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Center for Common Disease Genomics [CCDG] Neuropsychiatric: Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) – Whole Exomes

The National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) has funded a collaborative large-scale genome sequencing effort to comprehensively identify rare risk and protective variants contributing to multiple common disease phenotypes. Called the Centers for Common Disease Genomics (CCDG), this initiative will explore a range of diseases with the ultimate goal of 1) undertaking variant discovery for enough different examples of disease architectures and study designs to better understand the general principles of the genomic architecture underlying common, complex inherited diseases, 2) understanding how best to design rare variant studies for common disease, and 3) developing resources, informatics tools, and innovative approaches and technologies for multiple disease research communities and the wider biomedical research community. The initial focus of the CCDGs will be in cardiovascular disease (early-onset coronary artery disease, atrial fibrillation, hemorrhagic stroke), neuropsychiatric disease (epilepsy, autism), and autoimmune/inflammatory disease (type 1 diabetes, inflammatory bowel disease). The Broad Institute is one of four selected CCDG project centers. The goal of the Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) program is to work together to utilize dramatic new advances in DNA sequencing technology to reveal the genetic architecture of autism through comprehensive examination of the exotic sequence of all genes.