3972 results for "*geneti*"

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• INdiana GENomics: Implementing an Opportunity for the Under Served (INGENIOUS)

  The INGenious trial planed to enroll a total of 6,000 patients, with 2,000 patients assigned to a pharmacogenetic testing arm and 4,000 to a control arm who will be followed, but not tested. It is randomized between an intervention arm and one that receives no intervention in order that the genotyped group can be compared with one in which undisturbed, routine clinical care is carried out in patients taking the same drugs. Both arms will be followed for a year after being prescribed a targeted medication. Patients randomized into the intervention arm that are prescribed one or more of the 27 targeted index medication will receive pharmacogenomic testing using a custom micro-array measuring 43 Single nucleotide polymorphisms in 14 genes. The study is being conducted by the Indiana University School of Medicine and the Indiana University Institute of Personalized Medicine in collaboration with the Eskenazi and Indiana University Health Systems and will evaluate the economic and clinical outcomes associated with embedding a pharmacogenomics program in a system that serves as the primary health care safety-net in Indianapolis, Indiana. By successfully implementing a pharmacogenomics program and integrating it with the Electronic Health Record and Clinical Decision Support system, physicians will be able to optimize patient care by delivering tailored therapeutic decisions based on the patient's individual genetics.

  Study phs001701

• Autism Genome Project (AGP) Consortium - Whole Genome Association Study of over 1,500 Parent-Offspring Trios - Stage I and II

  Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are highly heritable (~90%), yet the underlying genetic determinants are largely unknown. To understand the genetic and phenotypic heterogeneity in ASDs, we analyzed 2,611 strictly defined ASD families with over 1,000,000 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), and applied multiple analytical strategies to examine these families for SNPs and Copy Number Variation (CNVs) affecting risk for ASDs. Secondary analyses examined associations in more homogenous subgroups. Furthermore, the use of large control datasets permitted contrasting case and control samples and addressed the potential increased burden of rare CNVs in ASD. Our data have allowed us to discern key features of the ASD genomic architecture, find new susceptibility loci, and chart a course for future studies in ASDs.

  Study phs000267

• Molecular Genetics of Heterotaxy and Related Congenital Heart Defects

  Heterotaxy syndrome is a congenital anomaly syndrome accompanied by thoracic and abdominal situs abnormalities. The study cohort comprises of individuals with heterotaxy or related congenital heart disease (CHD) who have undergone exome sequencing. The purpose of the study is to elucidate the molecular genetics of the disorder as well as contribute to knowledge about the biology of normal and abnormal development of left-right anatomic asymmetry. These results will further help delineate genotype-phenotype associations and provide important information on the causes, management, and prognosis of heterotaxy syndrome.

  Study phs001814

• The Finland-United States Investigation of NIDDM Genetics (FUSION) Study

  The Finland-United States Investigation of NIDDM Genetics (FUSION) study is a long-term effort to identify genetic variants that predispose to type 2 diabetes (T2D) or that impact the variability of T2D-related quantitative traits. The initial effort involved linkage analysis of affected-sibling-pair (ASP) families based on over 5,000 individuals living in Finland, and association fine mapping based on these family members and additional T2D cases and controls. Recently we completed a genome-wide association scan on 1161 T2D cases and 1174 normal glucose tolerant (NGT) controls. Individual-level data is available here for the 919 T2D cases and 787 NGT controls who reconsented to the use of their data or are deceased. Version 3 adds individual-level data for additional phenotypic variables.

  Study phs000100

• Cell and Circuit-Specific Exploration of HIV Neurogenomics in Context of Opiate and Cocaine Misuse

  Utilizing frozen postmortem brain tissue from the Manhattan HIV Brain Bank, we performed cell-type-specific, genome-wide sequencing of three different types: 1) single-nucleus RNA-sequencing (snRNA-seq), 2) in situ Hi-C, and 3) HIV integration site sequencing (IS-seq). We assayed tissue from three different donor types: 1) HIV-uninfected control (HIV-), HIV-infected (HIV+), and HIV-infected with HIV encephalitis (HIVE), who served as a positive control for active CNS viral infection. The diagnosis of HIVE was made by a board-certified neuropathologist on routine histopathology, based on the presence of a microglial nodule encephalitis with characteristic multinucleated syncytial cells and staining for HIV p24 antigen. Other HIV-infected individuals (the HIV+ group) did not have this histologic evidence of active HIV brain replication, and were variable with regard to cART status and virologic control prior to death. Donor characteristics, including ante-mortem plasma HIV loads, CD4 counts, and cART status, were documented. Quality controls were used for each assay: For snRNA-seq we applied filters to remove low quality nuclei from analysis and performed experiments in which mouse tissue was mixed with human tissue to determine a reliable HIV read count threshold. For Hi-C, we used paired HIV- and HIVE samples and processed all samples in parallel, at the same time. Correlation analysis was used to ensure biological replicates were aligned. For IS-seq, each time the assay was run, a positive and negative control were included. This allowed us to ensure a lack of contamination in IS-seq libraries and that, when a particular sample failed to yield library, this was due to low levels of HIV rather than a failure of the assay. Altogether, we built an integrative dataset from 79 sequencing files, including snRNA-seq, and cell type specific Hi-C, IS-seq, and ChIP-seq datasets. Human autopsy brain samples were collected by the Manhattan HIV Brain Bank (MHBB, U24MH100931), using protocols under the supervision of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (ISMMS) Institutional Review Board. Written informed consent was obtained either from decedents or their primary next of kin. Major Findings: Reorganization of open/repressive (A/B) compartment structures in HIVE microglia encompassing 6.4% of the genome was linked to transcriptional activation of interferon (IFN) signaling and cell migratory pathways and was partially recapitulated by IFN-gamma stimulation of cultured microglia. In contrast, decreased expression and repressive compartmentalization of genes regulating neuronal health and signaling was seen in both HIVE and HIV+ microglia. IS-seq recovered 1,221 integration sites in the brain that displayed distinct genomic patterns as compared to peripheral lymphocyte integration and were enriched for chromosomal domains newly mobilized into a permissive chromatin environment in HIVE microglia. Viral transcription occurred in a subset of highly activated microglia comprising 0.003% of all nuclei in HIVE brain. Our findings point to a disruption of microglia-neuronal interactions in the HIV infected brain and an interrelation of retroviral integration and expression with interferon-associated remodeling of the microglial 3D genome during progression to HIVE. Search terms: HIV, postmortem brain, microglia, substance abuse, viral integration, chromosomal conformation capture, Hi-C, chromatin, single nuclei RNA-seq, Irf8, NeuN, HIV encephalitis, neuron-microglia interaction, cytokine

