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• Collection: Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL)

  The Hispanic Community Health Study / Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL) is a multi-center epidemiologic study in Hispanic/Latino populations to determine the role of acculturation in the prevalence and development of disease, and to identify risk factors playing a protective or harmful role in Hispanics/Latinos. The study is sponsored by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) and six other institutes, centers, and offices of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The goals of the HCHS/SOL include studying the prevalence and development of disease in Hispanics/Latinos, including the role of acculturation, and identifying disease risk factors that play protective or harmful roles in Hispanics/Latinos. A total of 16,415 persons of Cuban, Dominican, Mexican, Puerto Rican, Central American, and South American backgrounds were recruited through four Field Centers affiliated with San Diego State University, Northwestern University in Chicago, Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx area of New York, and the University of Miami. Seven additional academic centers serve as scientific and logistical support centers. Study participants aged 18-74 years took part in an extensive clinic exam and assessments to ascertain socio-demographic, cultural, environmental and biomedical characteristics. Annual follow-up interviews are conducted to determine a range of health outcomes.To request access to this collection, select phs003650 in the dbGaP when submitting a data access request.

  Study phs003650

• Reproductive Health in Men and Women with Vasculitis

  The purpose of this study is to learn about reproductive health, including fertility and pregnancies, in people with vasculitis. All patients enrolled in the Vasculitis Clinical Research Consortium's Contact Registry will be invited via email to participate in this study. The Contact Registry includes people who self-identify as having one of 11 vasculities: Behçet's disease, central nervous system vasculitis, drug-induced vasculitis, eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (Churg-Strauss), giant cell arteritis, granulomatosis with polyangiitis (Wegener's), Henoch-Schoenlein purpura, Kawasaki disease, microscopic polyangiitis, polyarteritis nodosa, or Takayasu arteritis. People voluntarily enroll in this Registry with the understanding that they will receive information about clinical studies for which they might be eligible. The introductory email included basic information about the study and all of the required elements for informed consent in a brief format. Once participants agreed to participate in the study, they were directed to an online questionnaire.

  Study phs001382

• National Institute on Aging (NIA) SardiNIA Study

  Sardinia is the second largest island in the Mediterranean and constitutes a genetically isolated founder population. This population has aided in the identification of genes involved in several Mendelian disorders and is attractive for genetic studies due to its organization in long-established settlements that developed from an initial group of founder settlers (~1,000) thousands of years ago. The current study has recruited 6,148 Sardinians aged 14 and older, from a cluster of four towns in the Lanusei Valley in the Ogliastra region of the province of Nuoro. This sample corresponds to approximately 62% of the population eligible in the area for recruitment. Information collected during enrollment allowed the individuals to be organized into 711 complex pedigrees, each up to five generations deep, with an average kinship coefficient of 0.1628. All volunteers have been characterized for 98 quantitative traits. Traits include anthropomorphic measures, plasma and serum markers (including cholesterol and other markers of cardiovascular disease), and personality traits (using the five-factor model). The main goal of the study is to examine phenotypic similarities between relatives that yield information on the overall contributions of genes to trait variability. Data given here provide p-values for 98 traits studied in 1,412 individuals, based on genotyping with the Affymetrix 500K chip and imputed markers using the HapMap population as a reference (N=2,259,179). Sharing this genome assessment data at high level of resolution for a variety of quantitative traits will be useful for other groups to validate newly observed associations and to investigate possible pleiotropic effects. For ulterior information, and in particular for any individual genotype information, a formal request should be addressed to the Steering Committee, c/o David Schlessinger, Chief, Laboratory of Genetics, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, NIH Biomedical Research Center, 251 Bayview Blvd., Suite 100 Baltimore, MD 21224 USA and should include IRB approval of a detailed proposal, along with a signed statement guaranteeing that no attempt will be made to identify any individual participant.

