown without re-plating, realistic high drug doses, time-course monitoring of cancer clones, and mathematical modelling of tumour evolutionary dynamics. We demonstrate evolutionary herding in non-small cell lung cancer in vitro and in patient-derived colorectal cancer organoids (PDO). We show that herding causes controlled evolutionary bottlenecks that lead to collateral sensitivity. Through genomic analysis, we were also able to determine the mechanisms that drive such sensitivity. Our approach allows modelling evolutionary trade-offs experimentally to test patient-specific evolutionary herding strategies that can be translated into the clinic to control treatment resistance.

  Study EGAS00001003200

• Genomics of Opioid Pharmacogenomics and Acute/Chronic Postsurgical Pain after Major Surgery in Children

  Pain management after surgery is not optimal, partly due to great interindividual variability in pain perception and coping. This can lead to persistent pain beyond the healing period and disability. Up to two-thirds of the inter-individual variability results from genetic variations in pain perception as well as response to the pain medicine. The investigators aim to identify genomic (genetic/epigenetic), psychological and drug profiles contributing to this variability. Opioids are the mainstay for treatment of postoperative pain in children. Experience dictates that opioids have narrow therapeutic indices and large inter-patient variability in response. This leads to serious side effects like respiratory depression in up to 50% of children undergoing invasive surgery, which can be fatal. It is evident that there are particular children who are more susceptible to suffering side effects and having inadequate pain relief from opioids.It is hypothesized that much of the genetic variability can be explained by gene function which is modulated by a) Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) in genes that encode proteins involved in pain perception, opioid transport/metabolism (pharmacokinetics), and opioid receptor signaling (pharmacodynamics); b) epigenetics which modify gene expression without structural changes to the DNA, and c) genes that influence psychological factors.The purpose of this research study is to identify factors and genes that may be associated with acute and chronic post-surgical pain, and to develop pharmacometric models for response to opioids, like morphine and hydromorphone. While children undergoing different surgeries will be recruited for acute outcomes, children undergoing spine fusion will be followed for 10-12 months for evaluation of psychological and genomic factors affecting chronic post-surgical pain, with a goal of identifying genetic and epigenetic risk models for prediction of acute and chronic post-surgical pain. Although opioids are used every day, some children have bad reactions from their use, like breathing problems, sedation, etc. The investigators want to study factors that may be associated with pain sensitivity, opioid requirements after surgery, their metabolism, efficacy and their side-effects. The investigators expect that the information obtained in this research study will help to develop effective, safer, and tailored treatment options in the future.

  Study phs002105

• Genetic Epidemiology of Refractive Error in the KORA (Kooperative Gesundheitsforschung in der Region Augsburg) Study

  KORA ("Kooperative Gesundheitsforschung in der Region Augsburg" which translates as "Cooperative Health Research in the Region of Augsburg") is a population based study of adults randomly selected from 430,000 inhabitants living in Augsburg and 16 surrounding counties in Germany. The collection was done in 4 separate groups from 1984-2001 (S1-S4). One of the KORA groups, S3/F3, will be utilized for our GWAS because it is the only group with refractive error (RE) measurements. Consequent to informed consent, each of the surveys sampled subjects from ten strata according to age (range 25-74 years) and sex (equal ratio) with a minimum stratum size of > 400 subjects. In the KORA S3 study 4,856 subjects were studied between 1994 and 1995, and 3,006 individuals from S3 returned for follow up between 2003 and 2005 (S3/F3). For this refractive error study, we are including 1,981 subjects from S3/F3 (mean age 55.7, range 35-84). For each subject, eyeglass prescriptions were measured in addition to an evaluation by the Nikon Retinomax. Subjects with predisposing medical conditions, i.e., connective tissue disorders, and ocular conditions i.e., cataract and corneal opacities, that might predispose them to refractive error will not be included for genotyping. Whole genome association genotyping will be performed to determine common alleles that contribute to the variation of the quantitative trait of refractive error.

  Study phs000303

• Mechanisms of Risk for Sulfonamide Hypersensitivity

  Hypersensitivity (HS) reactions to sulfonamide antibiotics occur uncommonly, but with potentially severe clinical manifestations. A familial predisposition to sulfonamide HS is suspected, but robust predictive genetic risk factors have yet to be identified. Strongly linked genetic polymorphisms have been used clinically as screening tests for other HS reactions prior to administration of high-risk drugs. The purpose of this study was to evaluate for genetic risk of sulfonamide HS in the immunocompetent population using genome-wide association. Ninety-one patients with symptoms after trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMX) attributable to "probable" drug HS based on medical record review and the Naranjo Adverse Drug Reaction Probability Scale, and 184 age- and sex-matched patients who tolerated a therapeutic course of TMP-SMX, were included in a genome-wide association study using both common and rare variant techniques. Additionally, two subgroups of HS patients with a more refined clinical phenotype (fever and rash; or fever, rash and eosinophilia) were evaluated separately. For the full dataset, no single nucleotide polymorphisms were suggestive of or reached genome-wide significance in the common variant analysis, nor was any genetic locus significant in the rare variant analysis. A single, possible gene locus association (COL12A1) was identified in the rare variant analysis for patients with both fever and rash, but the sample size was very small in this subgroup (n=16), and this may be a false positive finding. No other significant associations were found for the subgroups. No convincing genetic risk factors for sulfonamide HS were identified in this population. These negative findings may be due to challenges in accurately confirming the phenotype in exanthematous drug eruptions, or to unidentified gene-environment interactions influencing sulfonamide HS. Reprinted under PLOS ONE's open access license, CC-BY (http://www.plos.org/open-access).