  Study phs003080

• Ghana Prostate Study

  Participants were recruited through the Ghana Prostate Study-a population-based component, and a clinical component. The population-based component was a probability sample designed using the 2000 Ghana Population and Housing Census data in an attempt to recruit approximately 1,000 men aged 50-74 years in the Greater Accra region (~3 million people), which successfully recruited 1,037 healthy men between 2004 and 2006 with a response percentage of 98.8 %. Consented individuals underwent an in-person interview, and within 7 days had a digital rectal examination (DRE) and provided an overnight fasting blood sample for prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing, biomarker assays, and genetic analysis. Subjects who had a positive screen by PSA (>2.5 ng/ml) or DRE underwent a transrectal ultrasound-guided biopsy. A total of 73 histologically confirmed prostate cancer cases were identified through the population-based screening component of the Ghana Prostate Study and were included in the case population in the published GWAS (Cook et al., Human genetics, 2013). From the remaining 964 screen-negative individuals, 836 had at least 20 μg DNA extracted and available for analysis, and 500 of these were matched to cases for analysis by age (in 5-year categories). In the Ghana Prostate Study, we recruited 676 prostate cancer cases at Korle Bu Teaching Hospital in Accra, Ghana, between 2008 and 2012. All consented cases were interviewed and provided an overnight fasting blood sample. At the time of selection for this analysis we had recruited 582 prostate cancer cases, from which we selected 427 for analysis. Combined with the 73 cases diagnosed through the population-based component of the study, this yielded 500 available prostate cancer cases for analysis.

  Study phs000838

• Drug Resistant Hypertension in African Americans' Exome

  Resistant hypertension is defined as blood pressure that remains above goal in spite of the concurrent use of 3 antihypertensive agents of different classes or the concurrent use of 4 or more antihypertensive agents regardless of control. Its diagnosis is important for the identification of patients who are at high risk of having reversible causes of hypertension and/or patients who, because of persistently high blood pressure levels, may benefit from special diagnostic and therapeutic considerations. Resistant hypertension represents an extreme phenotype, thus, it has been predicted that genetic factors could play a larger role than for the general hypertensive population. Genetic assessments of patients with resistant hypertension have been limited. The current study assayed the exome of 91 African American patients with treatment resistant hypertension.

  Study phs000442

• Characterization of Immune-Related Gene Expression in Lung Cancer

  We performed a comprehensive analysis of inter- and intratumor heterogeneity of immune gene expression in 160 lung cancer patients from the Environment And Genetics in Lung cancer Etiology (EAGLE) study. The transcriptome was profiled with RNA sequencing in 269 tumor samples and 110 normal tissue samples from 160 subjects.

  Study phs002346

• 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

• AC-ICAM: An Atlas and Compass of Immune-CAncer-Microbiome Interactions in Colon Cancer

  Fresh frozen tumor samples and matched normal colon specimens from chemotherapy naïve, consecutive patients with a histological diagnosis of colon adenocarcinoma at Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC) were subjected to multi-omics profiling at Sidra Integrated Genomics Services, part of Sidra Medicine, Doha, Qatar. This resulted in a high-quality dataset of samples collected between 2001 and 2015. Multi-step QC was performed, including assessment of the quality of the nucleic acid extraction, sequencing, and genetic concordance between DNA/RNA sequences from the same patient. After QC, this resulted in RNA sequencing on 348 tumor samples, whole exome sequencing (WES) on 281 tumor-normal sample pairs (n=562 samples), TCR sequencing of the TCR β locus (TRB) for 114 tumor and 10 matched normal samples, and 16S rDNA sequencing on 246 tumor-normal sample pairs (n=492 samples) and 42 tumor only samples, and 167 WGS non human-aligned reads of the tumor samples. Extensive clinicopathological and survival data of the cohort are available. The median follow-up time for this cohort is 4.6 years, and the distribution of gender and pathological stage are within expected ranges for this patient population with a mean age of 68. We refer to this resource as the Sidra-LUMC (SILU) colon adenocarcinoma (COAD) Atlas and Compass of Immune-Colon cancer-Microbiome interactions (AC-ICAM)."Reprinted from Nature Medicine,Roelands, J., Kuppen, P.J.K., Ahmed, E.I. et al. An integrated tumor, immune and microbiome atlas of colon cancer. Nat Med (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-023-02324-5, with permission from Nature."

  Study phs002978

• Genetic Basis for Clinical Response to CTLA-4 Blockade in Melanoma

  Immune checkpoint inhibitors are effective cancer treatments, but molecular determinants of clinical benefit are unknown. Ipilimumab and tremelimumab are antibodies against cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen 4 (CTLA-4). Anti-CTLA-4 treatment prolongs overall survival in patients with melanoma. CTLA-4 blockade activates T cells and enables them to destroy tumor cells. We obtained tumor tissue from patients with melanoma who were treated with ipilimumab or tremelimumab. Whole-exome sequencing was performed on tumors and matched blood samples. Somatic mutations and candidate neoantigens generated from these mutations were characterized. Neoantigen peptides were tested for the ability to activate lymphocytes from ipilimumab-treated patients. Malignant melanoma exomes from 64 patients treated with CTLA-4 blockade were characterized with the use of massively parallel sequencing. A discovery set consisted of 11 patients who derived a long-term clinical benefit and 14 patients who derived a minimal benefit or no benefit. Mutational load was associated with the degree of clinical benefit (P = 0.01) but alone was not sufficient to predict benefit. Using genomewide somatic neoepitope analysis and patient-specific HLA typing, we identified candidate tumor neoantigens for each patient. We elucidated a neo-antigen landscape that is specifically present in tumors with a strong response to CTLA-4 blockade. We validated this signature in a second set of 39 patients with melanoma who were treated with anti-CTLA-4 antibodies. Predicted neoantigens activated T cells from the patients treated with ipilimumab.