  Study phs000338

• Acute Respiratory Distress Network (ARDSNet) Studies 01 and 03 Lower Versus Higher Tidal Volume, Ketoconazole Treatment and Lisofylline Treatment (ARMA/KARMA/LARMA) (ARDSNet-ARMA/KARMA/LARMA-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-ARMA/KARMA/LARMA include plasma, serum and urine. Please note that use of biospecimens in genetic research is subject to a tiered consent. Objectives The ARDS Network is a consortium of clinical centers and a coordinating center to design and test novel therapies for the treatment of Acute Lung Injury (ALI) and Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS). The primary objective of the KARMA trial was to investigate the efficacy and safety of Ketoconazole and Respiratory Management in the treatment of ALI and ARDS. The Ketoconazole arm of the study was later stopped due to an inability to show efficacy. Participants continued to be randomized to the respiratory management arms of the study (ARMA), which compared two ventilator strategies: a tidal volume of 6 mL/kg versus 12 mL/kg. The LARMA phase of the study investigated the efficacy of Lisofylline and Respiratory Management. Background Participants suffering from ARDS are extremely ill, require mechanical ventilation and, despite improvements in medical care and technology, had a mortality rate as high as 50 percent. An excessive inflammatory response is characteristic of ALI of which ARDS represents the most severe end of the pathophysiologic spectrum. The inflammatory response includes increased numbers of neutrophils activated to produce cytokines, proteases, and reactive oxygen intermediates. Pulmonary injury may also be enhanced by alveolar and tissue macrophages as a producer of vasoactive substances, neutrophil chemoattractants, and procoagulant substances. Ketoconazole, a synthetic antifungal imidazole, also has anti-inflammatory activities and may inhibit neutrophil recruitment via several different pathways known to be involved in the development of ALI and ARDS. Lisofylline causes a marked decrease in the circulating levels of the major oxidizable species of free fatty acids and also inhibits proinflammatory intracellular signaling. Mechanical ventilation in participants with ALI and ARDS have traditionally used tidal volumes of 10 to 15 ml per kilogram of body weight. These large tidal volumes are often necessary to achieve normal partial pressure of arterial carbon dioxide and pH, but may induce inflammatory responses through disruption of pulmonary epithelium and endothelium. Mechanical ventilation at lower tidal volumes may reduce injurious lung stretch and decrease the inflammatory response. Participants The Ketoconazole and Lisofylline trials were designed as 2 x 2 factorials and included 220 participants in each trial. A total of 860 participants were randomized into the ventilator management trial. Participants enrolled in the Lisofylline or Ketoconozole studies had to be concurrently enrolled in the ventilator management study and were first randomized into a ventilator strategy and then to drug or placebo. Conclusions Ketoconazole was found to be safe but did not reduce mortality, duration of mechanical ventilation, or improve lung function. Lisofylline was also found to be safe and to have no beneficial effect for participants with ALI or ARDS. Ventilation at lower tidal volumes resulted in reduced mortality and an increase in the number of days without ventilator support. (PMIDs: 10789668, 11902249, 10793162).

  Study phs003734

• European Genome-phenome Archive 15th Anniversary Celebration

  2023 marks the 15th Anniversary of the EGA, jointly managed by the European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI) and the Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG). To mark the occasion, a simultaneous celebration was held in both institutions on the 13th of December 2023. The teams gathered online to play a quiz game and celebrate all the achievements and milestones with two wonderful anniversary cakes. In 2008, the European Genome-phenome Archive was created at the EBI-EMBL in Cambridge to guarantee that human genome and phenome data were available to the international scientific community while data privacy was preserved. The six-person staff at the beginning of the project is now far behind us, with a team that reaches the number of 35 members. Since 2013, the European Bioinformatics Institute and the Centre for Genomic Regulation share responsibility for The European Genome-phenome Archive (EGA). At that time, the EGA had data for about 0,5 petabytes. Currently, the Archive contains more than 12 petabytes. 2023 comes to an end with several good news. The EGA has been renewed as an ELIXIR Core Data Resource. This was announced during the GA4GH 11th Plenary held in San Francisco last September when ELIXIR-Beacon was also confirmed to be a GA4GH Driver Project. Thus, the Beacon API has maintained this title since 2018. What’s more, the first Federated EGA dataset is now live on our website. This year we also launched new services for EGA users in September. By the numbers, in 2023 the EGA counts 2.5 PB archived, 371 studies published, 208 new submitters and 19 active projects in which the team is participating, among others. We look forward to continuing to support your research in 2024!