  Study phs001124

• Somatic Mutations and Cell Lineage in the Human Brain

  Genetic mutations causing human disease are conventionally thought to be inherited from one's parents and present in all somatic (body) cells. Increasingly however, somatic mutations are implicated in neurological diseases. Somatic mutations that arise during the cell divisions of prenatal brain development are inherited in clonal fashion and can cause neurodevelopmental diseases, even when present at low levels of mosaicism. In this study we use whole genome, RNA, and ATAC sequencing of single cells and bulk tissue to identify somatic mutations in control, and some disease, brains to: 1) identify and catalogue the mutations which shape the somatic neuronal genome; 2) perform a cell lineage analysis of the human brain using clonal somatic mutations in cortical neurons; 3) determine patterns of somatic mutations at different ages and in aging related disease phenotypes; and 4) relate cell lineage patterns to cell phenotype in the human brain through cell type-specific analyses.

  Study phs001485

• Methylation differences in trisomy 21 using monozygotic twins

  We have hypothesized that methylation differences induced by trisomy 21 (T21) contribute to the phenotypic characteristics and heterogeneity in T21. In order to determine the methylation differences in T21 without the interference of the interindividual genomic variation, we have used fetal skin fibroblasts from monozygotic (MZ) twins discordant for T21. We also used skin fibroblasts from MZ twins concordant for T21, normal MZ twins without T21, and unrelated normal and T21 individuals. We applied Reduced Representation Bisulfite Sequencing (RRBS) to generate genome wide nucleotide resolution of DNA methylation based on high throughput sequencing between each pair of samples. RRBS revealed differentially methylated promoter regions (DMRs) in MZ twins discordant for T21 that have also been observed in unrelated normal and T21 individuals. The identified DMRs are enriched for genes involved in embryonic organ morphogenesis. These DMRs are maintained in iPS cells generated from this twin pair and are correlated with the gene expression changes. We have also observed an increase in DNA methylation level in the T21 methylome compared to the normal euploid methylome. This observation is concordant with the up regulation of DNA methyltransferase enzymes (DNMT3B and DNMT3L) and down regulation of DNA demethylation enzymes (TET2 and TET3) in the iPSC of the T21 versus normal twin. Additionally, two sets of T21 MZ twins discordant for heart defect highlighted DMRs in genes that are associated with heart development. In conclusion the study of DNA methylation differences in MZ twins discordant for genomic abnormalities is a promising approach to understand the molecular pathophysiology of aneuploidies.

  Study EGAS00001001051

• NHLBI TOPMed: The Genetics and Epidemiology of Asthma in Barbados

  Asthma is a complex disease where the interplay between genetic factors and environmental exposures influences susceptibility and disease prognosis. Asthmatics of African descent tend to have more severe asthma and more severe clinical symptoms than individuals of European ancestry. The baseline prevalence of asthma in Barbados is high (~20%), and from admixture analyses, we have determined that the proportion of African ancestry among Barbadian founders is similar to U.S. African Americans, rendering this a unique population to disentangle the genetic basis for asthma disparities among African ancestry populations in general. We therefore performed whole genome sequencing on 1,100 individuals from the Barbados Genetics of Asthma Study (BAGS), in order to generate additional discovery of rare and structural variants that may control risk to asthma.

  Study phs001143

• Autoimmune-wide landscape of circulating CD4+ T cells unveils disease-specific heritability and phenotypic changes

  While CD4+ T cells are involved in autoimmunity, how they contribute to the pathogenesis is unclear due to their cellular heterogeneity. Here, to analyze the heterogeneity, we utilized decomposition-based transcriptome characterization for evaluating non-discrete subsets of CD4+ T cells in addition to canonical clustering strategies. This approach identified 12 independent transcriptional gene programs governing whole CD4+ T cell heterogeneity, which can explain the ambiguity of the canonical clustering.

  Study JGAS000578

• The evolutionary steps from primary to metastatic prostate cancer are largely uncharted, and the ability to use DNA present in body fluids as correlates of aggregate metastatic status is under-examined. We reconstructed phylogenies in ten prostate cancer patients with fatal disease using deep targeted sequencing of the prostate, adjacent and distant organs, as well as plasma, serum, and cerebrospinal fluid at various time points. A total of 163 samples are studied.

  The evolutionary steps from primary tumor to metastasis in prostate cancer are largely uncharted, and the ability to use serum, plasma, and cerebrospinal fluid as a correlate of aggregate metastatic tumor genomic status has not been tested. We used deep targeted sequencing to reconstruct tumor evolution in ten prostate cancer patients with fatal disease encompassing examination of the prostate and adjacent and distant organs, as well as plasma, serum, and cerebrospinal fluid at various time points. We show that there is substantial evolution from a common ancestor within the prostate that results in branching to multiple lineages which form an intermixed multi-clonal primary tumor mass. After the occurrence of key driver aberrations, one of these lineages will metastasize to multiple sites in a sequential fashion. These metastatic sites are then susceptible to being populated by cells from other intra-prostatic lineages or from other metastases. Genomic representation of metastases in body fluids is not uniform. Cerebrospinal fluid analysis can detect lineages not detected in circulating DNA, suggesting possible clinical utility.