  Study phs001041

• Development and Use of Network Infrastructure for High-Throughput GWA Studies

  The "Development and Use of Network Infrastructure for High-Throughput GWA Studies" project is collaboration between Group Health Cooperative (GH), the University of Washington (UW), and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center (FHCRC). It is one of 5 sites participating in The Electronic Medical Records and Genomics (eMERGE) Network funded by the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) with additional funding from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS). The overall eMERGE project is designed to assess whether linking biorepositories of patients in healthcare delivery systems with electronic medical records (EMRs) is an efficient strategy for high-throughput genome wide association (GWA) studies and whether information can be pooled across sites. The primary phenotype in the Group Health/UW Aging and Dementia eMERGE study project is dementia. Phenotyped participants originated from four population-based sources. Seattle-area members of GH (a large integrated health care system in Washington State) consented and enrolled in 1) the University of Washington Alzheimer's Disease Patient Registry (ADPR) and 2) the Adult Changes in Thought (ACT) study, 3) Marshfield Clinic Personalized Medicine Research Project (PMRP), a population-based DNA, plasma and serum biobank of 20,000 adults, 4) Vanderbilt's BioVU, a de-identified DNA biobank. The ADPR (PI: Eric B. Larson; NIH/NIA U01 AG 006781) is a population-based registry of incident dementia cases designed to identify all new dementia cases within GH from 1987 to 1996. Potential dementia cases were identified through referrals from primary care physicians, mental health services, and neurologists, as well as review of CT scans, neurology, emergency room, geriatrician, and mental health clinic logs, and hospital discharge diagnoses. Medical history, physical, laboratory testing, and neuropsychological testing were performed on all consenting potential cases. These data were reviewed by a consensus conference including a neuropsychologist, study physicians, and an epidemiologist. After discussion of the case, dementia status is assigned using DSM-III-R criteria. Alzheimer's disease status was assigned using the National Institute of Neurological and Communicative Disorders and Stroke-Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders Association (NINCDS-ADRDA) criteria. The study base of the ADPR population was stable with an attrition rate of less than 1%/year. The ACT study (PI: Eric B. Larson; NIH/NIA U01 AG 006781) is an ongoing community-based cohort study designed to determine the incidence of Alzheimer's Disease (AD), other types of dementia, and cognitive impairment and to determine risk factors for these conditions. The original cohort of 2,581 was enrolled in 1994-1996. An expansion cohort of 811 was enrolled in 2000-2002. Continuous enrollment to keep 2,000 persons enrolled and at-risk for dementia outcomes was begun in 2005. To date the study has accrued more than 4,000 participants. Dementia-free participants are enrolled in this cohort and evaluated every two years by study personnel with many evaluations including an assessment of cognitive functioning using the Cognitive Abilities Screening Instrument (CASI), which is an extended version of the Mini-Mental State Examination that has been widely used in epidemiological studies of the elderly. Persons with CASI scores lower than 86 or in whom interviewers suspect unusual cognitive decline are followed up with dementia diagnostic evaluations which include physical and neurological examinations and neuropsychological tests. Medical records are reviewed, and laboratory tests and neuroimaging are obtained if not available. The dementia diagnoses and dementia subtypes are determined during a consensus conference attended by the examining clinicians and other study physicians, a neuropsychologist, and research nurse. After discussion of the case, dementia status is assigned using DSM-IV criteria. Alzheimer's disease status was assigned using NINCDS-ADRDA criteria. Individuals diagnosed with dementia are seen again one year following diagnosis using the same procedures. Individuals not diagnosed with dementia are returned to the pool of at-risk individuals and are seen at their next routinely scheduled biennial visit. The ACT sub-sample is stable; for the original cohort, median enrollment in GH was 19 years prior to joining the ACT study, and 85% of the cohort has ≥ 10 years of GH enrollment. DNA for the ADPR participants were obtained through a companion study, Genetic Differences in Cases and Controls (PI: Walter Kukull; NIH/NIA R01 AG007584). DNA obtained through both studies were extracted from blood using Gentra Systems Puregene methods. DNA concentration is determined by UV optical density. All samples are checked for quality by OD 260/280 ratio. For long-term storage, samples are aliquoted and stored at -70°C. The Marshfield study, Personalized Medicine Research Project (PMRP), a population-based DNA, plasma and serum biobank of 20,000 adults. PMRP was started in 2002 as a 3 Phase project. Completed in April 2004, the objectives of Phase I were to build and develop a large population-based biobank with DNA, plasma and serum samples to facilitate genomics research. Phase 1 was also to educate, inform and consult with the Marshfield Epidemiologic Study Area population and communities concerning potential studies, create the DNA foundation of the personalized medicine database and build the bioinformatics tools to store securely and analyze genotypic and phenotypic data. Phase I tasks included operation of the ethics and security advisory board, scientific advisory board and community advisory group. More than 18,000 residents aged 18 and above from 19 different zip codes surrounding Marshfield, WI were invited to participate in Phase I. After providing written informed consent, participants completed brief questionnaires that included questions about demographics, some environmental exposures, family history of disease, and adverse drug reactions, as well as family members living in the area. Participants provided 50ml of blood from which DNA was extracted and plasma and serum samples were stored. The informed consent process allowed access to electronic medical records and included language about non-disclosure of personal research results. A tick-off box was included so that participants could either allow or decline subsequent recontact for future research studied. The objectives of Phase II are to create the phenotypic database, establish the scientific and administrative infrastructure to support genetic mapping of the DNA and the initial discovery projects and genotype a sufficient portion of the genetic material to support these discovery projects. The objectives of Phase III are to expand the discovery projects, complete the genotyping of the genetic database and expand physician/health care provider education and community consultation. The Vanderbilt BioVU model uses discarded blood leftover from clinical care and de-identified clinical information, both of which are tracked with a Research Unique Identifier that is permanently disconnected from the medical record number used to generate it. The Vanderbilt IRB determined that the project does not qualify as "human subject" research under §46.102(f)(1)(2). The program has been reviewed by OHRP twice (the latest immediately prior to launch), and the determination of the Vanderbilt IRB that the project is consistent with the 8/10/2004 guidance has been validated. The model includes a simple opt out mechanism developed for patients who do not wish to have their samples included. Planning (including community involvement, ethics and IRB discussions, focus groups, development of operating procedures and pilot studies to assess them) began in May 2004, and the resource commenced sample collection in February 2007 and as of May 2009 contains approximately 56,000 samples. The current resource will be available to all Vanderbilt investigators who sign a Data Use Agreement. The resource represents Vanderbilt's broad patient population and thus provides a potential resource for research in a range of common and rare diseases as well as drug response or medication safety. BioVU patient protection model: There has been extensive involvement by the ethics community and the IRB to put in place procedures to provide privacy protection. The overall protection plan is multifaceted and includes a combination of technology and policy: (1) creation of the SD described above; (2) return of only the specific clinical data items requested by investigators (rather than the complete de-identified chart); (3) submission of any specific proposed project to the IRB and to a separate protocol review committee, both of which must approve; (4) implementing a Data Use Agreement that permits only approved queries and data analyses, specifically prohibits attempts at re-identification (at the risk of institutional sanctions), and mandates redeposit of all genetic information generated in a research study back into a genomic database; and (5) tracking and auditing all use.

