17280 results for "the best way to get coins in fc 26 Navštivte Buyfc26coins.com Společnost známá transparentními transakcemi..CQ2q"

in 29.69 milliseconds.

• Prevention and Early Treatment of Acute Lung Injury Network - Reevaluation of Systemic Early Neuromuscular Blockade (PETAL ROSE-BioLINCC)

  Data Access NOTE: Please refer to the "Authorized Access" section below regarding accessing data through the BioData Catalyst ecosystem. The data from this accession is not available for download through dbGaP. Available Data: The data available for request now include Long Term Outcome data.Biospecimens: Access to Biospecimens is through the NHLBI Biologic Specimen and Data Repository Information Coordinating Center (BioLINCC). Biospecimens from PETAL ROSE include Plasma, DNA, Whole Blood, and Urine. Please note that use of biospecimens in genetic research is subject to a tiered consent.Objectives: To determine the efficacy and safety of early neuromuscular blockade with concomitant heavy sedation as compared with a strategy of usual care with lighter sedation targets in patients with moderate-to-severe ARDS.Background: It has been well established that the approaches used for the application of mechanical ventilation in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) can affect survival and outcomes after discharge from the intensive care unit (ICU). A large, multicenter trial conducted a decade before this study reported that the early administration of a 48-hour infusion of neuromuscular blockade in patients with moderate-to-severe ARDS (defined by a ratio of the partial pressure of arterial oxygen [Pao2] to the fraction of inspired oxygen [Fio2] of Participants: There were 1006 participants.Design: PETAL-ROSE was a multicenter, unblinded, randomized trial of patients with moderate-to-severe ARDS. Participants were randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to receive 48 hours of continuous neuromuscular blockade with concomitant deep sedation (intervention group) or to receive usual care without routine neuromuscular blockade and with lighter sedation targets (control group).Patients in the intervention group who were not under deep sedation at baseline were deeply sedated within 4 hours after randomization. Subsequently, patients in this group received an intravenous bolus of 15 mg of cisatracurium, followed by a continuous infusion of 37.5 mg per hour for 48 hours. After the 48-hour trial intervention period, decisions regarding further use of neuromuscular blockade, including the choice of agent, were left to the discretion of the treating clinician. Neuromuscular blockade could be stopped early if the patient met the criteria for freedom from mechanical ventilation (Fio2 ≤0.40 and PEEP ≤8 cm of water) for at least 12 hours. All patients were treated with a strategy of low tidal volume ventilation within 2 hours after randomization and a high PEEP strategy for up to 5 days after randomization. Assessors who were unaware of the group assignment interviewed surviving patients or their proxies at 3, 6, and 12 months after randomization. The primary end point was in-hospital death from any cause at 90 days (in-hospital was defined as the time in the trial hospital plus transfer to another hospital, including the time in long-term acute care facilities). Conclusions: After the second interim analysis, the decision to stop the trial for futility was made independently by the data and safety monitoring board.In critically ill patients identified shortly after the diagnosis of moderate-to-severe ARDS, the addition of early continuous neuromuscular blockade with concomitant deep sedation did not result in lower mortality than a usual-care approach to mechanical ventilation that included lighter sedation targets.

  Study phs003878

• dbGaP Collection: Psychiatric Genomics Consortium (PGC) dbGaP Datasets

  This dbGaP Collection includes cases and controls used in the GWAS meta-analysis of neuropsychiatric phenotypes studied by investigators in the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium including major depression, bipolar disorder, attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder, schizophrenia, Tourette Syndrome, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. The consent type for data sets includes general research use as well as phenotype-specific restricted usage. This dbGaP collection was created to facilitate identification of datasets used in PGC analyses in order to expedite the application and ascertainment process for PGC members wishing to access data within the consortium. Non-PGC members may also apply for this dbGaP collection.

  Study phs001254

• Mesothelioma_Whole_Genomes

  Genomic architecture of mesothelioma parent study is project 925. This project is set up in parallel to project 925 in order to Whole genome sequence ten of the 59 tumours in that project.

  Study EGAS00001000830

• Resuscitation Outcomes Consortium (ROC) Cardiac Epidemiologic Registry (Cardiac Epistry) Versions 1 and 2 (ROC-Cardiac Epistry 1 and 2-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 versions 1 and 2 include all cardiac arrest cases entered into the ROC database from December 1, 2005 to April 1, 2011. ROC Cardiac Epistry 3 includes cardiac arrest cases captured between 2011 and 2015, and introduced significant changes in how and which data were collected.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: 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: The registry included 109,326 cardiac arrest events from 264 EMS agencies transporting to 287 acute care hospitals from the following regional centers: Birmingham, Alabama; Dallas, Texas; Iowa City, Iowa; Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Portland, Oregon; San Diego, California; Seattle/King County, Washington; Ottawa, Ontario; Toronto, Ontario; and Vancouver, British Columbia.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 phs003803

• RNA Ligation Precedes U6 snRNA/LINE-1 Retrotransposition

  Long Interspersed Element-1 (L1) retrotransposons make up approximately 17% of the human genome. L1 moves throughout the genome via a copy-and-paste mechanism termed retrotransposition. L1 retrotransposition also mobilizes other cellular RNAs such as SINES, U6 snRNA and, mRNA, which for the latter results in the formation of processed pseudogenes. In this study we demonstrate that the RNA ligase RtcB can create chimeric RNAs by joining U6 snRNAs to 5'-truncated L1 or other cellular RNAs. We also show that the retrotransposition of U6/L1 chimeric RNA leads to U6/L1 pseudogene formation. In sum, our data suggests that U6 snRNA and RtcB may have biological roles in addition to their essential functions in mRNA and tRNA splicing, and that the retrotransposition of chimeric RNAs could be a mechanism to create novel genes.

  Study phs001671

• Capturing the Genetic Diversity of the Himba Population

  The Himba people are a semi-nomadic, Bantu-speaking pastoralist group from the northwestern Kunene region of Namibia. Because of their limited population size, restricted geographic distribution, and endogamy, founder populations represent an ideal system for genetic analyses due to reduction of the confounding environmental and cultural variables. The original study used genotype data and demographic interview data to understand family dynamics and ancestry in a population of Himba pastoralists. HLA allele calls and genome-wide methylation array data were later generated for a subset of the initial dataset for 2 additional studies. These 3 molecular datasets, available through dbGaP, are relevant to broader studies of ancestry, allele frequencies and the relationship of Himba to other ethnic groups in sub-Saharan Africa. The Himba population provides a unique opportunity to study questions regarding extra-pair paternity and mate selection because Himba culture allows both men and women, married and not, to take multiple partners. Previous estimates of extra-pair paternity rates in human populations have been very low, but these estimates lack global and cultural diversity in population representation. Thus, investigating the rate of extra-pair paternity in the Himba greatly aids in understanding the global variation in non-paternity rates among human populations. Saliva samples were collected from parents and children, and were genotyped on Illumina SNP array platforms (MEGAex and H3Africa). In total, 678 individuals' genotype array data are deposited. Paternity results were de-identified and protected by a double blind protocol (no researcher has full knowledge of individual paternity results). Due to the sensitive nature of this study, paternity assertions are not available for access. For a subset of 360 individuals, HLA class 1 (A, B, C) and class 2 (DPA1, DPB1, DQA1, DQB1, DRB1) genes were targeted for DNA sequencing using a probe-based capture method. HLA alleles at the four field resolution were determined from the sequence capture using the consensus calls obtained from two algorithms: NGSengine® 2.10.0 (GenDX, Utrecht, the Netherlands) and HLA Explore™ (Omixon Biocomputing Ltd. Budapest, Hungary). These data were used to investigate evidence for mate selection based on HLA dissimilarity in the Himba. Himba cultural norms permit concurrent arranged marriages and chosen sexual partnerships allowing us to directly test for evidence of disassortative mate selection based on HLA genotype. Due to the sensitive nature of this study, partnership data are not available for access.For a subset of 51 Himba individuals methylation array data was generated from the saliva-derived DNA. These data were generated in order to investigate the accuracy of epigenetic age predictors in this population and to construct population-specific epigenetic age predictors in a subsequent publication. Chronological ages are available for these 51 individuals.

  Study phs001995

• Whole-Genome Sequencing (WGS) of a Malignant Granular Cell Tumor (GCT) with Metabolic Response to Pazopanib

  We report one case study of a malignant granular cell tumor patient with metabolic response to pazopanib. In this study, we used whole-genome sequencing of the tumor with the matched blood to characterize the somatic mutation profile in this tumor. This is the first reported whole-genome sequencing study of the rare malignant granular cell tumor.