  Study EGAS00001003848

• Bogalusa Heart Study (BHS-BioLINCC)

  Objectives: To investigate the early natural history of cardiovascular disease in a cohort of children and young adults in a biracial, semirural community.Background: The Bogalusa Heart Study has been a long-term epidemiologic study. The investigators have identified and followed black and white participants for nearly 40 years, and have described the incidence and prevalence of biologic and behavioral cardiovascular disease risk factors from childhood through adulthood. Their participation has enabled the study to not only document differences between males and females, but also between blacks and whites. The results from the Bogalusa Heart Study have clearly documented that the genesis of atherosclerosis has its basis in childhood, and that prevention can and must begin at the early ages.The Bogalusa Heart Study had been funded over the years by the Specialized Centers of Research (SCOR) Program. The SCOR program was initiated by NHLBI in 1970 to expedite the development and application of new knowledge essential for improved diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of arteriosclerosis, hypertension, pulmonary disease, and thrombosis. In 1984 a Demonstration and Education Component was added to the parent SCOR of the Bogalusa Heart Study in order to translate the experience gained in epidemiological studies into an intervention study designed to retard the development of cardiovascular risk factors in children. Beginning in 1997, the study was supported by the cooperative agreement mechanism. Participants: The Bogalusa dataset includes 11,796 participants that attended at least one of seven cross-sectional pediatric exams and/or the 1995-96 adult examination. Subjects ranged in age from 3 to 20 years at the pediatric exams and 20-37 at the time of the adult exam. Approximately 6,000 have more than one examination constituting a dynamic cohort. Design: The initial survey in 1973-1974 was restricted to children ages 2 1/2 to 14. A physical examination was conducted and information was collected on anthropometric data, hemoglobin, blood pressure, serum lipids, and health history. Over 3,500 children participated. The second cross-sectional survey of 1976-1977 and subsequent surveys expanded the eligible population to include all children ages 5-17 years. The second survey of over 4,000 children also included information on salt intake, smoking, health beliefs, and attitudes, and for girls ages 8-17, menstrual history and oral contraceptive use. The third survey of over 3,500 participants in 1978-1979 also collected anthropometric measurements on skinfold thickness and two measurements of heart rate. The fourth survey of over 3,300 participants in 1981-1982 added data on alcohol use, Type A behavior, peer networks and dieting habits.The Bogalusa Heart Study continued to use a cross-sectional and longitudinal design with the general cross-sectional survey of approximately 3,700 Bogalusa children ages five to seventeen in 1988-1989 in the sixth screen and additional longitudinal studies to recall children in defined subgroups for more intensive evaluation. Half of the 12,000 participants screened since 1973 had been studied three or more times. The Post High School Study examined young adults ages 21 through 30 who previously were examined as children ages five through fourteen in the first Bogalusa Heart Study screening in 1973-1974. The population included approximately 4,603 young adults originally screened and any other children or adolescents examined for the first time in any subsequent surveys. The cardiovascular phenotypes include obesity, blood pressure, lipids, lipoproteins, apoproteins, homocysteine, glucose-insulin, fibrinogen, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 and von Willebrand Factor. Environmental risk factors consist of sociodemographic characteristics, tobacco and alcohol use, oral contraception, physical activity, cognitive and physical function, and quality of sleep and diet. Subclinical morbidity includes echo-Doppler measurements of cardiac-carotid structure and function.

  Study phs004173

• MYO5B mutations in Pheochromocytoma/Paraganglioma promote cancer progression

  Identification of additional cancer-associated genes and secondary mutations driving the metastatic progression in pheochromocytoma and paraganglioma (PPGL) is important. We recently reported novel recurrent nonsynonymous mutations in the MYO5B gene in metastatic PPGL. Here, we explored the functional impact of these MYO5B mutations, and analyzed MYO5B expression in primary PPGL tumor cases in relation to mutation status.Immunohistochemistry and mRNA expression analysis in 30 primary PPGL tumors revealed an increased MYO5B expression in metastatic compared to non-metastatic tumor cases. In addition, subcellular localization of MYO5B protein was altered from cytoplasmatic to membranous in some metastatic tumors, and the strongest and most abnormal expression pattern was observed in a PGL case harboring a MYO5B:p.G1611S mutation. Mutation analysis of additional PPGL tumors revealed additional, and hence recurrent, mutations in the paralog MYO5A. Three missense mutations in MYO5B were functionally studied using site directed mutagenesis and stable transfection into human neuroblastoma cells (SK-N-AS) and embryonic kidney cells (HEK293 cell line). Functional analysis of the mutants verified a significant increased proliferation rate in all MYO5B mutated clones (p.L587P, p.G1611S, and p.R1641C). The two somatically derived mutations p.L587P and p.G1611S were also found to increase the migration rate, and all three mutants affected intracellular transport by increased transferrin uptake. Downstream expression analysis of MYO5B mutants demonstrated a transcriptional activation of genes involved in glucose metabolism, proliferation, homeostasis, and migration. Our study validates the functional role of novel MYO5B mutations in proliferation and migration, and suggest the MYO5-pathway to be involved the malignant progression of PPGL tumors.

  Study EGAS00001003991

• Matching of actionable mutations with therapies in cancer patients: comparison of three commercial decision support platforms

  Purpose: In oncology, precision medicine centers on tailoring the most appropriate therapy to a patient according to their tumor molecular profile. We addressed the question whether there is a consensus in the classification of actionability of somatic variants and their alignment to treatment recommendations. To this end, we evaluated three commercial clinical decision support tools to assess their variant classification and drug matching strategies.Methods: In this two centers study 48 patients with metastatic breast (n=12), colorectal (n=17) or non-small cell lung cancer (n=19) were recruited based on circulating tumor DNA levels in peripheral blood. In individual patients’ plasma samples, we established somatic copy number alterations and somatic mutations across a 77 cancer-associated gene panel and exposed the obtained molecular profiles to the decision support packages NAVIFY Mutation Profiler (NMP; Roche), Qiagen Clinical Insight (QCI) Interpret (Qiagen) and CureMatch Bionov (CureMatch).Results: In the plasma samples, altogether 492 somatic alterations were assessed. Each decision support platform varied in their format of data input, mode of variant classification and strategies for identifying druggable targets and clinical trials, which resulted in discrepancies in tier classification as well as designations of actionability. The frequency of concordant actionable events for tier I-A or tier I-B classifications, i.e. those with the strongest clinical evidence, was only 4.3%, 9.5% and 28.4% when comparing NMP with QCI, NMP with CureMatch, and CureMatch with QCI, respectively. As a consequence, the obtained treatment recommendations differed drastically, and alignment of treatment recommendations was limited to established predictive markers.Conclusions: The lack of standards for the extraction of treatment recommendations from comprehensive tumor molecular profiling data challenge the promising concepts of precision oncology.