  Study phs000234

• Cystic Fibrosis Nasal Epithelium Gene Expression by RNAseq

  Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a monogenic disorder leading to multi-organ system dysfunction, with the primary cause of morbidity and mortality being lung disease. Mutations in CFTR result in defective ion channel transport leading to hyperviscous mucus, airway infection, inflammation and lung function decline. While the Phe508del mutation is the most common CFTR mutation in North American people with CF, it is well known that there is a broad range of lung disease severity even amongst Phe508del homozygotes, including twins/siblings. Heritability analyses showing the relative contribution of non-CFTR modifier genes in such differences in phenotype, have led to our genomic and transcriptomic studies of gene modifiers in CF. Complementary to two international CF GWAS studies, this study was performed to a) determine differential expression of genes relative to a quantitative lung disease severity phenotype score (KNoRMA; as used in CF GWAS studies) and b) to assess expression quantitative trait loci. To better understand genetic modification of CF lung disease severity, we analyzed gene expression (transcriptomic) profiles by mRNA sequencing from nasal mucosal biopsy specimens of 134 people with CF. Each study participants was characterized for CF lung disease severity phenotype by averaging three years of lung function data (forced expiratory volume in 1 second; FEV1), normalized to a CF-specific reference population matching for age, sex, and height. Participants completed nasal lavage and nasal curettage mucosal sampling, with directed sampling to the inferior nasal turbinate, a well validated surrogate for cellular characteristics and CFTR function of the lower CF airways. Participants were further invited to complete a second set of these sampling procedures for validation analysis. Specimen and concurrent clinical data collection occurred across four North American study sites and nasal mucosal specimens were subjected to RNASeq analysis. These data were to be made available in the dbGaP. Our association analyses of gene expression relative to quantitative CF lung disease phenotype, taken together with previously identified GWAS signals, identified biological pathways correlated with CF lung disease pathogenesis. Our further association analyses of gene expression relative to single nucleotide polymorphism variation at significant CF GWAS loci further identified potential mechanisms of genetic variants associated with CF lung disease. This resource is intended to aid researchers in characterizing airway mucosal gene expression from the CF airways for the purpose of gene expression profiling in CF and in muco-obstructive airways disease.

  Study phs002254

• Large Scale Genotyping of Psychiatric Disorders

  Psychiatric disorders cause enormous human suffering and cost to society. The goal of this project is to elucidate the genetics of psychiatric disorders through a large consortium effort and genome-wide genotyping. The Psychiatric Genomics Consortium (PGC) (https://www.med.unc.edu/pgc) is an international consortium to pursue genome-wide analyses of common psychiatric disease. The PGC was founded in 2007 to unite investigators from around the world to conduct mega-analyses of individual genome-wide genotype data for schizophrenia (SCZ), bipolar disorder (BIP), autism (AUT), attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and major depressive disorder (MDD). Subsequently, the PGC has expanded to include Tourette syndrome (TS), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), eating disorders (ED), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and substance abuse (SUD). The PGC partnered with Illumina to develop the PsychChip, a custom GWAS array aimed at capturing common variation genome-wide for imputation, rare coding variation drawn from the exome chip and dense genotypes for loci with suggestive evidence for association across the initial PGC analyses of SCZ, MDD, BPD, ASD and ADHD. Samples (cases, controls, and families) were collected from Institutional Review Board-approved protocols that aim to study the genetics of psychiatric disorders. Genome-wide genotyping was performed at the Broad Institute (Cambridge, MA, USA) and the Mount Sinai School of Medicine Friedman Brain Institute (New York, NY, USA) using the PsychChip or Exome Chip.