  Study phs000978

• A Case Controlled Etiologic Study of Sarcoidosis (ACCESS-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. Access to Biospecimens is through the NHLBI Biologic Specimen and Data Repository Information Coordinating Center (BioLINCC). Biospecimens from (ACCESS) include Bronchial Lavage, DNA, Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells, and Plasma. Please note that use of biospecimens in genetic research is subject to a tiered consent. Objectives: To determine the etiology of sarcoidosis by establishing a case control, multi-center study. In addition to etiology, this study also sought to examine socioeconomic variables and the clinical course of patients with sarcoidosis, including quality of life.Background: Sarcoidosis is a chronic granulomatous disorder of unknown cause that is characterized by activation of T-lymphocytes and macrophages. For many years, sarcoidosis was presumed to be an atypical manifestation of tuberculosis because of the similarity between the inflammatory responses of the two diseases. However, as culture techniques became more widely employed to diagnose tuberculosis and it became less common, it became clear that sarcoidosis was not simply a variation of tuberculosis. Data on the etiology of sarcoidosis have come from diverse sources: in clinical investigations, alveolitis has been found to precede granulomatous inflammation; in case control studies, familial aggregation has been identified; and in case reports, recurrence of granulomatous inflammation has been observed after lung transplantation. The cause may not prove to be a single, known exposure. Interactions of exposures with genetic dispositions could have important implications for our understanding of immune responses as well as the pathogenesis of sarcoidosis.Participants: 736 participants with sarcoidosis enrolled within 6 months of diagnosis from 10 clinical centers in the U.S. Using the ACCESS sarcoidosis assessment system, organ involvement was determined for the whole group and for subgroups differentiated by sex, race, and age (Conclusions: The initial presentation of sarcoidosis is related to sex, race and age, and it tends to remain stable over two years in the majority of patients. The etiology is probably multifactoral with both genetic and environmental factors contributing.Specimen Details: The PBMC for this study are pelleted and suspended in guanidinium-based solution and are nonviable.

  Study phs004276

• Progression to AML is predictable and distinct from age related clonal hematopoiesis

  To examine the occurrence of somatic mutations prior to the development of acute myeloid leukemia, we undertook deep ECS (estimated limit of detection 1 mutation in 2500 cells) of 261 AML associated genes in 96 pre-AML cases and 420 age and gender-matched healthy controls of an average of 3853 unique DNA molecules covering each of the 1.19M bases spanning the target gene panel. The findings suggest that the development of clonal hematopoiesis and accumulation of somatic mutations is distinct and accelerated in pre-AML cases compared to healthy individuals

  Study EGAS00001002570

• ImmunoAgeing_Longitudinal

  The objective is to establish whether immunosenescence is associated with the development of clonal haematopoiesis in a healthy ageing population. This will be addressed in collaboration with the European consortium running the ImmunoAgeing project (www.immunoageing.eu). Genomic DNA derived from the peripheral blood of 394 individuals at 3-5 time-points over a 20-year period will be analysed. RNA bait pulldown (Agilent) will be used to perform targeted sequencing of genes known to be recurrently mutated in myeloid malignancies The presence, size and nature of clonal haematopoiesis will be correlated with quantitative measures of immunosenescence.

  Study EGAS00001003183

• The endometrial transcription landscape of MRKH syndrome

  The Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser (MRKH) syndrome (OMIM 277000) is characterized by agenesis of the uterus and upper part of the vagina in females with normal ovarian function. While genetic causes have been identified for a small subset of patients and epigenetic mechanisms presumably contribute to the pathogenic unfolding, too, the etiology of the syndrome has remained largely enigmatic. A comprehensive understanding of gene activity in the context of the disease is crucial to identify etiological components and their potential interplay. So far, this understanding is lacking, primarily due to the scarcity of samples and suitable tissue. In order to close this gap, we profiled endometrial tissue of uterus rudiments in a large cohort of MRKH patients using RNA-seq and thereby provide a genome-wide view on the altered transcription landscape of the MRKH syndrome.

  Study EGAS00001004601

• Targets of MEK inhibition in DIPG

  The survival of children with diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG) remains dismal, with new treatments desperately needed. In the era of precision medicine, targeted therapies represent an exciting treatment opportunity, yet resistance can rapidly emerge, playing an important role in treatment failure. In a prospective biopsy-stratified clinical trial, we combined detailed molecular profiling (methylation BeadArray, exome, RNAseq, phospho-proteomics) linked to drug screening in newly-established patient-derived models of DIPG in vitro and in vivo. We identified a high degree of in vitro sensitivity to the MEK inhibitor trametinib in samples which harboured genetic alterations targeting the MAPK pathway, including the non-canonical BRAF_G469V mutation, and those affecting PIK3R1 and NF1. However, treatment of PDX models and of a patient with trametinib at relapse failed to elicit a significant response. We generated trametinib-resistant clones in the BRAF_G469V model through continuous drug exposure, and identified acquired mutations in MEK1/2 (MEK1_K57N, MEK1_I141S and MEK2_I115N) with sustained pathway up-regulation. These cells showed the hallmarks of mesenchymal transition, and expression signatures overlapping with inherently trametinib-insensitive primary patient-derived cells that predicted an observed sensitivity to dasatinib. Combinations of trametinib with dasatinib and the downstream ERK inhibitor ulixertinib showed highly synergistic effects in vitro. These data highlight the MAPK pathway as a therapeutic target in DIPG, and show the importance of parallel resistance modelling and rational combinatorial treatments likely to be required for meaningful clinical translation.

  Study EGAS00001004495

• Correlative Genomic Analysis of Durvalumab plus Pazopanib Combination in Patients with Advanced Soft Tissue Sarcomas

  We conducted an open-label, phase 2 study to determine the activity of the anti-VEGF receptor tyrosine-kinase inhibitor, pazopanib, combined with the anti-PD-L1 immune checkpoint inhibitor, durvalumab, in unselected advanced sarcomas. In addition, we conducted whole exome and transcriptomic sequencing with pre-treatment tissue biopsy to correlate clinical outcomes with molecular and genomic biomarkers to identify patients who would most likely benefit from the combination treatment.

  Study EGAS50000000082

• Immune induction strategies to enhance the sensitivity to PD-1 blockade in metastatic triple negative breast cancer: the TONIC-trial

  The response rate in metastatic triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) to PD-1 blockade is low, highlighting an urgent clinical need for strategies that render the TNBC tumor microenvironment (TME) more sensitive to PD-1 blockade. Immunomodulatory mechanisms have been proposed for both chemotherapy and irradiation, but it has not been established whether these therapies may improve efficacy of PD-1 blockade by favorably changing the TME. In the first stage of this adaptive, non-comparative phase II trial (TONIC-trial; NCT02499367), 67 patients with metastatic TNBC were randomized to nivolumab without induction or to one of four induction treatments, consisting of irradiation of one metastatic lesion (3x8 Gy) or a two- week low-dose regimen of cyclophosphamide, cisplatin or doxorubicin, all followed by nivolumab. In the overall cohort of 66 evaluable patients, the objective response rate (ORR; iRECIST16) was 20% (95% CI: 11%-31%), with two complete responses and 11 partial responses. The majority of clinical responses were observed on nivolumab in the cisplatin (ORR 23%; 3/13) and doxorubicin (ORR 35%; 6/17) cohorts. After doxorubicin and cisplatin induction, we detected an upregulation of immune-related genes, involved in PD-1/PD-L1, and T-cell cytotoxicity pathways. This was further supported by enrichment among upregulated genes related to inflammation, JAK-STAT and TNFα-signaling after doxorubicin. In addition, we observed a trend towards increased T-cell infiltration, measured using T-cell receptor (TCR) sequencing, after doxorubicin. Together, the clinical and translational data of this study testing different immune induction strategies prior to nivolumab suggest that short-term doxorubicin and cisplatin may induce a more favorable TME and increase the likelihood of response to PD-1 blockade in TNBC. These data warrant further confirmation in TNBC and exploration of induction treatments prior to PD-1 blockade in other cancer types.

  Study EGAS00001003535

• A Whole Genome Association Scan for Myopia and Glaucoma Endophenotypes using Twin Studies

  Myopia and glaucoma are highly prevalent ophthalmic disorders worldwide and contribute significantly to ocular morbidity. There is substantial evidence that genetic factors play a significant role in the development of non-syndromic myopia and glaucoma. We propose to perform mapping studies for well-characterized twin populations in the United Kingdom and Australia in order to ultimately identify implicated genes for these disorders and related ocular parameters. This will provide a fundamental molecular understanding of how these disorders develop, and may lead to directed physiologic (i.e. pharmacologic, gene therapy) interventions. Our aim is to dissect the genetic basis of the eye disorders myopia and glaucoma. Instead of limited analyses of the trait/disease in a dichotomous manner, we are using continuous phenotypes of measures of refraction and intermediate phenotypes of glaucoma to analyze quantitative traits in unselected population samples of volunteer twins. Achievement of this goal requires cooperative efforts and large sample sizes. Thus, we have created an international collaboration of large complementary studies.