  Study EGAS00001004383

• Development of targeted DNA sequencing panel for brain tumors

  A prompt and reliable molecular diagnosis for brain tumors has become crucial in precision medicine. While Comprehensive Genomic Profiling (CGP) has become feasible, there remains room for enhancement in brain tumor diagnosis due to the partial lack of essential genes and limitations in broad copy number analysis. In addition, the long turnaround time of commercially available CGPs poses an additional obstacle to the timely implementation of results in clinics. To address these challenges, we developed a CGP encompassing 113 genes, genome-wide copy number changes, and MGMT promoter methylation.

  Study EGAS50000000699

• Sputum fungal microbiota in an overall healthy population in Guangdong province, China

  This repository contains raw sequencing data for sputum fungal microbiota in an overall healthy population in Guangdong province, China. The aim of the study is to provide a comprehensive insight on the multi-kingdom airway microbiome, how it may underlie the interplay between exposure and healthy outcomes, and whether it can be employed to inform airway health and diseases.

  Study EGAS00001006720

• Sputum bacterial microbiota in an overall healthy population in Guangdong province, China

  This repository contains raw sequencing data for sputum fungal microbiota in an overall healthy population in Guangdong province, China. The aim of the study is to provide a comprehensive insight on the multi-kingdom airway microbiome, how it may underlie the interplay between exposure and healthy outcomes, and whether it can be employed to inform airway health and diseases.

  Study EGAS00001006721

• Genome-wide search to find the genetic elements underlying visual contour perception

  Contour integration is a key function of the visual system to deal with occlusion and discontinuity in natural scenes. The current study is the first one to investigate the genetic basis of this visual function in humans. A total of 2619 normal participants were tested on their ability to detect continuous contours embedded in a cluttered background with a standard psychophysical protocol. Multi-level genomic analysis was performed, involving heritability estimation based on single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) and association testing at SNP and gene levels.

  Study EGAS00001003639

• Genomic DNA analysis for malignant mesothelioma from the patients of Japan and USA.

  Malignant mesotheliomas (MMs) are highly aggressive adult malignancies and exposure to asbestos is the major factor involved in MM pathogenesis. It is desirable for a better understanding of the molecular pathogenesis of MM will lead to more specific and effective targeted therapies. In addition it is reported that germline mutation in a specific gene (ex. BAP1) associates familial MMs, and new candidate markers to determine a subject?s predisposition to MM and for early detection need to be identified. Analysis of genomic DNA from MM tumors and reference peripheral blood from Japan and USA are ongoing to find the common genomic characters beyond race.

  Study JGAS000108

• Molecular phenotyping of MCA/ID patients to improve diagnosis

  De novo structural variants are frequently identified in individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders, but the genes driving their phenotypes are often unknown. In this study we performed Whole Genome Sequencing, RNA-sequencing and ATAC-sequencing on samples of 51 patients with intellectual disability and/or multiple congenital anomalies and their biological parents (when available). The goals of the study were to gain more insights in the molecular consequences of (complex) genomic rearrangements and to improve the genetic diagnosis of patients carrying such rearrangements. Data is divided in four separate datasets based on type of source material and data access restrictions due to consent.

  Study EGAS00001003489

• Peripheral immunoprofiling of stratifies COVID-19 patients based on disease-specific neutrophil signatures

  The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has led to increasing numbers of COVID-19 patients all over the world. Aetiopathologies range from no symptoms, mild flu-like to severe cases succumbing to respiratory failure. Reports on a dysregulated immune system in the severe cases, showing similarities to cytokine release syndrome, calls for better characterization and understanding of the changes in the immune system as well as their variance across COVID-19 patients in order to be able to design according to host-directed therapies. Here, we profiled blood transcriptomes of 39 COVID-19 patients and 10 control donors. Enriched granulocyte signatures in whole blood samples were verified in granulocyte samples from 49 COVID-19 patients in a second cohort.

  Dataset EGAD00001006671

• Peripheral immunoprofiling of stratifies COVID-19 patients based on disease-specific neutrophil signatures

  The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has led to increasing numbers of COVID-19 patients all over the world. Aetiopathologies range from no symptoms, mild flu-like to severe cases succumbing to respiratory failure. Reports on a dysregulated immune system in the severe cases, showing similarities to cytokine release syndrome, calls for better characterization and understanding of the changes in the immune system as well as their variance across COVID-19 patients in order to be able to design according to host-directed therapies. Here, we profiled blood transcriptomes of 39 COVID-19 patients and 10 control donors. Enriched granulocyte signatures in whole blood samples were verified in granulocyte samples from 49 COVID-19 patients in a second cohort.

