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National Eye Institute Glaucoma Human Genetics Collaboration (NEIGHBOR) Consortium Glaucoma Genome-Wide Association Study: Whole Exome Resequencing in Glaucoma

This is a study of primary open angle glaucoma (POAG) conducted through exome sequencing of cases and comparison of variant frequencies with general population frequencies available in dbGAP and controlled for sequencing platform artifact to minimize false positives.

POAG is an intraocular pressure (IOP) related progressive optic neuropathy that ultimately leads to blindness. This study builds upon the efforts of an on-going collaborative consortium that studied 2,170 POAG cases and 2,347 controls with a unified definition of POAG (the NEIGHBOR consortium: NEI Glaucoma Human genetic collaBORation). The case definition for NEIGHBOR was harmonized with an additional 976 cases and 1140 controls from the NHGRI supported GENEVA (gene-environment) study of glaucoma (GLAUGEN) (NIH/NHGRI U01HG004728, Pasquale PI).

In NEIGHBOR, cases and controls were recruited from ophthalmology clinics and were examined by ophthalmologists. For cases, the clinical exam included intraocular pressure measurements, optic nerve assessment and visual field evaluation. Controls had no family history of glaucoma, normal intraocular pressure and normal optic nerves. Cases and controls were also drawn from two clinical trial populations: Advanced Glaucoma Intervention Study (AGIS, NEI U10EY006827, D. Gaasterland PI) and Collaborative Initial Glaucoma Treatment Study (CIGTS, NEI U10 EY009149, P. Lichter PI).

The Glaucoma Exome Sequencing study has one Principal Investigator: Theresa Gaasterland (UCSD) and two Co-Investigators: Robert Weinreb, MD, and Kang Zhang, MD, PhD, all of whom are part of the NEIGHBOR, subsequently NEIGHBORHOOD, consortium, which in turn has two Co-Principal Investigators: J. Wiggs (Harvard, MEEI), and M. Hauser (Duke). NEIGHBOR collaborators who contributed samples and/or expertise to the Glaucoma Exome Sequencing study included the following: Harvard Medical School (Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary) (J. Wiggs, L. Pasquale); Duke University Medical Center (M. Hauser, E. Hauser, R. Allingham, S. Schmidt); University of Michigan (J. Richards, S. Moroi, P. Lichter); University of Miami (M. Pericak-Vance, R. Lee, D. Budenz); Vanderbilt University (J. Haines); University of California San Diego (K. Zhang, R. Weinreb; T. Gaasterland); University of Pittsburgh (J. Schuman, G. Wollenstein); University of West Virginia (A. Realini, J. Charlton, S. Zareparsi); Johns Hopkins University (D. Friedman); Stanford University (D. Vollrath, K. Singh), Eye Doctors of Washington (D. Gaasterland), Marshfield Clinic (Cathy McCarty). Hemin Chin serves as the NEI Staff Collaborator. This national collaborative study is supported by multiple NIH grants: NEI R01 EY015543 (Allingham); NEI U10 EY006827 (D. Gaasterland); NHLBI R01 HL073389 (E. Hauser); NEI R01 EY13315 (M. Hauser); NEI U10 EY009149 (Lichter); NEI R01 EY015473 (Pasquale); NEI U10 EY012118 (Pericak-Vance); NEI R03 EY015682 (Realini); NEI R01 EY011671 (Richards); NEI R01 EY09580 (Richards); NEI R01 EY013178 (Schuman); NEI R01 EY015872 (Wiggs); NEI R01 EY009847 (Wiggs); NEI R01 EY010886 (Wiggs); NEI R01 EY144428 (Zhang); NEI R01 EY144448 (Zhang); NEI R01 EY18660 (Zhang).

Funding support for genotyping through exome sequencing, which was performed at the University of California, San Diego, was provided by the National Eye Institute (RC2 EY020678-01).