  Study phs001413

• Genome-Wide Association Study of Patients with Coccidioidomycosis

  BackgroundValley Fever is typically an infection of the lungs caused by the fungi Coccidioides immitis and Coccidioides posadasii. The incidence of Coccidioidomycosis (CM), or infection with Coccidioides, has dramatically increased over the last 20 years. This is particularly true in the Southwest of the United States, where people often breathe fungal spores that arise from the soil. Reasons for increased infection rates are thought to include population growth and construction in these endemic regions, an increase in the number of people whose immune systems are compromised due to infection or treatment with drugs required for organ transplants, climate change, as well as improved testing practices and greater physician awareness. Mild CM most commonly presents itself with flu-like symptoms and rashes, which can last weeks to months. Individuals with compromised immune systems, specifically-- substantial suppression of the immune cells known as T cells, can develop severe pulmonary and disseminated disease. Infection that remains localized to the lungs is referred to as pulmonary disease, but when the infection spreads out of the lungs into other parts of the body it represents a more serious condition referred to as a disseminated disease, or disseminated CM. In nature, Coccidioides spp. exists as mold and lives in dust and soil. When the contaminated soil or dust is disturbed by human activity, animals, or weather, the Coccidiodies spores are released into the air. Airborne spores are taken up by breathing and settle in the lungs. Once in the moist and warm environment of the lung, spores transform into spherules, which divide and become filled with smaller spores, called endospores. When the spherules get large enough, they rupture and release these endospores, which can spread and disseminate to surrounding tissue. The cycle then repeats itself as these endospores develop into new spherules3. Different ethnic groups have been described to vary in their susceptibility to developing disseminated CM after initial infection with Coccidioides. For example, evidence suggests that African-American and Filipino patients suffer the disseminated disease at a greater rate than other ethnicities. The suggestion that race plays a role in the clinical expression of the disease is still a source of debate amongst the scientific community and any genetic mechanisms responsible for these differences have yet to be fully elucidated. If our genetic makeup influences our ability to limit the spread of infection, finding which DNA differences cause these variances could provide clues to how the body successfully fights infection, and provide opportunities to boost the body’s ability to do this. Further, if we are able to identify the specific genetic risk factors that correlate with the development of disseminated infection, physicians could perform genetic screenings to identify high-risk patients and provide them with preemptive antifungal therapy prior to developing disseminated disease.The genome, made up of DNA, contains all of the information needed for humans to develop and grow. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) allow us to look for inherited differences that are more common between people who share a particular trait, for example, height or susceptibility to certain diseases, compared to those who do not share the trait. Although some traits and diseases are controlled by a single gene, the majority are influenced by contribution from several, or even many, different genes. To find evidence of genes that contribute to specific traits, GWAS typically compares genome information from large numbers of people who have a particular disease (referred to as “cases”) looking for DNA sequences that are common among these samples, and are different from DNA sequences seen in large numbers of people who lack the trait, but are as much like the cases as possible (referred to as “controls”). The DNA sequence data from each group, cases versus controls, are analyzed to see if there are specific genomic differences that tend to be associated with the disease. MethodsTwo separate GWAS approaches were taken to look for genetic differences that could be responsible for the observed differences between the different patient populations we are studying. The first method, known as genotyping, scans for differences at a set of positions across the genome, which includes both the genes that encode our proteins and the larger amount of DNA that does not. The second method, known as exome sequencing, allows us to compare the entire sequence of the portion of the genome that codes for proteins.  For this study, DNA from patients with either pulmonary or disseminated CM were genotyped and exome sequenced to look for DNA differences that are associated with one condition or the other. All patients were at least 18 years old, had no evidence of immunosuppression, and had proven or probable pulmonary coccidioidomycosis according to established diagnostic criteria. Of these patients, a subset demonstrated disseminated disease, i.e., they showed evidence of coccidioidal infection outside of the thorax by biopsy/aspiration, had radiographic imaging, and show positive coccidioidal serology. Our criteria for including patients with the pulmonary disease were that they must not require ongoing antifungal treatment or show evidence of active CM (in skin test positive patients), show no evidence of extrapulmonary dissemination, and have no evidence of ongoing pulmonary infection (pulmonary nodules are accepted) beyond six months from diagnosis.Patient DNA was purified from blood or from sputum samples by the labs of our collaborators, Drs. George Thompson (UC Davis School of Medicine) and John Galgiani (University of Arizona Health Sciences). Genome-wide association (GWAS) analysis was carried out to look for candidate loci associated with pulmonary versus disseminated disease, taking into account the population structure of the samples. Single nucleotide or insertion/deletion variants were identified from whole-exome sequences (WES) using the Picard/BWA/GATK pipeline. ResultsTable 1. Pulmonary versus Disseminated Cases of Coccidiomycosis for GWAS, Sorted by EthnicityEthnicityPulmonary CasesDisseminated CasesAsian85Black/African American1664Caucasian/White4015Filipino03Hispanic/Latino3414Indian21Mexican American1039Pacific Islander01Samoan03Vietnamese10Unknown16917More than one race02Total373134Table 1 shows the number of samples analyzed from patients with pulmonary versus disseminated disease, and patient ethnicity, where known. In all, we worked with 507 samples, including 134 samples from patients with disseminated disease and 373 samples from patients with pulmonary disease. Of these, 505 samples were genotyped using the Multi-Ethnic Global Array from Illumina Inc. In addition, we were able to generate whole-exome sequence from 498 patient samples. No significant associations were detected that differed between samples from patients with pulmonary versus disseminated disease; that is, no particular DNA sequences were found to be significantly enriched in patients with disseminated disease compared to patients with pulmonary disease. The ability to detect genetic association between specific sequences and genetically determined traits is influenced by several factors, including how many patient samples are available to compare, how many different genes contribute to the trait and how strong their contributions are. When the number of genes is small and the contribution of each gene is great, smaller numbers of patient samples are needed to detect an association. When more genes are involved, or the contribution from each gene is more modest, larger numbers of patient samples must be examined. While we were not able to detect any associated within this study, it does not mean that subsequent studies would not find this connection. Our study suggests significantly more samples should be analyzed in further studies.Whole-exome sequences were generated from 498 samples and were aligned to reference sequences to identify positions where the sequences differed from the reference. These data are being analyzed to determine if any variants are associated with pulmonary, versus disseminated, disease. 

  Study phs002170

• Pharmacogenomics of Rheumatoid Arthritis Therapy

  Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is the most common autoimmune inflammatory arthritis worldwide and affects 1.3 million adults in the USA. It has previously been studied using phenotype algorithms to identify electronic health records (EHR) case cohorts. Early genetic studies of EHR-linked cohorts of RA patients have been replicated in known associations. Further development of collections of EHR-linked cohorts for RA and other phenotypes may enable not only enhanced understanding of disease risks but also the investigation of outcomes and treatment responses.

  Study phs000983

• Whole Genome Sequencing Analysis in a Family of Discordant Twins With Non-Syndromic Microtia and Hemifacial Microsomia: Identification of Novel Candidate Genes and Variants

  This research is a non-NIH effort to discover the pathogenesis of non-syndromic microtia and to detect potential candidate genes. Microtia (OMIM 600674, 612290, 251800) is a spectrum of congenital anomalies and facial abnormalities, 90% of the cases followed by hearing loss. Two types of the disease are described in terms of connection to the affected syndromes: anomalies (syndromic) and only clinical manifestation (non-syndromic) associated with other symptoms. Though the exact pathogenesis of microtia remains unknown, pathogenic genes of majority of the microtia syndromic types have been identified. However, the genetic mutation of the non-syndromic microtia has not been confirmed. In this study, whole genome sequencing (WGS) was utilized to screen mutations in monozygotic discordant twins of congenital microtia-atresia and their family members. One of the twins, along with her grandfather, was discordant for microtia-atresia. By bioinformatic analysis of the WGS data from monozygotic twins with microtia and their non-microtia relatives, we proposed that among 28 identified potential genes, 4 of them (CNOT1, ODAD4, TBX15, and GIPC3) could be more responsible for non-syndromic microtia development and phenotypic features. Interested investigators may request to access the DNA genomic sequencing data of the study participants via dbGaP authorized access. In addition to raw genomic sequencing data, datasets of germline mutations and candidate gene mutations may also be available for investigators to request.

  Study phs003216

• ARDSnet and the iSPAAR Consortium: Genomic Basis of Susceptibility and Outcomes in Patients with the Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS)

  Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS)/ Acute Lung Injury (ALI) is a syndrome defined by the presence of acute hypoxemic respiratory failure, bilateral pulmonary infiltrates on chest radiograph, a known clinical risk factor (e.g. sepsis, pneumonia, trauma, gastric fluid aspiration, pancreatitis, massive transfusion), and the absence of physiologic or clinical evidence of congestive heart failure. The Identification of SNPs Predisposing to Altered ALI Risk (iSPAAR) study is a multi-institutional cooperative study, funded through the NHLBI Recovery Act, that assembled samples and phenotype information from existing cohorts. The consortium included samples from patients with ARDS from the NIH NHLBI ARDS Clinical Trials Network (ARDSNet). Samples were obtained from 3 interventional treatment trials in patients with ARDS, including the Fluid and Catheter Treatment Trial (FACTT), the Albuterol to Treat Acute Lung Injury (ALTA) trial, and the Omega-3 Fatty Acid/Antioxidant Supplementation for ALI trial (Omega). In addition to ARDSnet samples, samples from the other cohorts included cases of established ARDS but also controls: critically ill patients who were at-risk for ARDS but who did not develop ARDS during their hospital course. These cohorts included the Molecular Epidemiology of Acute Respiratory Distress (MEA) Study enrolled at the Harvard University/Massachusetts General Hospital, the Systemic Inflammatory Immune Response Syndrome (SIRS) Patient Database and ICU Traumatic Injury cohorts from Harborview Medical Center, and cohorts collected from the ALI research programs at the University of Pennsylvania and the University of California, San Francisco. The Cohort is utilized in the following dbGaP sub-studies. To view genotypes, other molecular data, and derived variables collected in these sub-studies, please click on the following sub-studies below or in the "Sub-studies" box located on the right hand side of this top-level study page phs000631 ARDSnet iSPAAR Consortium. phs000334 ESP_LungGO_ALI phs000686 ALI_GeneticRisk