  Dataset EGAD00001006326

• Extent and Significance of Bacterial DNA Integrations in the Human Cancer Genome

  The integration of exogenous DNA into the human genome can cause somatic mutations associated with oncogenesis. For example, the insertion of HPV DNA into human chromosomes is the single most important event leading to tumorigenesis in cervical cancer. It is also now preventable with vaccines against HPV. In contrast to viral DNA integrations, the instances and repercussions of bacterial DNA integration into the somatic human genome are less clear. Yet bacterial DNA integrations (BDI) found to be associated with tumorigenesis could also be prevented using therapeutics like vaccines that limit exposure to the bacteria. Previous analysis of publicly available sequencing data from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) showed BDIs from Pseudomonas spp. rRNA into the 5'-UTR of four proto-oncogenes as well as in Ig (the immunoglobulin gene) of gastric cancer samples. The original samples from TCGA were not available to validate these findings. Therefore, a different cohort of gastric cancer patients was identified in order to establish the presence BDIs. Whole exome sequencing was completed on seven tumor samples and six adjacent gastric samples, as well as one intestinal metaplasia sample and one non-atrophic gastritis sample. Four of those samples were also investigated with transcriptomics and whole genome sequencing. Given that 15-20% of cancers worldwide are linked to infections, more work is needed to understand the role of infectious agents in oncogenesis and the mechanisms underlying that role.

  Study phs001936

• Sperm sequencing reveals extensive positive selection in the human germline -NanoSeq

  Mutations that occur during human ageing in the cell lineages of sperm or eggs have the potential to be transmitted to offspring. In males, positive selection of driver mutations during spermatogenesis is known to increase the birth prevalence of certain developmental disorders and cancer predisposition syndromes. However, direct observation of the scope of this selection in sperm has been limited by the error rates of sequencing technologies. Using the duplex sequencing method known as NanoSeq, we sequenced bulk sperm samples from individuals aged 24 to 75 years. Our findings revealed a linear accumulation mutations per year and mutational signatures consistent with pedigree studies. Deep targeted and deep exome NanoSeq of sperm samples identified genes subject to significant positive selection in the male germline, which are linked to diverse cellular pathways including RAS/MAPK and BMP signaling. Strikingly, nearly all positively selected genes are associated with developmental or cancer predisposition disorders in children. We find that this effect drives an elevated risk of known likely disease-causing mutations in sperm across a wide age range. This implies that the disorders attributed to these genes likely exhibit elevated birth prevalence in human populations, particularly among older fathers. These findings shed light on the dynamics of germline mutations and highlight an increased disease risk for children born to fathers of advanced age.

  Dataset EGAD00001015590

• Sperm sequencing reveals extensive positive selection in the human germline -TargetedNanoSeq

  Mutations that occur during human ageing in the cell lineages of sperm or eggs have the potential to be transmitted to offspring. In males, positive selection of driver mutations during spermatogenesis is known to increase the birth prevalence of certain developmental disorders and cancer predisposition syndromes. However, direct observation of the scope of this selection in sperm has been limited by the error rates of sequencing technologies. Using the duplex sequencing method known as NanoSeq, we sequenced bulk sperm samples from individuals aged 24 to 75 years. Our findings revealed a linear accumulation mutations per year and mutational signatures consistent with pedigree studies. Deep targeted and deep exome NanoSeq of sperm samples identified genes subject to significant positive selection in the male germline, which are linked to diverse cellular pathways including RAS/MAPK and BMP signaling. Strikingly, nearly all positively selected genes are associated with developmental or cancer predisposition disorders in children. We find that this effect drives an elevated risk of known likely disease-causing mutations in sperm across a wide age range. This implies that the disorders attributed to these genes likely exhibit elevated birth prevalence in human populations, particularly among older fathers. These findings shed light on the dynamics of germline mutations and highlight an increased disease risk for children born to fathers of advanced age.

  Dataset EGAD00001015591

• Sperm sequencing reveals extensive positive selection in the human germline -WGS

  Mutations that occur during human ageing in the cell lineages of sperm or eggs have the potential to be transmitted to offspring. In males, positive selection of driver mutations during spermatogenesis is known to increase the birth prevalence of certain developmental disorders and cancer predisposition syndromes. However, direct observation of the scope of this selection in sperm has been limited by the error rates of sequencing technologies. Using the duplex sequencing method known as NanoSeq, we sequenced bulk sperm samples from individuals aged 24 to 75 years. Our findings revealed a linear accumulation mutations per year and mutational signatures consistent with pedigree studies. Deep targeted and deep exome NanoSeq of sperm samples identified genes subject to significant positive selection in the male germline, which are linked to diverse cellular pathways including RAS/MAPK and BMP signaling. Strikingly, nearly all positively selected genes are associated with developmental or cancer predisposition disorders in children. We find that this effect drives an elevated risk of known likely disease-causing mutations in sperm across a wide age range. This implies that the disorders attributed to these genes likely exhibit elevated birth prevalence in human populations, particularly among older fathers. These findings shed light on the dynamics of germline mutations and highlight an increased disease risk for children born to fathers of advanced age.