  Blog 15-anniversary

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

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

  Study EGAS50000001368

• The Precision Medicine in Liver Cancer across an Asia-pacific NETwork (PLANET)

  Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the 2nd most important cause of cancer deaths in the world. The outcomes of treatment in HCC are poor compared to other common cancers because there are no good systemic therapy drugs. We designed a prospective study that will involve 5 different sites within the established Asia-Pacific Hepatocellular Carcinoma Trials Group to study both the genetics as well as immune profiles of HCC in different ethnicities. In this study, patients will be followed-up and at recurrence the tissues to understand the evolution of disease progression. Here, we presented both the genomic (DNA) and phenotypic (RNA) evolution for the first batch of 56 patients. The detailed findings will be listed in the corresponding publication soon.

  Study EGAS00001003813

• Trial of Late Surfactant for Prevention of Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia: A Study in Ventilated Preterm Infants Receiving Inhaled Nitric Oxide (TOLSURF-BioLINCC)

  Data Access NOTE: Please refer to the “Authorized Access” section below for information about how access to the data from this accession differs from many other dbGaP accessions.Objectives: To assess whether late surfactant treatment in extremely low gestational age newborn (ELGAN, ≤28 week gestation) infants requiring ventilation at 7-14 days safely improves survival without bronchopulmonary dysplasia.Background: Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is the most common form of chronic lung disease in children with an estimated 15,000 new cases annually in the United States. BPD affects infants born prematurely, is a major contributor to the cost of prematurity each year, and is associated with long-term pulmonary disability, neurodevelopmental abnormalities and death.Increases in the survival of ELGAN infants have resulted in another form of BPD, which is characterized by impaired alveolar and microvascular development with excess tone and reactivity of airway smooth muscle. Despite treatments to enhance lung maturation, premature infants often need prolonged intubation and mechanical ventilation and/or oxygen support. When mechanical ventilation is required longer than 7 days, BPD results in 70% of surviving ELGAN infants. Most of these infants experience clinical episodes of increased requirement for ventilatory support that are associated with dysfunctional surfactant, which is primarily due to low surfactant protein B (SP-B). In pilot studies of late surfactant treatment in premature infants, there was short-term improvement in SP-B content. These prior studies provided the rationale for a larger clinical trial for later doses of surfactant treatment to prevent episodes of respiratory decompensation and BPD. Participants: 511 infants were eligible for randomization of the 2693 infants screened. Of the 511 infants eligible for randomization, there were 252 infants allocated to the treatment arm and 259 infants allocated to the placebo arm.Design: The study was designed to assess the effect of late doses of surfactant on survival without BPD at 36 weeks post menstrual age (PMA) in ELGAN infants who required intubation and mechanical ventilation between 7 and 14 days of age and were receiving Inhaled nitric oxide (iNO). Infants were stratified within clinical centers and gestational age groups and randomized to treatment with calfactant, a natural surfactant extracted from bovine lung lavage fluid, or a sham procedure.All infants received iNO according to the protocol used in the Nitric Oxide Chronic Lung Disease (NOCLD) trial. A masked syringe containing either a standard dose of calfactant for the treatment group, or air for the placebo group, was administered to the infant behind a screen by staff not involved in providing the infant's clinical care. Monitor and ventilator alarms were turned off during dosing to avoid unblinding of clinical staff. To accommodate research staff availability and infant instability, the dosing interval was not strictly set but could be repeated every 24 – 72 hours up to 5 doses if the infant still required intubation. Dosing could be discontinued by physician request or parental withdrawal from the study. Due to parental preference, the first infant in a multiple birth was randomized according to the randomization schedule and subsequent infants were assigned to the same treatment group. Follow-up to assess pulmonary and neurologic development continued until 2 years of age, with treatment group blinding maintained. The primary outcome was survival without BPD at 36 weeks PMA. Secondary outcomes included BPD at 40 weeks PMA, pulmonary outcome at 12–24 months of age, and neurodevelopmental outcome at 2 years of age. Conclusions: There were no significant differences observed between the treatment group and the control group for survival without BPD at 36 weeks or 40 weeks.