  Study phs000142

• Acute Respiratory Distress Network (ARDSNet) Studies 10 and 12 Statins for Acutely Injured Lungs from Sepsis (SAILS) (ARDSNet-SAILS-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. Biospecimens Access to Biospecimens is through the NHLBI Biologic Specimen and Data Repository Information Coordinating Center (BioLINCC). Biospecimens from ARDSNet-SAILS include Plasma, DNA, and Urine. Please note that use of biospecimens in genetic research is subject to a tiered consent. Objectives The SAILS trial was intended to assess the efficacy and safety of oral rosuvastatin in participants with sepsis-induced Acute Lung Injury (ALI) and test the hypothesis that rosuvastatin therapy would improve the clinical outcomes of critically ill participants with sepsis-associated acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Background In ARDS, inflammation in the lungs and other organs can cause life-threatening organ failure. Inhibitors of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase (statins) can modulate inflammatory responses. Previous observational studies suggested that statins improved clinical outcomes in participants with sepsis. Participants There were 745 participants. Design Participants were randomly assigned in permuted blocks to receive either enteral rosuvastatin or placebo. A 40 mg loading dose of the study drug was administered within four hours after randomization. Subsequently, maintenance doses of 20 mg were administered daily until the third day after discharge from the intensive care unit, study day 28, hospital discharge, or death, whichever came first. The primary outcome measure was mortality before hospital discharge home or until study day 60 if the participant was still in a health care facility. Secondary outcome measures included the number of ventilator-free days to day 28, organ-failure-free days to day 14, and ICU-free days to day 28. Conclusions The study was stopped because of futility after 745 of an estimated 1000 participants had been enrolled. There was no significant difference between study groups in 60 day in-hospital mortality or in mean ventilator-free days. The rosuvastatin group had fewer days free of hepatic or renal failure. Thus, rosuvastatin therapy did not improve clinical outcomes in participants with sepsis-associated ARDS and may have contributed to hepatic and renal organ dysfunction.

  Study phs003736

• 'Targeted High Throughput Sequencing in Clinical Cancer Settings: Formaldehyde fixed-paraffin embedded (FFPE) tumor tissues, input amount and tumor heterogeneity'

  "Background: Massively parallel sequencing technologies have brought an enormous increase in sequencing throughput. However, these technologies need to be further improved with regard to reproducibility and applicability to clinical samples and settings. Methods: Using identification of genetic variations in prostate cancer as an example we address three crucial challenges in the field of targeted re-sequencing: Small nucleotide variation (SNV) detection in samples of formalin-fixed paraffin embedded (FFPE) tissue material, minimal amount of input sample and sampling in view of tissue heterogeneity.Results: We show that FFPE tissue material can supplement for fresh frozen tissues for the detection of SNVs and that solution-based enrichment experiments can be accomplished with small amounts of DNA with only minimal effects on enrichment uniformity and data variance. Finally, we address the question whether the heterogeneity of a tumor is reflected by different genetic alterations, e.g. different foci of a tumor display different genomic patterns. We show that the tumor heterogeneity plays an important role for the detection of copy number variations, but is of minor importance for the detection of somatic variations.Conclusions: The application of high throughput sequencing technologies in cancer genomics opens up a new dimension for the identification of disease mechanisms. In particular the ability to use small amounts of FFPE samples available from surgical tumor resections and histopathological examinations facilitates the collection of precious tissue materials. However, care needs to be taken in regard to the locations of the biopsies taken, which can have an influence on the prediction of copy number variations. Bearing these technological challenges in mind will significantly improve many large-scale sequencing studies and will - on a long-range - result in a more reliable prediction of individual cancer therapies."

  Study EGAS00001000136

• ARST17B2-Q Germline and Somatic Genetic Landscape of Pediatric Rhabdomyosarcoma

  Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is the most common soft tissue sarcoma in children. While these malignancies display aberrant myogenic differentiation, relatively little is known about genetic susceptibility to RMS, or how genetic variants influence subsequent somatic events and may be used in risk stratification strategies. A small percentage of cases are associated with mutations in TP53 (Li-Fraumeni syndrome), HRAS (Costello syndrome), and PTCH1 (nevoid basal cell carcinoma syndrome/Gorlin syndrome), suggesting the genetic origins of childhood RMS. In spite of this, little work has been done to characterize genetic susceptibility to this malignancy. We plan to leverage samples collected as part of D9902 to conduct one of the largest germline genomic studies of RMS. We anticipate that once genetic associations are identified, researchers can use the information to develop better strategies to detect, treat, and prevent childhood RMS.

  Study phs003192

• Loss of IFN-gamma Signaling in Tumor Cells Associates with Primary Resistance to Anti-CTLA-4 Therapy

  Antibody blockade of the inhibitory CTLA-4 pathway has led to clinical benefit in a subset of patients with metastatic melanoma. Anti-CTLA-4 enhances T cell responses, including production of IFN-γ, which is a critical cytokine for host immune responses. However, the role of IFN-γ signaling in tumor cells in the setting of anti-CTLA-4 therapy remains unknown. Here we demonstrate that, based upon exome sequencing data, patients identified as non-responders to anti-CTLA-4 (ipilimumab) harbor a much higher genomic defects in the IFN-γ pathway genes than melanoma patients who had clinical response to ipilimumab therapy.

  Study phs001257

• Genetic Associations in Idiopathic Talipes Equinovarus (Clubfoot) - GAIT

  Isolated clubfoot or idiopathic talipes equinovarus (ITEV) is one of the five most common birth defects, affecting approximately 4,000 newborns each year in the US. While the orthopedic care of these children has improved, long-term problems persist and the health care costs are significant. Studies suggest that clubfoot is a complex disorder with segregation analyses and family studies indicating that genetic factors play an important etiologic role in the development of clubfoot. Only one environmental factor, maternal smoking during pregnancy, has been implicated. We postulate that a small number of genes account for a substantial fraction of clubfoot and that these genes can be identified in a defined population. The challenge now is to identify the genetic loci and, later, the effect of environmental exposures. To accomplish this task, it is important to have a well-defined population and the methodology to detect linkage with and without association. Towards these goals, we have identified and characterized multiplex clubfoot families, including two large clubfoot families, a resource which is among the largest ITEV populations in existence. We will perform a high-density SNP genome scan (GWAS) on our clubfoot dataset to identify chromosomal regions that may harbor clubfoot genes with subsequent interrogation of these regions and candidate genes. We are in a position with our unique clubfoot population and with the methodology in place to undertake this study. The study phases are: 1) continued ascertainment of multiplex and simplex families and 2) GWAS and characterization of identified chromosomal regions and candidate genes. The results of this study will provide data essential to the identification of the gene(s) contributing to the clubfoot phenotype. Identification of high-risk genotypes can lead to the development of prevention programs in selected populations and may suggest gene-based prevention strategies.

  Study phs000314

• Reference Standards for Mosaic Variant Detection

  After conception, postzygotic mutations continuously occur throughout life in humans, causing somatic mosaicism in an individual. The variant type, time of origination, and locations of the mosaic mutations result in unique mosaic patterns in a combinatorial manner and further affect phenotypes, including various noncancerous diseases. Several efforts have, thus, been made to identify the mutational landscape and mechanisms underlying the mosaic mutations. From a technical aspect, the accurate detection of mutations is at the core of the mosaicism research, and the construction of a standard reference is a critical first step to serve as the basis for analytical validation and benchmarks for germline and somatic mutation detection. Furthermore, a reference standard for mosaic mutations is urgently needed to enable more advanced research.Herein, we generated robust, large-scale, and cell line mixture-based reference standards that contain abundant mosaic SNVs and INDELs along with wild-type sites and germ line variants. Moreover, the whole reference standard set mimics the cumulative aspect of mosaic variant acquisition in the early developmental stage through a progressive cell line mixing with confirmed genotypes. It can be used for optimizing the current use of mosaic variant detection strategies, as well as developing algorithms for future improvements.We previously generated an NCBI BioProject (PRJNA758606) to release much of these data. Only the data that are subject to authorized access constraints have been included in this submission to dbGaP. The two data sources are thus, complementary to each other.