  Dataset EGAD00001015592

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

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

  Study EGAS00001001849

• Asian Indian Diabetic Heart Study (AIDHS) /Sikh Diabetes Study (SDS)

  The Punjabi Sikh population is a well-defined, carefully collected homogeneous sample from northern India and the US. It has unique characteristics, which are ideal for genetic studies. Sikhs are strictly a non-smoking population and about 50% of participants are life-long vegetarians. All subjects included in the genome-wide association studies (GWAS) were recruited from one geographical location. Our population demonstrates a strong familial clustering of type 2 diabetes and related cardio-metabolic disorders that may be genetic and we believe that the contribution of alleles at specific loci are likely to be unique to Punjabi Asians compared to Europeans. Our group first showed that the association of a common variant at rs9939609 in the FTO (fat mass and obesity) gene in South Asians was independent of BMI (PMID:18598350) in contrast to Europeans where the association of same variant with T2D is mediated through obesity (PMID:17434869). These findings were later confirmed in an independent sample of South Indians (PMID:19005641), Pakistanis (PMID:21294771), and even East and South Asians in a large meta-analyses study comprising 96,551 individuals (PMID: 22109280). Earlier reported association of MTNR1B with fasting glucose concentrations and type 2 diabetes in European GWAS could not be confirmed in our Sikh cohort. On the other hand, our study revealed, for the first time, a significant protective association of another less common variant in MTNR1B with fasting glucose levels that was modulated by obesity. Ours was the first report that suggested that the low CETP activity was associated with higher CAD risk (PMID:22143414) in South Asians and that the genetic effects are significantly modulated by environmental factors (alcohol consumption). Our recent GWAS on type 2 diabetes has identified a novel locus at chromosome 13q12 in the SGCG gene (p=1.82x10-8) associated with type 2 diabetes (PMID:23300278) in Punjabi Sikhs. From these findings, we are optimistic that our resource will provide new insights to gene functions in the diabetic pathway and better help researchers to understand and translate these insights to novel therapeutic treatment and early prevention to T2D that may be important beyond Indians.

  Study phs000583

• Genetics of Cutaneous T-Cell Lymphoma

  Mycosis fungoides (MF) is a common extranodal T-cell lymphoma primarily arising in the skin. In early disease stages, MF presents as skin patches and plaques that in some cases may progress to tumor and disperse to lymph nodes and other internal organs. The 10-year overall survival is 50% in advanced stages. Early diagnosis is difficult as the histology overlaps with features of inflammatory skin diseases. Even when the diagnosis is established, there are no prognostic markers that predict whether the disease will be aggressive or indolent. Lastly, there are no curative treatments and MF will invariably relapse, even after aggressive chemotherapy. The disease is a diagnostic, prognostic and therapeutic challenge. The main objective of this study is to address the question of tumor heterogeneity in MF. To date, MF is considered to be monoclonal, derived from a transformed, mature memory T-cell. However, clinical observations and preliminary data suggest that MF comprises multiple subclones, which may be of importance for understanding disease evolution and resistance to therapy. We plan to address this objective using Whole Exome Sequencing (WES) of MF tissue prepared by laser microdissection (LMD).

  Study phs001877

• Shedding light over COVID-19 susceptibility and severity

  “One of the most remarkable features of SARS-CoV-2 infection is the variation in consequence ranging from asymptomatic to life-threatening” state the authors of the majestic Nature paper released in accelerated pre-view on July 2021. This variation in consequences represent not only an issue of burning medical relevance, but also a scientific and intellectual challenge for scientists around the globe. Researchers are known to be easily triggered by a challenge, and they recently demonstrated to be even better at double their efforts to focus on an urgent societal need. In this work led and coordinated by the COVID-19 Host Genetics Initiative (COVID-19 HGI), researchers gathered data from 49,562 cases and two million controls from 46 studies performed worldwide. The majority of the data has been deposited at the EGA, where 29 datasets have been collected under the study number EGAS00001005304. Data gathered from diverse sources conferred a huge robustness to the results. Genetic data from different ancestry origin were included in the analyses, even though data from patients with European origin was highly predominant (approx. 75%). Separated analysis of the different ancestries gave rise to relevant differences in the results, highlighting how important it is to take this aspect in consideration for future studies. Data from the individual studies was compiled into three categories according to COVID-19 severity for a meta-analysis: (a) critically ill cases (b) moderate or severe cases (c) all cases. They were paired with non-COVID-19-reported controls. All three analysis resulted in a total of 13 genetic loci associated with COVID-19 severity. Out of those, 9 loci associated specifically with critical illness, while 6 (a few overlapped) associated with moderated illness. Some genomic position matched previous findings. Interestingly, working with such an enormous amount of data allowed the depth to discriminate association with disease susceptibility vs severity, an issue of large medical relevance. Several loci mapped into biological relevant genes, like TYK2, PPP1R15A and FOXP4, previously implicated in immune response and/or lung functions. Researchers participating in the COVID-19 Host Genetics Initiative have worked in an unprecedented time-tight collaboration, prioritizing data sharing and collective results to tackle the pandemic affecting the world. The scientific community won’t miss any of the lessons to learn from this, and the EGA is ready to keep working to enable safe data sharing and fruitful collaborations.

  Blog covid-19-susceptibility-and-severity

• Whole-genome sequencing analysis for understanding of the stepwise progression of lung adenocarcinoma

  In this study, we performed long and short read whole-genome sequencing analysis of lung adenocarcinoma from early to advanced stages to identify molecular events associated with the stepwise progression of lung adenocarcinoma. We particularly focused on very early stage of lung adenocarcinoma, such as adenocarcinoma in situ (AIS) and minimally invasive adenocarcinoma (MIA). In addition to the whole-genome sequencing analysis, we conducted transcriptome and epigenome analysis, multiplex fluorescence immunostaining. This study would enable us to understand important molecular events of pathogenesis in detail during lung adenocarcinoma progression.