  Study phs003899

• Total RNAseq in the sporadic ALS and healthy control motor cortex

  Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by the degeneration of upper and lower motor neurons leading to progressive muscle weakness, wasting and paralysis that result in death within a few years from disease onset. In order to characterize RNA alterations in ALS, total RNAseq was performed in the ALS motor cortex, which is an early and vulnerable region in ALS.

  Study EGAS00001004286

• Timing and trajectory of BCR-ABL1 driven chronic myeloid leukaemia

  Mutation of some genes provide fitness advantages that drive uncontrolled cell proliferation, leading to clinical manifestations of cancer. The discovery of the Philadelphia chromosome in chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) provided the very first such genetic link to cancer and the hypothesis that this lesion provided an abnormal growth advantage to cells. However, little is known about the trajectory to CML, the rate of BCR::ABL1 driven clonal expansion, and how this impacts on disease presentation. Here, using whole-genome sequencing of 1013 single-cell-derived colonies from patients with CML, we reconstruct phylogenetic trees of haematopoiesis in 9 patients aged 22 to 81 years at diagnosis. The expected intronic breaks in BCR and ABL1 were not always observed, and out-of-frame exonic breakpoints in BCR, requiring exon skipping to derive BCR::ABL1 fusion transcripts, were noted in several patients. Apart from ASXL1 and RUNX1 mutations, additional somatic mutations in myeloid genes were generally present only in wild-type cells and did not contribute to the CML clone. Using phylogenetic analysis, we infer sustained explosive growth attributed to BCR::ABL1 fusion, with clonal expansions beginning 3-14 years (Cl 2-16 years) before diagnosis and annual growth rates exceeding 70,000% per year in some young patients with the most recent and rapid clonal expansions. Mutation rate was higher in BCR::ABL1-positive cells than in wild-type counterparts, together with markedly shorter telomere lengths, reflecting their excessive cell division history. Clonal expansion rates inferred from phylogenetic trees were in line with mutational signature patterns and telomere attrition, and inversely correlated with the time to diagnosis. Whole genome sequencing of advanced phase CML was characterised by genomic evolution within BCR::ABL1-positive cells. Our findings highlight the oncogenic potency of a single BCR::ABL1 fusion and its capacity to drive fast clonal outgrowth to cancer. These data contrast with the early-in-life, slow, and sequential clonal trajectories typical of most cancers, such as Philadelphia-negative myeloproliferative neoplasms, solid organ malignancies, and patterns of clonal expansion in healthy tissue ageing.

  Dataset EGAD00001015473

• ctDNA Quantification in Blood Plasma Using Deep Learning Based Fragle Tool

  The project aims to develop an easy to use software named Fragle that can quantify ctDNA in blood plasma. This can help in cancer screening and progress monitoring from simple blood test without any need for tumor biopsy. We aim to make Fragle usable for both low pass whole genome sequencing and targeted sequencing data of cell free DNA. Fragle can work directly on the raw bam files mapped to hg19/GRCh37. We are uploading the bam files used in this study for Fragle evaluation.