  Study phs000631

• eMERGE Network Imputed GWAS for 41 Phenotypes

  The electronic Medical Records and Genomics (eMERGE) Network is a consortium of ten participating sites (Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center/Boston Children's Hospital, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Essentia Institute of Rural Health, Marshfield Clinic Research Foundation and Pennsylvania State University, Geisinger Clinic, Group Health Cooperative/University of Washington, Mayo Clinic, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Northwestern University, Vanderbilt University Medical Center) funded by the NHGRI to investigate the use of electronic medical record (EMR) systems for genomic research. The goal of eMERGE is to conduct genome-wide association studies in approximately 55,000 individuals using EMR-derived phenotypes and DNA from linked Biorepositories. Using electronic phenotyping methods, the consortium used DNA samples from all participating sites to explore the genetic determinants of over forty phenotypes, including Abdominal aortic aneurysm; Ace-Inhibitor/Cough; Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder; Age-related macular disease; Appendicitis; Asthma; Atopic Dermatitis; Autism; Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia; Carotid artery disease as a Quantitative Measure; caMRSA; Cataract; Clostridium difficile colitis; Extreme Obesity; Chronic Kidney Disease; Chronic Kidney Disease and Type 2 Diabetes; Chronic Kidney Disease, Type 2 Diabetes and Hypertension; Colon Polyps; Cardiorespiratory Fitness; Dementia; Diverticulosis; Diabetic retinopathy; Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease; Glaucoma; Height; Heart failure; Hypothyroidism; Lipids; Ocular hypertension; Peripheral Arterial Disease; QRS duration; Red blood cell indices; Remission of Diabetes after ROUX-EN-Y gastric bypass surgery; Resistant hypertension; MACE while on Statins; Type 2 Diabetes; Venous Thromboembolism; White blood cell indices; and Zoster virus infection, as well as using the phenome-wide association study (PheWAS) paradigm to replicate and discover relationships between targeted genotypes with multiple phenotypes. Sites and participants include: Children's Hospital of Pennsylvania (CHOP): The Center for Applied Genomics (CAG) at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) is a high-throughput, highly automated genotyping and sequencing facility equipped with state-of-the-art genotyping and sequencing platforms. Children who are treated at the Children's Hospital Healthcare Network and their parents may be eligible to take part in a major initiative to collect more than 100,000 blood samples, covering a wide range of pediatric diseases. A large majority of participants consenting to prospective genomic analyses also consent to analysis of their de-identified electronic medical records (EMRs). EMRs are longitudinal, with a mean duration of 6.5 years. Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center/Boston's Children's Hospital (CCHMC/BCH): Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center (CCHMC) and Boston Children's Hospital (BCH) are pediatric institutions dedicated to improving health and welfare of children and to the shared purpose of discovery and practical application of new genomic information to the ordinary care of children. The CCHMC/BCH site has been built on a five-year history of collaboration, particularly in patient electronic record (ERM)-related informatics, the basis of much of eMERGE II. CCHMC and BCH together bring an extraordinary faculty to eMERGE II who are committed to diseases that afflict children, specifically phenotypes that focus upon diseases of children in ways that will leverage the available eMERGE adult GWAS and EMRs to discover meaningful use results. CCHMC/BCH plans to demonstrate real-time execution of phenotypic selection across their two distinct pediatric institutions as a model for ensuring phenotypic standardization and for national scalability. They will also look carefully at parents' responses to results and use of their children's research results and better understand the factors that influence their decisions about learning incidental findings. In addition to patient and parent perceptions CCHMC/BCH will also explore clinician perceptions of pharmacogenetic research results after EMR integration. Geisinger Health System: A research cohort of adult Geisinger Clinic patients was enrolled from community-based primary care clinics of the Geisinger Health System. Patients were eligible for enrollment if they were a primary care patient of a Geisinger Clinic physician and were scheduled for a non-emergent clinic visit. All participants provided written informed consent and HIPAA authorization. Consenting patients agreed to provide blood samples for broad biomedical research use, and permission to access data in their Geisinger electronic medical record for research. The enrollment rate was 90% of patients approached. The demographics of the cohort approximate those of the Geisinger Clinic outpatient population. Research blood samples were collected during an outpatient clinical phlebotomy encounter. Research blood samples are coded and stored in a central biorepository. Samples are linkable to clinical data in a de-identified manner for research via an IRB-approved data broker process. For genomic analysis, DNA is extracted from EDTA-anticoagulated whole blood. Group Health(GH)/University of Washington (UW): GH participants for the PGx project were enrolled in the eMERGE Network through the Northwest Institute of Genetic Medicine (NWIGM) biorepository, and provided the appropriate consent to receive clinically relevant genetic results (N~6300.) Participants were eligible if aged 50 - 65 years old at the time of their enrollment into the NWIGM repository, living, enrolled in GH's integrated group practice, and had completed an online Health Risk Appraisal. The selection algorithm was based on several data sources from the EHR at Group Health: 1. Demographics - participants with self-reported race as Asian or African ancestry were prioritized and selected to enrich for non-European ancestry; 2. Diagnosis and procedure codes - participants were selected if found to have a history of hypertension, atrial fibrillation (AF), or congestive heart failure (CHF). Participants with a history of arrhythmia were added if the entire selection algorithm did not generate 900 individuals. We also enriched for participants with EHR evidence of actionable indications related to PGRNSeq genes. Participants were selected if found to have an ICD9 code for malignant hyperthermia, hypertension, atrial fibrillation, congestive heart failure or long QT syndrome (LQTS); 3. Laboratory values - if participants had any laboratory event of creatine kinase (CK) >1000, and were dispensed statins within 6 months of the event, then they were selected; and 4. Medications - participants were excluded if ever on carbamazepine or had a current regimen of warfarin. Essentia Institute of Rural Health, Marshfield Clinic, Pennsylvania State University (Marshfield): The Marshfield Clinic Personalized Medicine Research Project is a population-based biobank in central Wisconsin with more than 20,000 adult subjects who provided written, informed consent to access their medical records and provided a blood sample from which DNA was extracted and plasma and serum stored. In addition to an average of 30 years of medical history data, a questionnaire about environmental exposures, including a detailed food frequency questionnaire, is available to facilitate gene/environment studies. Mayo Clinic: The Mayo biobank is a disease-specific biobank for vascular diseases including peripheral arterial disease (PAD). PAD patients were identified from individuals referred to the non-invasive vascular laboratory for lower extremity arterial evaluation. Since 1997, laboratory findings have been recorded into an electronic database employing an in-house software package for data archiving and retrieval; this data becomes part of the Mayo EMR. Patients referred to the center with suspected PAD undergo a comprehensive non-invasive evaluation including the ankle-brachial index (ABI) - the ratio of blood pressure measured in the upper arms divided by blood pressure measured at the ankles. Controls subjects are identified from patients referred to the Cardiovascular Health Clinic for stress ECG. The prevalence of PAD in patients with normal exercise capacity who do not have inducible ischemia on the stress ECG , was <1%. Data regarding risk factors for atherosclerosis such as diabetes, dyslipidemia, hypertension, and smoking are ascertained from the EMR. Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai School (Mt. Sinai): The Institute for Personalized Medicine (IPM) Biobank Project is a consented, EMR-linked medical care setting biorepository of the Mount Sinai Medical Center (MSMC) drawing from a population of over 70,000 inpatients and 800,000 outpatient visits annually. MSMC serves diverse local communities of upper Manhattan, including Central Harlem (86% African American), East Harlem (88% Hispanic Latino), and Upper East Side (88% Caucasian/white) with broad health disparities. IPM Biobank populations include 28% African American (AA), 38% Hispanic Latino (HL) predominantly of Caribbean origin, 23% Caucasian/White (CW). IPM Biobank disease burden is reflective of health disparities with broad public health impact: average body mass index of 28.9 and frequencies of hypertension (55%), hypercholesterolemia (32%), diabetes (30%), coronary artery disease (25%), chronic kidney disease (23%), among others. Biobank operations are fully integrated in clinical care processes, including direct recruitment from clinical sites, waiting areas and phlebotomy stations by dedicated Biobank recruiters independent of clinical care providers, prior to or following a clinician standard of care visit. Recruitment currently occurs at a broad spectrum of over 30 clinical care sites. Northwestern University: The NUgene Project is a repository with longitudinal medical information from participating patients at affiliated hospitals and outpatient clinics from the Northwestern University Medical Center. Participants' DNA samples are coupled with data from a self-reported questionnaire and continuously updated data from our Electronic Medical Record (EMR) representing actual clinical care events. Northwestern has a state-of-the art, comprehensive inpatient and outpatient EMR system of over 2 million patients. NUgene has broad access to participant data for all outpatient visits as well as inpatient data via a consolidated data warehouse. NUgene participants consent to distribution and use of their coded DNA samples and data for a broad range of genetic research by third-party investigators. Vanderbilt University: BioVU, Vanderbilt's DNA databank, is an enabling resource for exploration of the relationships among genetic variation, disease susceptibility, and variable drug responses, and represents a key first step in moving the emerging sciences of genomics and pharmacogenomics from research tools to clinical practice. BioVU acquires DNA from discarded blood samples collected from routine patient care. The biobank is linked to de-identified clinical data extracted from Vanderbilt's EMR, which forms the basis for phenotype definitions used in genotype-phenotype correlations.