  Study JGAS000570

• Angelman, Rett, Prader-Willi Syndromes Consortium (ARP) Angelman Syndrome Natural History Protocol

  This study is a longitudinal multidisciplinary investigation on the natural history, morbidity and mortality of Angelman Syndrome (AS). We will collect detailed longitudinal data on a cohort of AS individuals to gain a better understanding of the disease progression, and to follow the natural history of the clinical features of this cohort including assessment of quality of life and longevity. The participants to be recruited for the study will include 1) patients who have a documented molecular diagnosis of AS and 2) patients with a clear clinical diagnosis of Angelman Syndrome as determined by the Principal Investigator (PI) and the Co-investigators in this study but who do not have a known molecular defect. One of the goals of the natural history study will be to characterize the phenotypic differences between patients with Class I deletions and those with Class II deletions, particularly with respect to the issue of autism. A blood sample may be collected on the participants in order to create a DNA repository, and in some cases, to establish cell lines if further material is required for molecular studies. Alternatively, DNA may be obtained by buccal mucosa swabs/brushing. In those AS patients with known deletions involving the 15q11-q13 regions, a blood sample will be collected to perform comparative genome hybridization (CGH) microarray studies to characterize the extent of the deletion. No drugs or treatments will be administered through this protocol. In rare instances, a skin biopsy to establish a fibroblast cell line may be requested (using separate consent).

  Study phs000576

• Identification and Targeting of Inflammatory Macrophage-Fibroblast Crosstalk in Rheumatoid Arthritis

  Macrophages tailor their function according to the signals found in tissue microenvironments, assuming a wide spectrum of phenotypes. A detailed understanding of macrophage phenotypes in human tissues is limited. Using single-cell RNA sequencing, we defined distinct macrophage subsets in the joints of patients with the autoimmune disease rheumatoid arthritis (RA), which affects ~1% of the population. The subset we refer to as HBEGF+ inflammatory macrophages is enriched in RA tissues and is shaped by resident fibroblasts and the cytokine tumor necrosis factor (TNF). These macrophages promoted fibroblast invasiveness in an epidermal growth factor receptor-dependent manner, indicating that intercellular cross-talk in this inflamed setting reshapes both cell types and contributes to fibroblast-mediated joint destruction. In an ex vivo synovial tissue assay, most medications used to treat RA patients targeted HBEGF+ inflammatory macrophages; however, in some cases, redirecting them into a state is not expected to resolve inflammation. These data highlight how advances in our understanding of chronically inflamed human tissues and the effects of medications therein can be achieved by studies on local macrophage phenotypes and intercellular interactions. Reprinted from Kuo, Ding et al., Science Translational Medicine 2019, PMID: 31068444, with permission from American Association for the Advancement of Science.

  Study phs001340

• Abnormal_foetal_development_exome_trios

  This project is to explore the contribution of de novo mutations to severe structural malformations diagnosed prenatally using ultrasound. These malformations include heart, CNS, renal and GI abnormalities. In this pilot project we aim to exome sequence 30 parent-foetus trios to ~50X mean coverage and identify de novo functional variants using an algorithm developed in the Hurles group

  Study EGAS00001000167

• Allogeneic induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cell-derived cartilage transplantation for articular cartilage damage in knee joints: a phase I, first-in-human study

  Damaged articular cartilage seldom heals due to a limited capacity for self-repair, frequently leading to osteoarthritis. Regenerative interventions are expected to heal the damage. We have recently established a method to produce cartilage from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) in a clinically applicable process. The primary aim of this study was to evaluate the safety including tumorigenesis and the subsequence efficacy of allogeneic iPSC-derived cartilage transplantation into damaged areas of knee articular cartilage.

  Study EGAS50000001167

• A Pharmcogenetic Study of Bipolar Disorder in a Taiwanese Han Chinese Population (TWBP)

  Objective: To identify genetic variants associated with response to lithium prophylaxis treatment. Materials: 294 bipolar I (BPI) patients receiving lithium treatment, a subset of 1761 bipolar I (BPI) patients recruited by the Taiwan Bipolar Consortium. Lithium response was assessed based on the Alda Scale. Methods: Responders to lithium treatment were defined if the patients' Alda Scale > 4, 5, 6, and 7. Genome-wide association (GWA) analysis was carried out on the 294 BPI patients for the 4 definitions of responders. The SNPs showing strongest association in the GWAS were then tested for association in a replication sample of 100 patients and further tested in a prospective follow-up series of 24 patients. Results: Two SNPs on GADL1 showed the strongest associations in the four GWA analyses and in the replication set of 100 patients. These two SNPs had a sensitivity of 0.93 for predicting lithium response and differentiated between the good and poor responders in the follow-up cohort. Summary: These genetic variants are associated with response to lithium prophylaxis treatment for BPI.

  Study phs000692

• Phenotype Risk Scores Identify Patients with Unrecognized Mendelian Disease Patterns

  This study was designed to assess the phenotypic effects of rare variants. Rare variants are difficult to study in a high-throughput manner because most cohorts are underpowered to detect associations. In order to gain power to test rare variants, we use Phenotype Risk Scores (PheRS) based on features of Mendelian diseases. PheRS is calculated using claims data from an EHR that is mapped to clinical features from OMIM's clinical descriptions of Mendelian disease. We calculated PheRS for 1,204 Mendelians diseases in a cohort of 21,701 individuals genotyped on the HumanExome BeadChip. We then tested for association between these diseases and rare variants in causal genes. A phenotype risk score is calculated as the weighted sum of features for a given disease. The features are defined as a set of phecodes (consolidated ICD codes) associated with a particular Mendelian disease as described in OMIM. The weights for each phecode are calculated as the log inverse prevalence of the phecode in our cohort. For an individual, their score equals the sum of the weights for each phecode that is present in their medical record. Our study was based on a cohort of individuals with genotype data linked to de-identified electronic health records (EHR) from Vanderbilt's BioVU resource. We hope that this method will help generate phenotype-genotype correlation data on rare variants which in turn may inform rare variant interpretations use for diagnostics.