  Study phs003399

• Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma Precursor Study

  Esophageal cancer is the sixth most common cause of cancer death in the world. High-risk areas occur across central Asia and from eastern to southern Africa, and in these populations, nearly all of the cases are esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). ESCC has a dismal prognosis, largely because symptoms usually appear late in the course of the disease, when the tumors are incurable. Early detection and treatment of curable precursor lesions and early invasive ESCC in asymptomatic high-risk adults offers the potential for long-term survival and reduced mortality from this disease. Previous studies have shown that routine cytology of non-endoscopically collected esophageal cell samples is not sensitive and specific enough to be clinically useful, so we are now looking for molecular markers of high-grade esophageal squamous dysplasia (HGD), the proven clinically important precursor lesion of ESCC, that can be used to increase the accuracy and utility of this initial screening exam. National Cancer Institute (NCI) and Cancer Institute and Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (CAMS) began collaborative studies of ESCC since the mid-1980s in China. The present proposal is designed to characterize the type and prevalence of DNA mutations in tissue samples of HGD and to establish biologic and questionnaire resources for further study. The proposed study has two components, a field study to obtain questionnaire data and biological samples, and a genomic analysis to perform sequencing of the biological samples and bioinformatics analysis of the sequencing. 

  Study phs002814

• Intrapatient tumor heterogeneity and clonal evolution in metastatic salivary gland cancer: an autopsy study: access to data

  Funded by the Radboud Oncology Fund and the Dr. C.J. Vaillant Fund, the Salivary Gland Cancer Autopsy research group (Research Group) has sequenced DNA of 17 salivary gland cancer samples of and three healthy control samples from three patients with salivary gland cancer. This research project is led by Carla M.L. van Herpen from Radboud University Medical Centre in Nijmegen, the Netherlands (“Radboudumc”). The DNA sequencing data have been used for an analysis of intrapatient tumor heterogeneity and clonal evolution of metastatic salivary gland cancer. The Research Group is willing to consider applications from third party researchers for access to the DNA sequence data. Access to the data will be granted to qualified researchers for approved use. Access to DNA Sequencing Data is available by application to the Data Access Committee (DAC). Researchers granted access to DNA Sequencing Data must feedback the results of their research to the Research Group, after publication in accordance with the Research Group publication policy set forth in the Data Access Agreement.

  Dac EGAC50000000792

• National Heart Lung and Blood Institute Exome sequencing in SCID

  Analysis of the molecular etiologies of severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) has led to important insights into the control of immune cell development. Most cases of SCID result from either X-linked or autosomal recessive inheritance of mutations in a known causative gene. However, in some cases, the molecular etiology remains unclear. To identify the cause of SCID in a patient known to lack the protein tyrosine phosphatase CD45, we utilized single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) arrays and whole exome sequencing. The patient's mother was heterozygous for an inactivating mutation in CD45, while the paternal alleles lacked mutations. The patient exhibited a single CD45 mutation identical to the maternal allele. Patient SNP array analysis revealed no change in copy number but loss of heterozygosity for the entire length of chromosome 1 (Chr1), indicating that disease was caused by uniparental disomy (UPD) with isodisomy of the entire maternal Chr1 bearing the CD45 mutation. Non-lymphoid blood cells and other mesoderm and ectoderm-derived tissues retained UPD of the entire maternal Chr1 in this patient who had undergone successful bone marrow transplantation. Exome sequencing revealed mutations in 7 additional genes bearing nonsynonymous SNPs predicted to have deleterious effects. These findings represent the first reported case of SCID caused by UPD and suggest UPD should be considered in SCID and other recessive disorders, especially when the patient appears homozygous for an abnormal gene found in only one parent. Evaluation for alterations in other genes affected by UPD should also be considered in such cases.

  Study phs000479

• NOWAC blood-based breast cancer case-control study

  Tumor-host interactions extend beyond the local microenvironment and cancer development largely depends on the ability of malignant cells to hijack and exploit the normal physiological processes of the host. Although abnormalities in a host’s systemic immunity are associated with increased cancer susceptibility, the functional interplay between tumor cells and circulating immune cells in regulating tumorigenic responses is unclear. We employed the Norwegian Women and Cancer study, a large prospective population-based cohort study, to identify gene expression changes in blood cells that provide a robust and reproducible diagnostic signal specific to breast cancer patients. We further show that circulating blood cells in breast cancer patients are enriched in genes involved in systemic immunosuppression and the motility, metabolism, growth, and proliferation of immune cells. By mining of the cancer-associated blood transcriptome, we identified immune mediators or biomarkers that could permit early detection of breast cancer and open avenues to novel targeted immunotherapies.

  Study EGAS00000000134

• Deletion of FUNDC2 and CMC4 on chromosome Xq28 is sufficient to cause hypergonadotropic hypogonadism in men

  Hypergonadotropic hypogonadism (HH) is characterized by low sex steroid levels and secondarily elevated gonadotropin levels with either congenital or acquired etiology. Genetic factors leading to HH have yet to be fully elucidated. We submit genome and transcriptome data analyses from a male patient with HH and history of growth delay who has an inherited deletion of chromosome Xq28. Expression analyses were done for this patient and his unaffected family members, and compared to normal controls to identify dysregulated genes due to this deletion. Our patient's Xq28 deletion is 44,806 bp and contains only two genes, FUNDC2 and CMC4. Expressions of both FUNDC2 and CMC4 are completely abolished in the patient. Gene ontology analyses of differentially expressed genes in the patient in comparison to controls show that significantly up-regulated genes in the patient are enriched in Sertoli cell barrier regulation, apoptosis, inflammatory response and gonadotropin-releasing regulation. Indeed, our patient has an elevated FSH level, which regulates Sertoli cell proliferation and spermatogenesis. In his mother and sister, who are heterozygous for this deletion, X-chromosome inactivation is skewed towards the deleted X, suggesting a mechanism to avoid FSH dysregulation. Compared to the previously reported men with variable sized Xq28 deletions, our study suggests that the loss of function of FUNDC2 and/or CMC4 results in dysregulation of apoptosis, inflammation and FSH, and is sufficient to cause Xq28-associated HH.

  Study phs002234

• Heterogeneity in Lysosomal Storage Disorders

  Gaucher disease (GD) is an inherited lysosomal storage disorder caused by biallelic pathogenic variants in GBA1, which encodes glucocerebrosidase. Additionally, GBA1 variants are a well-established genetic risk factor for Parkinson's disease (PD), leading some PD research centers to incorporate GBA1 screening to identify patients who may benefit from targeted therapeutics. However, detecting GBA1 variants remains challenging due to the gene's high sequence homology with its pseudogene, which can give rise to complex recombinant alleles. This study evaluates the performance of Gauchian, a recently developed software tool for identifying GBA1 variants from whole genome sequencing (WGS) data. The assessment was conducted in a cohort of 90 individuals with GD and five GBA1 heterozygotes, all previously characterized through Sanger sequencing. While Gauchian successfully identified the most common genotypes, it demonstrated limitations in detecting rare or de novo variants due to its restricted internal database and heavy reliance on intergenic structural variants. These limitations led to misclassified homozygosity, incomplete genotyping, and undetected recombination events, ultimately reducing the tool's utility for comprehensive variant screening and precluding its application in diagnostic settings. The study dataset includes WGS from the 90 individuals used in the Gauchian pipeline. This data will be available through dbGaP to facilitate further research on GBA1 variant detection, genotype-phenotype correlations in GD and PD, and the development of improved bioinformatics tools for complex variant identification.

  Study phs003459

• Prevalence of rare pathogenic variants in cancer-predisposing genes among Japanese advanced prostate cancer patients.

  The prevalence of rare pathogenic variants in cancer-predisposing genes including those associated with DNA repair remains unknown among Japanese patients with advanced prostate cancer. This study was designed to elucidate the prevalence of pathogenic variants in 27 known cancer-predisposing genes and to explore the prognostic significance of the variants identified.

  Study JGAS000509

• Signals of positive selection in Peruvians from three ecological regions

  In this study, genome-wide single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) data (Illumina Infinium® MEGA array) was gathered for 200 individuals distributed across Perú, and then analyzed to investigate signals of recent positive selection specific to populations living in the high-altitude environments of the Andes, the arid Pacific coast and the Amazon rainforest.

  Study EGAS00001005692

• Osteosarcoma 3D patient derived cultures to test genome-informed personalized treatment options; a feasibility study

  Background: Improving osteosarcoma treatment beyond conventional (neo)adjuvant chemotherapy and resection remains challenging. An urgent need for novel therapeutic options, particularly personalized and targeted approaches, has emerged due to high inter-patient molecular heterogeneity. A lack of representative in vitro and in vivo models impedes therapeutic development, therefore we aimed to create 3D in vitro long term culture models directly from patient material. Methods: Tumour cells from seven osteosarcoma patients were propagated in monolayer or collagen hydrogels, while whole-exome sequencing of corresponding primary tumour tissue was performed to identify potential drug targets. Established cultures were subsequently used to assess efficacy of the identified personalized treatment options. Results: Three out of seven hydrogel cultures harboured the same genetic alterations as the corresponding primary tumours. Among these, the L6565 patient line exhibited homozygous CDKN2A loss with retained Rb expression, rendering tumour cells sensitive to CDK4/CDK6 inhibition via palbociclib. This patient line was used to evaluate genome-informed therapy and to compare cell culture models of increasing complexity. Our findings demonstrate feasibility of establishing long-term patient-derived osteosarcoma cultures with a success rate of 14%. Tumour heterogeneity was reflected in advanced culture methods producing more variability in treatment response. Conclusion: These results highlight the potential of genome-informed therapies in osteosarcoma and the importance of refining culture techniques to enhance translational research and therapeutic outcomes.