  Study phs000888

• NHLBI TOPMed: Genetics of Asthma in Latino Americans (GALA)

  This is a case pharmacogenetic study of bronchodilator drug response (Albuterol) among racially admixed Latino children with asthma between the ages of 8-40. Lung function testing was performed using the KoKo PFT system and each participant was administered albuterol dependent on age. Participants under 16 years of age, were administered 2 puffs of albuterol from a standard metered dose inhaler and 4 puffs for participants over 16 years old. The overall goal is to identify genetic factors which are predictive of drug response in children with asthma. The principal tools include a questionnaire and biological specimen collection. Participants with asthma have physician-diagnosed asthma, symptoms and medications.

  Study phs001542

• Analysis of the Genetic Basis of Height in Large Jewish Nuclear Families

  This is a family based study of the genetic basis of height, which focused on very large nuclear families (10 siblings or more, average of 12), all from a founder (Jewish) population. All participants have completed their growth. This study design increases the frequency of some genetic variants that are rare in a cosmopolitan population but segregate in our cohort. Participants were genotyped with a ~630,000 SNP array (Affymetrix Axiom Biobank), and their standing height, sitting height and arm span were measured with high accuracy (±0.1 cm, with 4 technical repeats). All genomic coordinates refer to genome build hg19.

  Study phs001852

• NHLBI GO-ESP: Heart Cohorts Exome Sequencing Project (Ischemic Stroke Genetic Study, ISGS)

  The NHLBI "Grand Opportunity" Exome Sequencing Project (GO-ESP), a signature project of the NHLBI Recovery Act investment, was designed to identify genetic variants in coding regions (exons) of the human genome (the "exome") that are associated with heart, lung and blood diseases. These and related diseases that are of high impact to public health and individuals from diverse racial and ethnic groups will be studied. These data may help researchers understand the causes of disease, contributing to better ways to prevent, diagnose, and treat diseases, as well as determine whether to tailor prevention and treatments to specific populations. This could lead to more effective treatments and reduce the likelihood of side effects. GO-ESP is comprised of five collaborative components: 3 cohort consortia - HeartGO, LungGO, and WHISP - and 2 sequencing centers - BroadGO and SeattleGO. The Ischemic Stroke Genetics Study (ISGS) is a study of newly onset cases (~600) with ischemic stroke (a stroke due to sudden interruption of blood flow to a part of the brain) compared with sex- and age-matched non-stroke participants. The study was conducted to determine the genes and their variants that contribute to an individual's risk of developing an ischemic stroke. The coordination of the recruitment and flow of the samples occurred at the Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL, under the direction of James F. Meschia, MD. The University of Virginia (Stephen S. Rich, PhD) served as the analytic site for the genetic data. All GWAS data on ISGS participants have been deposited into dbGaP. As part of the NHLBI Exome Sequencing Project, DNA from a subset of ISGS participants will undergo exome sequencing. For the NHLBI ESP, a subset of 92 individuals with lacunar (small vessel) or atherosclerotic (large vessel) TOAST subtypes were selected from among all ISGS participants, excluding those individuals with TOAST subtypes of stroke of other etiology or of stroke with undetermined etiology. All 92 samples pass initial quality control metrics and 89 samples completed exome sequencing. A total of 75 participants with appropriate consent and variant calls had their genetic and phenotypic data deposited into dbGaP.