  Study EGAS50000000122

• Tumor Infiltrating Lymphocytes (TIL) Recognize Unique Somatic Mutations and Mediate Objective Clinical Responses in Metastatic Breast Cancer

  The purpose of this study is to investigate the immunogenicity of tumor mutations in patients with metastatic cancer. Harvest and analysis of progressing metastatic lesions are used for generation of tumor infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) cultures and the detections of somatic mutations. In vitro T cell activation assays are used to examine the immune recognition of tumor mutations by autologous TIL. Once a candidate is determined to have a cell product that meets the requirements of one of the Surgery Branch clinical trials, the candidate is evaluated for enrollment in a prospective adoptive cell therapy trial.

  Study phs002735

• Investigation of mutational signatures associated with DNMT3A deficiency (2019-04-03)

  Mutational signatures have been shown to be attributable to specific genetic contexts, such as mutations in DNA repair genes. DNMT3A is a DNA methyltransferase that helps maintain the DNA methylation pattern in a site-specific manner and may participate in DNA repair or the stress response. We have identified an adult individual who is a germline mosaic for a DNMT3A mutation. We have obtained clonal lymphoblastoid cells (LCLs) from the subject representing both WT and mutant lines grown in the same individual for >50 years. These clones represent a unique opportunity to examine the mutational impact of the DNMT3A mutation in a well-controlled setting. Our goal is to perform WGS on whole blood, representing the pool, as well as several WT and several mutant clones, in order to investigate the contribution of DNMT3A to mutation rates and signatures. . This dataset contains all the data available for this study on 2019-04-03.

  Dataset EGAD00001004889

• Collagen Proteostasis in Health and Disease

  This study uses human iPSC-derived cartilage to investigate the effects of the p.Arg719Cys mutation in the COL2A1 gene, which is linked to precocious osteoarthritis. Using a CRISPR-edited isogenic cell line pair, we compared wild-type and mutant cartilage for matrix defects and cellular stress responses. We performed RNA-sequencing and quantitative proteomics to characterize changes in gene expression, protein interactions, and collagen folding.

  Study phs004112

• Anaplastic_Meningioma_WGS_X10

  Anaplastic meningiomas are a rare, malignant variant of meningioma. At present there is no effective treatment for this cancer. The aim of the study is to identify somatic mutations in anaplastic meningiomas. We plan to sequence a set of 500 known cancer genes in 50 anaplastic meningioma and corresponding peripheral blood DNA samples. Bioinformatics will be used to analyse the results to assess the probability of these mutations being causal and so likely of critical importance for the tumour growth. Identification of these mutations will guide selection of appropriate compounds to effectively treat the disease.

  Study EGAS00001000859

• CIP: Differential Response to Hydroxyurea and Incidence of Stroke in Sickle Cell Disease

  Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a severe debilitating hematological disorder associated with a high degree of morbidity and mortality. There are approximately 200,000 babies born with sickle cell disease each year, with the disease predominately affecting individuals in Africa. The overall global burden of the disease is tremendous, with more than 100,000 patients currently in the US and further millions worldwide. The governing bodies of the World Health Organization have recently adopted a resolution to strengthen the response to sickle disease in all affected countries and there is a definite need for high quality sickle cell disease research that has the potential to improve the treatment and prognosis of patients with this devastating disease. The clinical manifestations of SCD arise from a complex pathophysiology that includes hemolysis, acute vaso-occlusion, endothelial dysfunction, inflammation, and chronic organ damage. While the individual clinical course of this disease is highly variable, many of the associated complications demonstrate some degree of heritability. Intensive research into identifying genetic modifiers that can affect the pathophysiology of SCD has been limited to date and there is an urgent need to improve of our knowledge the molecular mechanisms underlying the clinical complications of SCD. The Sickle cell CIP project is investigating complication of stroke and pharmacogenomics of hydroxyurea response in patients with sickle cell anemia. The major benefit of hydroxyurea comes from its ability to induce fetal hemoglobin (HbF) and higher HbF levels are associated with reduced morbidity and mortality in SCA patients. We will perform whole exome and whole genome sequencing of SCA patients in order to identify genome variants associated with incidences of stroke and HbF response to hydroxyurea.

  Study phs000691

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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