  Study EGAS50000001583

• Lactate metabolism in cancer stem cell fate regulation

  Tumors arise as a result of uncontrolled cell proliferation driven by mutations in the signaling pathways that regulate the balance between cell division and differentiation. Despite of that, in the tumor, cancer stem cells seem to retain their capability to differentiate, which can lead to differential chemotherapy response. We previously showed that intestinal stem cells and differentiated cells display specific metabolic features and that they interact through metabolites. Moreover, we found that altering mitochondrial metabolism is sufficient to lead and define stem cell differentiation. In cancer, cellular metabolism is highly derailed. However, how metabolic changes in the cancer cell contribute to cell fate decisions remains unknown. Recently, the crosstalk between metabolism and epigenetics has emerged as one of the players in tumor development. Here we aim to address the impact of the altered metabolism of cancer cells on their epigenome as a regulatory axis of cell identity and fate. We use human-derived tumor organoids where we introduce genetic encoded fluorescent-based reporters to visualize cell identity and metabolism at single cell level. We combine 4D live imaging with a recently developed machine learning method to re-construct cell-lineages, trace stem cell state and metabolic changes during tumor organoid development. We find that, mimicking the tumor metabolic microenvironment (Warburg effect-driven low-glucose high-lactate) leads to changes cellular metabolism and histone acetylation. Strikingly, these alterations provoke profound changes in tumor development by increasing the population of cancer stem cells and their proliferation and differentiation dynamics.

  Study EGAS50000000063

• Successful Clinical Response in Pneumonia Therapy (SCRIPT)

  The goal of this study is to iteratively identify, validate and refine biomarkers to predict clinical failure, and identify novel targets for therapy, beyond traditional antibiotics, for patients with severe pneumonia requiring intubation, including severe community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), hospital-acquired pneumonia, and ventilator-associated pneumonia (HAP/VAP). We hypothesize that factors within the alveolar microenvironment in many patients with pneumonia prevent the active process of pneumonia resolution.The major emphasis will be on HAP. Mechanically ventilated CAP patients are a very high-risk group for subsequent VAP, and therefore CAP samples will be included to determine baseline bacteria, microbiome, and host defense patterns for those that do or do not develop HAP/VAP. Hospital-acquired pneumonia is the leading cause of death from nosocomial infections. Even in patients receiving pathogen-appropriate therapy, reported clinical failure rates are increasing, approaching 50% in recent clinical trials. Current approaches to improve outcomes in patients with pneumonia almost exclusively focus on the development of antibiotics to address the problem of resistance. However, the prevalence of antibiotic-resistant pathogens is insufficient to explain the high rates of clinical failure. Instead, we hypothesize that factors within the alveolar microenvironment in many patients with pneumonia prevent the active process of pneumonia resolution. These factors include pathogen-specific adaptations to the injured lung that modulate the innate and adaptive immune response, as well as changes to the alveolar microbiome, driven by selective pressure within our modern intensive care units. Understanding this complex adaptive system requires the integration of clinical information with unbiased measures of the host, pathogen, and microbiome changes within the alveolar microenvironment. These measures must be repeated over time to identify factors that distinguish successful from failed therapy for pneumonia sufficiently early during the clinical course to allow for effective interventions. To address this challenge, we have assembled a talented group of investigators in the Successful Clinical Response In Pneumonia Therapy (SCRIPT) Systems Biology Center. We will leverage our routine clinical practice of safe alveolar sampling in mechanically ventilated patients with pneumonia with repeated non-bronchoscopic bronchoalveolar lavage (NBBAL) sampling over the course of pneumonia. From this fluid, we will combine flow cytometry with multi-omic technologies (cell population-specific transcriptomics, epigenomics, shotgun microbiome sequencing, and pathogen-specific sequencing). Our systems scientists will integrate these genomic data with robust clinical -omics with the goal of identifying biomarkers that can be prospectively tested in patients and causally evaluated in humanized mouse models.The addition of a pooled sample artificially increases the number of automatically computed subjects by one.

  Study phs002300

• FEGA FAQs: a summary of the Q+A session from the FEGA workshop at ELIXIR AHM 2024

  The ELIXIR All Hands Meeting (AHM) was held in Uppsala, Sweden this June. We at EGA always look forward to this meeting as a chance to see many of our partners and colleagues face-to-face. The Federated EGA (FEGA) is one initiative that always benefits from the AHM, and this year FEGA was in the spotlight, with several questions related to the advances we've made recently. We held this year's FEGA workshop a little differently, with most time for discussions on various “hot topics”. Organised in different breakouts, over 2 rounds, participants could choose which session they wanted to attend. One breakout was a general Q+A about FEGA and the path to join. We had a diverse range of participants, including experts from Central EGA (CEGA) and FEGA inaugural nodes, people from up and coming nodes at various stages of readiness, as well as participants not directly a part of FEGA but curious to learn more. It made for a great discussion! In this blog post, we highlight some of the questions for those who didn’t have a chance to be there. What is the FEGA Collaboration Agreement? It is a legal agreement between the node and Central EGA (CEGA) where both parties agree to certain responsibilities, like what services will be provided, sharing of public metadata with CEGA, interoperable technologies and more. The agreement is for 4 years, with the expectation of long-term sustainability. If a node is made up of multiple institutes, one institute must be the signatory. This could require a legal agreement within the node. CEGA is composed of CRG and EMBL-EBI (EGA itself has its own legal agreement between these institutes) Check the FEGA Collaboration Agreement What about purely medical data? Is this accepted in FEGA? CEGA only accepts data approved for secondary research use. We do accept medical data collected in this context, as do some nodes. Nodes are able to accept any data they like, as long as it is sensitive, thus in need of controlled access. What about other data types other than genomics? Like proteomics or images? They can be accepted, although CEGA is currently not designed with those formats in mind, so they might not fit with precision in the data model. The FEGA nodes are welcome to accept any data they want. Proteomic studies generating sensitive data are increasing, and specific work will likely be developed in the near future to adress this need. Does CEGA require a certain amount or type of data to be shared by the node? No, we do not and it's up to each node to decide what specific data types they accept and in what format. Nonetheless, a FEGA node has the duty to be open to data submission from any institution of their country, and can't be limited by design to a single or limited data source. Does CEGA and FEGA require a certain amount or type of details and description on the data to be submitted to the node? Data description (technical and biological), usually called metadata in this field, is crucial for the findability of the submitted data. Thus, we highly recommend including as much information as available to maximise the discoverability of the data. Specifical minimal metadata is defined in the submission schema, and thresholds are specified by the nodes. We are currently working towards a unified FEGA metadata model. What are the geographical borders of FEGA? FEGA should make the E for Everyone, because any institute worldwide could join and we indeed do have countries and use-cases worldwide. Some of them are very close to officially joining the federation. What are the main differences between FEGA and GDI? The two networks have a lot in common and also some critical differences. You can read all about this in one of our latest blog post. If you have more questions, please consider having a look at the FEGA onboarding webpage and, of course, don't miss our workshop at the ELIXIR AHM next year!

  Blog fega-faqs-elixir-ahm-2024

• Whole exome sequencing data for patients with Bosma arhinia microphthalmia syndrome (BAMS).

  The datasets includes 21 samples from 7 families with Bosma arhinia microphthalmia (BAMS). For details of the study please refer to the manuscript "De novo mutations in SMCHD1 cause Bosma arhinia microphthalmia syndrome and abrogate nasal development", Nature Genetics 2017. Each sample was exome sequenced and the family ID in sample description refers to the Individual ID in Supplementary figure 2 of the manuscript.