  Study phs001516

• Efficacy and Immune Effects of Anakinra Prophylaxis for Neurologic Toxicity and Cytokine Release Syndrome in Patients with Lymphoma Receiving Axicabtagene Ciloleucel

  Chimeric antigen receptor T cells have transformed the treatment of multiple hematologic malignancies, but are limited in application due to treatment-related toxicities. Cytokine release syndrome (CRS) and neurotoxicity (NT) are the primary toxicities associated with these therapies and are thought to be mediated by broad immune activation due to robust T-cell expansion. Current treatment of these toxicities utilize anti-IL-6 directed therapy and/or systemic glucocorticoids to mitigate the consequences of this complex inflammatory cascade. We sought to use anakinra, an IL-1R antagonist, as a prophylactic strategy to prevent clinically meaningful CRS/NT, defined as grade 2 or higher toxicity necessitating clinical intervention. Although our study, in line with others, demonstrated that IL-1R antagonism is insufficient to prevent such toxicities entirely, we were able to gain insight into the molecular immune signaling associated with breakthrough CRS & NT in the presence of anakinra prophylaxis using our scRNA dataset of patients treated with and without IL-1R antagonism. We demonstrate that IL-4 and IL-10 anti-inflammatory pathways in infused CAR-T products of both anakinra and non-anakinra cohorts were negatively associated with grade 2+ toxicities. We also found that expression of IFN-gamma pathways and ligand-receptor activities, as well as cytokine levels of IFN-gamma and CXCL10 in CD14+ monocytes, were significantly enriched in patients with breakthrough toxicity in the anakinra cohort. This correlated with an increase in IFN-gamma in the peripheral blood of patients with breakthrough toxicities, among other cytokines. These data identify IFN-gamma as a potential key mechanism in the development of CAR-T cell-associated toxcities and suggest that this pathway is also targetable and not inhibited by anakinra alone.

  Study phs003655

• The genetic structure of Norway

  The aim of the present study was to describe the genetic structure of the Norwegian population using genotypes from 6369 unrelated individuals with detailed information about places of residence. Using standard single marker- and haplotype-based approaches, we report evidence of two regions with distinctive patterns of genetic variation, one in the far northeast, and another in the south of Norway, as indicated by fixation indices, haplotype sharing, homozygosity and effective population size. We detect and quantify a component of Uralic Sami ancestry that is enriched in the North. On a finer scale, we find that rates of migration have been affected by topography like mountain ridges. In the broader Scandinavian context, we detect elevated relatedness between the mid- and northern border areas towards Sweden. The main finding of this study is that despite Norway’s long maritime history and as a former Danish territory, the region closest to mainland Europe in the south appears to have been the most isolated region in Norway, highlighting the open sea as a barrier to gene flow into Norway.

  Study EGAS00001004826

• Molecular Profiling and Sequential Somatic Mutation Shift in Hypermutator Tumors Harboring POLE Mutations

  Defective DNA polymerase ? (POLE) proofreading leads to extensive somatic mutations that exhibits biased mutational properties; however, the characteristics of POLE-mutated tumors remain unclear. In present study, we described a molecular profile using whole exome sequencing based on the transition of somatic mutations in 10 POLE-mutated solid tumors that obtained from 2,42 Japanese patients. The bias of accumulated variations in this mutant was quantified to follow a pattern of somatic mutations, thereby classifying the sequential mutation shift into three periods. During the period prior to occurrence of the aberrant POLE, no accumulation of mutations in cancer-related genes was observed, whereas PTEN was highly mutated in conjunction with or subsequent to the event, suggesting that POLE and PTEN mutations were responsible for the development of POLE-mutated tumors. Furthermore, homologous recombination was restored after occurring PTEN mutations. Our strategy for estimation of the footprint of somatic mutations may provide new insight toward the understanding of mutation-driven tumorigenesis.

  Study JGAS000130

• Count Me In (CMI): The Angiosarcoma (ASC) Project (CMI-ASCproject)

  Count Me In - The Angiosarcoma Project: A Patient-Partnered Research Initiative to Accelerate Research in a Rare Sarcoma The Angiosarcoma Project (ASCproject) is a research study that directly engages angiosarcoma patients online and empowers them to accelerate cancer research by sharing medical information and clinical samples. Angiosarcoma is an exceedingly rare soft tissue sarcoma with an incidence of ~300 newly diagnosed cases per year in the United States. This low incidence has impeded large-scale research efforts in this disease that are strongly needed to catalyze research and improve clinical outcomes. The Angiosarcoma Project, launched in March 2017, has demonstrated the feasibility of directly engaging geographically dispersed patients to democratize research and establish a large patient cohort to characterize the genomic and clinical landscape of a rare disease. Angiosarcoma patients living in the US or Canada can access the study and consent online through an online portal (ASCproject.org). Enrolled patients are mailed saliva and blood draw kits, which can be used to extract germline DNA and cell-free DNA (cfDNA), respectively. The study team contacts participants' healthcare institutions to obtain medical records and a portion of archived tumor samples. All received tumor samples are subjected to centralized histological re-review by an expert pathologist to confirm a diagnosis of angiosarcoma. Whole exome sequencing is performed on tumor DNA, germline DNA, and cfDNA; transcriptome sequencing is performed on tumor RNA. De-identified data, including linked genomic, clinical, and patient-reported data, are shared via public databases on a recurring pre-publication basis. Participants are regularly provided updates on the study.

  Study phs001931

• Human Autism Genetics

  The goal of this study is to bring together the power of 1) whole exome sequencing, 2) homozygosity mapping in consanguineous families, and 3) transcriptional analysis in brain tissue to identify genetic causes of autism spectrum disorders (ASD).

  Study phs000639