  Study EGAS00001002193

• Genetic Model of MS Severity Predicts Future Accumulation of Disability

  The goal of "Comprehensive Multimodal Analysis of Neuroimmunological Diseases of the CNS" is to define the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying the development of disability in immune-mediated disorders of the central nervous system (CNS) and to distinguish these from physiological (and often beneficial) responses of the human immune system to CNS injury. The long-term objective of the trial is to acquire knowledge that would allow us to therapeutically inhibit the pathogenic mechanisms and enhance repair mechanisms in immune-mediated CNS diseases, thereby minimizing the extent of CNS tissue damage and promoting recovery. To date, 460 patients with a confirmed diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS) have been enrolled into the natural history clinical trial. In addition to standardized clinical, functional, neuroimaging and molecular/immunological data, blood samples were also collected for genetic research. However, only 299 study participants with confirmed MS currently have whole genome sequencing data available. In addition to the genome-wide data available for the 299 MS patients, this dbGaP submission provides demographic and phenotypic information for each subject collected at various points throughout the trial. We include race and family history of MS collected at the baseline visit as well as age and measures of disease severity collected at the most recent visit. As these data were randomized into discovery and validation cohorts, we also indicate the assigned group in the phenotypic data. It is hoped that these data may be applied to the development of clinically-useful tools such as diagnostic tests and new, sensitive scales of neurological disability, disease severity and CNS tissue destruction.

  Study phs001833

• Sequencing to Guide Cancer Care (CanSeq)

  The overall goal of the CanSeq U01 project is to study the impact of whole-exome sequencing (WES) on the clinical care of cancer patients and oncology provider practices. The aims of Project 1 are to implement and establish the feasibility of germline and somatic WES in patients with advanced solid tumors (lung and colon); to develop a framework for interpreting and reporting for exome sequencing data; to determine the proportion of patients with "actionable items" compared to existing technologies; and to report on the percentage of patients in whom unique WES findings led to a clinical action. The aims of Project 2 are to implement a production-scale platform for WES from archival (FFPE) material; to identify biologically relevant somatic and germline alterations existing in tumor/normal DNA from individual patients; to produce an evidence-based list of clinically "actionable" genetic alterations; and to develop inferential models that predict the utility of tumor genomic data within the larger clinical context. The goals of Project 3 are to describe the impact of information derived through WES on cancer patients; to test the hypothesis that patients will want to receive information about all potentially informative somatic and germline variants; to study patients' understanding of disclosed genomic information; and to describe the experiences of oncology providers as they implement WES into cancer care delivery.

  Study phs001075

• Flexible and rapid validation of structural variants using adaptive sampling

  The goal of the study is to confirm and further characterize structural variants and complex genomic rearrangements using adaptive sampling with Oxford Nanopore Sequencing. Individuals with known structural variants were included in the study and the known rearrangement regions were targeted in the sequencing experiments. In addition to long-read coverage over the targeted regions (around 25X coverage), the rest of the genome is covered by short off-target reads (around 5X coverage).

  Study EGAS50000001279

• Sequencing of Coding and Non-coding Regions in Primary Breast Cancers and Patient-matched Controls

  Genomic analysis of tumor samples has led to the identification of hundreds of cancer genes based on the presence of mutations in protein-coding regions. By contrast, much less is known about cancer-causing mutations in non-coding regions. Here, we performed deep sequencing in 360 primary breast cancers and developed computational methods to identify significantly mutated promoters. Clear signals were found in the promoters of four genes. FOXA1, a known driver of hormone-receptor positive breast cancer, harbors a mutational hotspot in its promoter that leads to overexpression through increased E2F binding. RMRP and NEAT1, two non-coding RNA genes, carry mutations that alter protein binding to the promoter and impact expression levels. Overall, our study shows that recurrent mutations in or near gene promoters in cancers have functional consequences. Power analyses indicate that more such genes remain to be discovered through deep sequencing of adequately sized patient cohorts.

  Study phs001250

• The Melbourne Urological Research Alliance (MURAL) Collection of Patient-Derived Models of Prostate Cancer

  1. Low-Dose Carboplatin Modifies the Tumor Microenvironment to Augment CAR T Cell Efficacy in Human Prostate Cancer Models.Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) was performed to analyze the transcriptional modifications in the tumor microenvironment of prostate cancer patient-derived xenografts (PDX). The analyzed PDX tumor was PDX-287R from the MURAL collection of PDXs (PMID: 34413304). Mice harboring PDX tumors were treated with the carboplatin chemotherapy, and tumors were harvested 3 weeks later. RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) was used to define immune and non-immune cell populations and anti-tumor innate immune signaling within the tumor microenvironment.To investigate the response of tumor cells to carboplatin treatment in more detail, RNA-Seq was performed on FACs-isolated tumor cells from PDX-287R at one week post-treatment. Gene set enrichment analysis showed an enrichment for apoptotic pathways, with significantly increased expression of the pro-apoptotic genes FAS, BAX, BBC3, IFI6, and JUN. Previously, carboplatin has been shown to activate the cGAS/STING pathway, and here we also found an increase in STING signaling, with an enrichment for the cytosolic DNA sensing pathway and increased expression of STING1, STAT1 and STAT2. There was also a significant increase in the expression of genes involved in T cell chemotaxis, including CXCL10, CXCL11, and CCL20. Collectively, carboplatin-induced cell death in tumor cells likely initiated a pro-inflammatory phenotype in prostate cancer PDXs.2. Co-Targeting BET, CREBBP, and EP300 Inhibits Neuroendocrine Signaling in Androgen Receptor-Null Prostate Cancer.The landscape of castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) is characterized by a multitude of phenotypes, among which neuroendocrine disease holds a prominent position, each displaying unique responses to therapeutic interventions. The efficacy of inhibitors targeting BET and CREBBP/EP300 in prostate cancer treatment is widely acknowledged, primarily due to their ability to attenuate androgen receptor (AR) signaling. However, the effectiveness of these inhibitors in prostate cancers devoid of AR remains uncertain.This investigation sought to elucidate the role of BRD4, CREBBP, and EP300, which are co-expressed in both AR-positive and AR-null prostate cancer. Our study revealed that a compound targeting all three proteins, NEO2734, exhibited efficacy in suppressing the growth of organoids from both AR-positive and AR-null tumors, as evidenced by alterations in viability, size, and cellular composition. Furthermore, NEO2734 treatment consistently led to transcriptional downregulation of cell cycle pathways across various models. In the context of neuroendocrine prostate cancer (NEPC), NEO2734 demonstrated notable efficacy. Treatment with NEO2734 resulted in decreased expression of ASCL1 and other neuroendocrine markers (including SYP) , accompanied by a reduction in tumor growth in vivo. These findings collectively underscore the potential of epigenome-targeted inhibitors in impeding the growth of neuroendocrine prostate cancer, by disrupting lineage regulators in a phenotype-dependent manner. Consistent with the NEPC organoids and explants, NKX3-1 was upregulated in NEO2734-treated PDXs.In this study, we examined the impact of NEO2734 treatment on 6 organoids (treated for 24 hrs), 3 explants treated with JQ1 (for 48 hrs) and 2 PDXs (at two time points) using bulk RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq). These results are available through this dbGaP submission. The implications of these results warrant further exploration and development of compounds possessing similar activities for clinical applications. The ability of NEO2734 to mitigate the growth of both AR-positive and AR-null prostate cancer underscores its potential as a versatile therapeutic agent. Moreover, its efficacy in targeting neuroendocrine phenotypes offers promising avenues for addressing a subtype of CRPC that poses significant clinical challenges. In conclusion, this study sheds light on the intricate interplay between epigenetic regulators and prostate cancer phenotypes. The observed effects of NEO2734 on growth inhibition and phenotype-specific disruption highlight the importance of continued research into compounds with similar epigenome-targeting mechanisms for advancing precision medicine approaches in the treatment of prostate cancer.3. Defining Focal Neuroendocrine Differentiation as a Transcriptionally Distinct Form of Prostate Cancer Pathology Characterized by the Expression of Androgen ReceptorsThe study aimed to understand the transcriptional differences among different neuroendocrine pathologies of prostate cancer. The study hypothesized that the diverse neuroendocrine pathology observed in prostate might be attributable to differences in transcriptional level that remain hidden in bulk RNA-Seq data. To investigate, we employed scRNA-seq to generate gene expression profiles of 18,632 individual tumor cells from 9 PDX models representing five distinct neuroendocrine pathologies of prostate cancer. Our analysis identified 3-8 transcriptionally distinct sub-populations per PDX. The expression of key oncogenic signaling pathways and master regulator activity varied across in neuroendocrine pathologies, with each type of pathology displaying a unique set of transcriptional sub-populations. We discovered that, like the amphicrine pathology, focal neuroendocrine differentiation (focal NED) cells maintain androgen receptor (AR) signaling. However, the expression profiles of focal NED cells differed from the other pathologies, indicating it should be considered as a distinct type of neuroendocrine pathology in prostate cancer. Analysis of copy number alterations suggested little clonal divergence between focal NED cells and neighboring adenocarcinoma cells, emphasizing the transcriptional distinctiveness of focal NED.Overall, the findings suggest potential differences in treatment approaches for tumors from prostate cancer patients showing neuroendocrine pathology, especially focal NED.4. Reprogramming of Androgen Receptor Activity in Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer is Shaped by Truncated Variants.Under the influence of treatments that target the androgen receptor (AR) axis, prostate cancer cells undergo various changes to the AR gene. This includes the production of truncated AR variants that lack the ligand binding domain and are constitutively active. However, the exact role of these truncated variants in shaping the AR signaling axis and their importance in therapy resistance is not yet fully understood. By examining the AR cistrome in a group of patient-derived prostate cancer models with different mechanisms of castration resistance, we observed diverse changes in AR activity in metastatic prostate cancer, including castration-resistant models. Specifically, we identified a unique subset of tumors characterized by the expression of ARv567es, a variant resulting from structural rearrangements of the AR gene. Tumors positive for ARv567es showed a distinct AR binding profile and epigenome compared to those without ARv567es, which was linked to an altered transcriptional profile. The presence of ARv567es is associated with poor responses to treatments, such as castration and bipolar androgen therapy (BAT), regardless of the presence of full-length AR. This involves disruption of the autoregulatory loop that controls AR gene transcription and reduced transcriptional responses to treatment. Overall, this study demonstrates that ARv567es can lead to transcriptional reprogramming in advanced prostate cancer and drive therapy resistance. 5. The MURAL Collection of Prostate Cancer Patient-Derived Xenografts Enables Discovery Through Preclinical Models of Uro-Oncology.We created a comprehensive PDX resource for prostate cancer to facilitate the rapid and systematic evaluation of new therapies. This collection includes 59 tumors from 30 patients, gathered between 2012 and 2020, aligning with the availability of abiraterone and enzalutamide in the clinic. The PDXs cover the clinical, pathological, and genomic spectrum of prostate cancer, ranging from treatment-naïve primary tumors to castration-resistant metastases. We characterized heterogeneity in adenocarcinoma and neuroendocrine phenotypes using bulk and single-cell RNA sequencing. Additionally, organoids were cultured from PDXs, enhancing our preclinical study capabilities. Employing a 1x1x1 design, we quickly identified tumors with responses to combination therapies. To manage the distribution of PDXs, we established the Melbourne Urological Research Alliance (MURAL). This PDX collection significantly enhances our ability to test and prioritize effective treatments for future clinical trials in prostate cancer.6. Prostate Cancer Associated Fibroblasts Have Distinct Morpho-Mechanical Features That Are Associated With Patient Outcome.The tumor stroma, including cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), has a crucial role in tumor progression. This study focused on the morphological and mechanical properties of CAFs and normal prostatic fibroblasts. The findings revealed that CAFs had distinct morphological and mechanical characteristics compared to normal fibroblasts, such as differences in nuclear size, shape, F-actin arrangement, cellular volumes, and elasticity. Additionally, the study correlated these biophysical properties with transcriptomic data, identifying pathways and cellular components linked to the observed changes. Overall, high-throughput assessments of biophysical properties in prostate cancer cells and stromal components may serve as predictive tools for patient outcomes and help identify new therapeutic approaches targeting the tumor stroma.

  Study phs003369

• THE GENOMIC LANDSCAPE OF ACTINIC KERATOSIS

  Actinic keratoses (AK) are lesions of epidermal keratinocyte dysplasia and are pre-cursor lesions to invasive cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC). Identifying the specific genomic alterations driving the progression of normal skin to AK and invasive cSCC is challenging due to the massive, ultraviolet radiation-induced mutational burden characteristic to these lesions. Here, we present the largest whole exome sequencing study to date on AK with matched cSCC and demonstrate that AK and cSCC are almost indistinguishable at the genomic level, in terms of mutational burden, patterns of driver gene mutations and copy number alterations. We identified 44 significantly mutated AK driver genes through our established bioinformatics pipeline and demonstrate these genes are similarly mutated in cSCC. We also identified mutational signature-32 exclusively in AK from patients exposed to azathioprine, providing further, compelling evidence for this drug’s role in keratinocyte carcinogenesis, likely through its blocking of transcription coupled repair. We demonstrated that cSCC had higher levels of intra-sample heterogeneity than AK and that several signaling pathways, including immune-related signaling and TGF-beta signaling were significantly more mutated in cSCC. Integrating our findings with independent gene expression data confirms that dysregulated TGF-beta signaling may represent the critical pathway in the progression from AK to cSCC.

  Study EGAS00001004243

• Coding and small non-coding transcriptional landscape of tuberous sclerosis complex cortical tubers: implications for pathophysiology and treatment

  Tuberous Sclerosis Complex (TSC) is a rare genetic disorder that results from a mutation in the TSC1 or TSC2 genes leading to constitutive activation of the mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1). TSC is associated with autism, intellectual disability and severe epilepsy. Cortical tubers are believed to represent the neuropathological substrates of these disabling manifestations in TSC. In the presented study we used high-throughput RNA sequencing in combination with systems-based computational approaches to investigate the complexity of the TSC molecular network. Overall we detected 438 differentially expressed genes and 991 differentially expressed small non-coding RNAs in cortical tubers compared to autopsy control brain tissue. We observed increased expression of genes associated with inflammatory, innate and adaptive immune responses. In contrast, we observed a down-regulation of genes associated with neurogenesis and glutamate receptor signaling. MicroRNAs represented the largest class of over-expressed small non-coding RNA species in tubers. In particular, our analysis revealed that the miR-34 family (including miR-34a, miR-34b and miR-34c) was significantly over-expressed. Functional studies demonstrated the ability of miR-34b to modulate neurite outgrowth in mouse primary hippocampal neuronal cultures. This study provides new insights into the TSC transcriptomic network along with the identification of potential new treatment targets.

  Study EGAS00001002485

• Impact of DIS3 Aso on BCR repertoir in human buffy coat purified B-Cells

  The aim is to identify difference in the BCR of Aso DIS3 treated cells compared to Control Aso. Using extracted DNA from human B-cells

  Study EGAS50000001107

• Randomized Phase II 2 x 2 Factorial Trial of the Addition of Carboplatin +/- Bevacizumab to Neoadjuvant Weekly Paclitaxel Followed by Dose-Dense AC in Hormone Receptor-Poor/HER2-Negative Resectable Breast Cancer

  This randomized phase II trial studies how well paclitaxel with or without carboplatin and/or bevacizumab followed by doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide works in treating patients with breast cancer that can be removed by surgery. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as paclitaxel, carboplatin, doxorubicin, and cyclophosphamide, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. Bevacizumab may stop the growth of tumor cells by blocking blood flow to the tumor. Giving chemotherapy together with bevacizumab before surgery may make the tumor smaller and reduce the amount of normal tissue that needs to be removed. All participants in this study were female.

  Study phs001863

• The Role of E2F4 in Controlling Resistance to Irinotecan (CPT-11) in Human Colon Cancer

  This study reports the results of RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) experiments performed on three isogenic clones of the human HT29 colon cancer cell line, genetically engineered to achieve the selective inactivation of the adenovirus early 2 (E2) gene transcription factor 4 (E2F4) protein, a key functional component of the multimeric transcriptional repression complex known as the dimerization partner (DP), retinoblastoma-like (RB-like), E2F and multi-vulva class B (MuvB) complex (DREAM). In previous studies, we identified E2F4 as a key regulator of colorectal cancer (CRC) resistance to irinotecan (CPT-11), a cytotoxic agent that stands at the backbone of multiple chemotherapy regimens for the treatment of metastatic CRCs. The molecular mechanisms linking E2F4 to irinotecan resistance, however, remain poorly understood. The present study was designed to identify which genes are under the transcriptional control of E2F4, either at baseline or following exposure to SN38 (i.e., the active metabolite of irinotecan, generated in vivo by biotransformation in the liver) in order to clarify the role played by E2F4 in shaping colon cancer resistance to chemotherapy. The cell line used for this study (HT29) is aneuploid and contains three copies of the E2F4 gene, because of a trisomy of chromosome 16, where the E2F4 gene is located (Kawai et al., Genes, Chromosomes & Cancer, 34:1-8, 2002; PMID: 11921276). HT29 cells were infected with lentivirus vectors encoding for CRISPR/Cas9 constructs designed to selectively inactivate the E2F4 gene, using three distinct guide-RNAs (gRNAs), each targeting a different sequence within the proximal exons of the E2F4 gene (exon 1, exon 2). Lentivirus-infected cells were sub-cloned by single-cell fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS), based on the differential expression of a fluorescent reporter (EGFP) expressed in tandem with the gRNAs. Isogenic clones (EGFP+) were then screened to identify those with a tri-allelic knock-out, as revealed by both genetic sequencing of the E2F4 gene (revealing the presence of three distinct frameshift mutations) and Western blot (revealing complete loss of E2F4 protein expression). The study includes twelve (n=12) RNA-seq experiments, representative of 3 experimental replicates (i.e., three distinct isogenic clones of the HT29 cell line, each displaying complete loss of E2F4 expression) and 3 negative controls (i.e., three independent preparations of the parent HT29 cell line, infected with a lentivirus vector encoding for a non-targeting gRNA) exposed to 2 distinct in vitro cell culture conditions: a) treatment with SN38 resuspended in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO); or b) treatment with DMSO alone (negative control). The in vitro treatment regimen used for SN38 (32 nM, 24 hours) was designed so that the exposure to SN38 experienced in vitro by HT29 cells would mirror the exposure to SN38 experienced in vivo by malignant tissues, as measured, for example, in metastatic CRC patients receiving a standard dose of irinotecan (180 mg/m2) administered by intravenous infusion over 90 minutes (Deyme et al., Cancer Chemotherapy and Pharmacology, 88:247-258, 2021; PMID: 33912999).

  Study phs003560

• WES of adult intellectual disabilities with co-morbid psychiatric disorders (2019-08-07)

  ost adults with intellectual disabilities (ID) do not undergo genetic diagnostic investigation as part of their clinical care and have 'missed the boat' with regard to the WES and WGS genetic testing that is now being provided for children with ID. There is a dramatically increased risk of psychistric disorders in adults with ID, e.g. the risk of psychoses is 10X higher than in the general population. It remains an open question as to how much of adult ID is genetic in origin and how similar the genetic forms of adult ID are to those being diagnosed in children, in part due to survivor bias. There is also the opportunity to identify adults with treatable forms of ID, of which over 80 have been described, thus improving their clinical management. Furthermore, analysis of medical records of adults with genetic forms of ID can help to characterise the 'natural history' of individual disorders, resulting in more accurate prognoses for diagnosed children and identifying opportunities for improved management and possibly therapeutic intervention (e.g. optimal anti-epileptic therapy). Here we propose to exome sequence (to ~50X coverage) 200 adults with ID and co-morbid psychiatric disorders. This cohort has previously been assayed with chromosomal microarrays (Wolfe et al 2017 EJHG, 25, 66-72) identifying a diagnostic yield of ~11% which is comparable to the CNV diagnostic yield in various child ID cohorts (10-15%). The authors observed no substantive biases in diagnostic yield between different psychiatric diagnostic classes. The WES data will be analysed using the diagnostic workflows developed in the DDD study to ensure comparability between child and adult ID datasets. This study is intended as a pilot study to demonstrate the value of WES in adults with ID. This data is part of a pre-publication release. For information on the proper use of pre-publication data shared by the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute (including details of any publication moratoria), please see http://www.sanger.ac.uk/datasharing/ . This dataset contains all the data available for this study on 2019-08-07.

  Dataset EGAD00001005236

• Experimental PfSPZ Vaccine in Adults Without Malaria

  The study was performed to evaluate whole-blood transcriptomic profiles via RNA-seq before, during, and after immunization with the PfSPZ Vaccine in malaria-naïve, healthy adults enrolled in VRC 312 (NCT01441167). VRC 312 was the second study of the PfSPZ Vaccine and the first study to evaluate intravenous (IV) administration of this vaccine. The study was an open-label evaluation of the safety, tolerability, immunogenicity, and protective efficacy of the vaccine at successively higher administered by the IV route. The highest dosages were evaluated for protection against a malaria challenge after 4 to 6 vaccinations. The primary objectives of the study were related to the safety and tolerability of the vaccine at the 4 different dosage levels when administered IV; the secondary objectives were related to PfSPZ vaccine-mediated protection against Plasmodium falciparum (Pf) challenge at the 3 higher dosage levels, and the exploratory objectives were related to the immunogenicity of the PfSPZ Vaccine and defining an immune correlate of protection. To further determine potential molecular correlates of immunogenicity and/or protection, RNA-seq was performed on whole blood collected from subjects in all dose groups at time points before, during, and after immunization.

  Study phs002422

• Capturing disease severity in LIS1-lissencephaly reveals proteostasis dysregulation in patient-derived forebrain organoids

  Lissencephaly is a developmental cortical malformation characterized by reduced to absent gyri and a disorganized cortex, often leading to severe impairments in affected individuals and a reduced life expectancy. Heterozygous mutations in the LIS1 gene, encoding a regulator of the microtubule motor dynein, cause lissencephaly with different clinical severities. While the clinical disease spectrum correlates with the degree of lissencephaly, location and type of mutation may not. We leveraged forebrain-type organoids from LIS1-lissencephaly patients, diagnosed with mild, moderate or severe lissencephaly to investigate, in a cytoarchitecture and multi-omics approach, how the severity degree in patients might relate to specific mutations in the LIS1 gene. We questioned which processes during cortical development might be differentially affected by severity grade, and whether they could be pharmacologically targeted. We found alterations in neurodevelopment often with a severity-dependent gradient. Specifically, we identified alterations of the cytoarchitecture, progenitor cell homeostasis and neurogenesis. Particularly important disease-linked molecular mechanisms were microtubule destabilization, WNT-signaling, and perturbed cadherin- and unfolded protein-binding. Some mechanisms exhibited a severity-dependent gradient, or were specific to a severe grade. We present strategies to reverse phenotypic changes in LIS1-patient organoids, and an in silico approach with therapeutic potential. Thus, we show that different LIS1-severity grades can be recapitulated in vitro, that there is a direct link between the phenotype and genotype, that organoid-based disease modeling can identify molecular underpinnings of malformations of cortical development and that organoids provide a valid platform to develop and test therapeutic strategies.

  Study EGAS00001008227

• Reconstruction of the personal information from human genome reads in gut metagenome sequencing data

  Human DNA present in fecal samples can result in a small number of human reads in gut shotgun metagenomic sequencing data. However, it is currently unclear how much personal information can be reconstructed from such reads and this has not been quantitatively evaluated. Such a quantitative evaluation is necessary to clarify the ethical concerns related to data sharing and to enable the efficient use of human genetic information in stool samples, such as for research and forensics. Here, we used genomic approaches to reconstruct personal information from fecal metagenomes of 343 Japanese individuals with associated human genotype data. Our approach can be used to quantify the personal information contained within gut metagenome data.

  Study EGAS00001007027

• NHLBI GO-ESP: Family Studies (Hematological Cancers)

  The NHLBI "Grand Opportunity" Exome Sequencing Project (GO-ESP), a signature project of the NHLBI Recovery Act investment, was designed to identify genetic variants in coding regions (exons) of the human genome (the "exome") that are associated with heart, lung and blood diseases. These and related diseases that are of high impact to public health and individuals from diverse racial and ethnic groups will be studied. These data may help researchers understand the causes of disease, contributing to better ways to prevent, diagnose, and treat diseases, as well as determine whether to tailor prevention and treatments to specific populations. This could lead to more effective treatments and reduce the likelihood of side effects. GO-ESP is comprised of five collaborative components: 3 cohort consortia - HeartGO, LungGO, and WHISP - and 2 sequencing centers - BroadGO and SeattleGO. Two major goals in the study of human malignancies are (i) to understand the genetic basis that underlies the predisposition of certain individuals to develop cancer and (ii) to identify the full spectrum of acquired mutations that occur in human cancers. There has been some progress in both of these areas with respect to hematologic malignancies but much remains to be discovered. As a result of recent advantages in sequencing technologies it is now feasible to sequence multiple individual whole exomes at reasonable cost. Such technologies provide a unique opportunity to transform our understanding of the biological basis of human cancer and to identify inherited genetic variants that predispose individuals to the development of hematologic malignancies. Myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN), myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and acute leukemia are clonal disorders of hematopoieis. Our study involves performing whole exome sequencing of individuals with these disorders for the purpose of identifying (i) novel inherited genetic variants associated with the risk of developing of MPN/MDS/acute leukemia and (ii) novel acquired mutations associated with the development of MPN/MDS/acute leukemia.

  Study phs000632

• RNA-Seq studies of Gene Expression in Cells and Networks in FI and ACC in Autism

  RNA-Seq studies of Gene Expression in Cells and Networks in FI (fronto-insular) and AC (anterior cingulate) cortex in Autism. We seek to understand the cellular bases of autism by using a new technology, RNA-Seq, to determine differences in gene expression in autopsy brains of subjects with well described autism versus age and sex matched neurotypical individuals. We have investigated two specific cortical areas involved in self-awareness and social reciprocity which are abnormal in autism and have found increased expression in a network of genes related to inflammation in autism group A, whereas the remaining cases, autism group B, have increased expression in a network of genes related to synapses. The current dbGaP study release includes RNA sequencing and phenotype data of n=27 subjects of African - American, Caucasian, or Hispanic origin.

  Study phs000609