  Study phs000546

• eMERGE Network Study of the Genetic Determinants of Resistant Hypertension

  The electronic Medical Records and Genomics (eMERGE) Network is a consortium of five participating sites (Group Health Seattle, Marshfield Clinic, Mayo Clinic, Northwestern University, and Vanderbilt University) funded by the NHGRI to investigate the use of electronic medical record systems for genomic research. The goal of eMERGE is to conduct genome-wide association studies in approximately 19,000 individuals using EMR-derived phenotypes and DNA from linked Biorepositories. Using electronic phenotyping methods, the consortium used DNA samples from all participating sites to explore the genetic determinants of resistant hypertension. Treatment resistant hypertension is a common health problem in the clinical setting. A basic definition of resistant hypertension included subjects with uncontrolled blood pressure despite use of three antihypertensive medications or subjects requiring four or more medications to maintain control. Other conditions, such as secondary causes of hypertension, were exclusions. Site and participants include: Vanderbilt University: BioVU, Vanderbilt's DNA databank, is an enabling resource for exploration of the relationships among genetic variation, disease susceptibility, and variable drug responses, and represents a key first step in moving the emerging sciences of genomics and pharmacogenomics from research tools to clinical practice. BioVU acquires DNA from discarded blood samples collected from routine patient care. The biobank is linked to de-identified clinical data extracted from Vanderbilt's EMR, which forms the basis for phenotype definitions used in genotype-phenotype correlations. Marshfield Clinic: The Marshfield Clinic Personalized Medicine Research Project is a population-based biobank in central Wisconsin with more than 20,000 adult subjects who provided written, informed consent to access their medical records and provided a blood sample from which DNA was extracted and plasma and serum stored. In addition to an average of 30 years of medical history data, a questionnaire about environmental exposures, including a detailed food frequency questionnaire, is available to facilitate gene/environment studies. Northwestern University: The NUgene Project is a repository with longitudinal medical information from participating patients at affiliated hospitals and outpatient clinics from the Northwestern University Medical Center. Participants' DNA samples are coupled with data from a self-reported questionnaire and continuously updated data from our Electronic Medical Record (EMR) representing actual clinical care events. Northwestern has a state-of-the art, comprehensive inpatient and outpatient EMR system of over 2 million patients. NUgene has broad access to participant data for all outpatient visits as well as inpatient data via a consolidated data warehouse. NUgene participants consent to distribution and use of their coded DNA samples and data for a broad range of genetic research by third-party investigators. Group Health(GH)/University of Washington (UW): Aging and Dementia eMERGE study biorepository leverages rich population-based longitudinal data from both electronic medical records and in-depth research data to explore genome wide associations. Participants include Seattle-area members of GH (a large integrated health care system in Washington State) consented and enrolled in 1) the UW Alzheimer's Disease Patient Registry (ADPR) and 2) the Adult Changes in Thought (ACT) study. The ADPR (PI: Eric B. Larson; NIH/NIA U01 AG 006781) is a population-based registry of incident dementia cases designed to identify all new Alzheimer's Disease cases within GH from 1987 to 1996. Medical history, physical, laboratory testing, and neuropsychological testing were performed on all consenting potential cases for determination of dementia status by a consensus conference. The study base of the ADPR population was stable with an attrition rate of less than 1%/year. The ACT study (PI: Eric B. Larson; NIH/NIA U01 AG 006781) is an ongoing community-based cohort study of aging and dementia. The original cohort of 2,581 randomly selected dementia-free members age 65 and older was enrolled in 1994-1996 and expanded by 811 in 2000-2002. Continuous enrollment to maintain a cohort of 2,000 dementia free persons began in 2005. Participants receive biennial assessment including cognitive status determination. The ACT sub-sample is stable; for the original cohort, median enrollment in GH was 19 years prior to joining the ACT study, and 85% of the cohort has ≥ 10 years of GH enrollment. DNA for the ADPR participants were obtained through a companion study, Genetic Differences in Cases and Controls (PI: Walter Kukull; NIH/NIA R01 AG007584). DNA obtained through both studies were extracted from blood using Gentra Systems Puregene methods. DNA concentration is determined by UV optical density. All samples are checked for quality by 260/280 ratio. For long-term storage, samples are aliquoted and stored at -70°C. Mayo Clinic: The Mayo biobank is a disease-specific biobank for vascular diseases including peripheral arterial disease (PAD). PAD patients were identified from individuals referred to the non-invasive vascular laboratory for lower extremity arterial evaluation. Since 1997, laboratory findings have been recorded into an electronic database employing an in-house software package for data archiving and retrieval; this data becomes part of the Mayo EMR. Patients referred to the center with suspected PAD undergo a comprehensive non-invasive evaluation including the ankle-brachial index (ABI) - the ratio of blood pressure measured in the upper arms divided by blood pressure measured at the ankles. Controls subjects are identified from patients referred to the Cardiovascular Health Clinic for stress ECG. The prevalence of PAD in patients with normal exercise capacity who do not have inducible ischemia on the stress ECG, was <1%. Data regarding risk factors for atherosclerosis such as diabetes, dyslipidemia, hypertension, and smoking are ascertained from the EMR.

  Study phs000297

• International Standards for Cytogenomic Arrays

  The International Standards for Cytogenomic Arrays (ISCA) Consortium is a rapidly growing group of clinical cytogenetics and molecular genetics laboratories committed to improving quality of patient care related to clinical genetic testing using new molecular cytogenetic technologies including array comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH) and quantitative SNP analysis by microarrays or bead chip technology. The ISCA Consortium is now working with the sequencing community to extend the goals of standardization, collaboration, and data sharing. To reflect this combined effort, we are becoming ICCG, or the International Collaboration for Clinical Genomics. Efforts of the Consortium include: Clinical Utility: The ISCA Consortium has made recommendations regarding the appropriate clinical indications for cytogenetic array testing (Miller et al. AJHG 2010, PMID: 20466091). Currently, discussions are focused on pediatric applications for children with unexplained developmental delay, intellectual disability, autism and other developmental disabilities. A separate committee has been developed to address appropriate cancer genetic applications (http://www.urmc.rochester.edu/ccmc/). Evidence-based standards for cytogenomic array design: The Consortium will develop recommendations for standards for the design, resolution and content of cytogenomic arrays using an evidence-based process and an international panel of experts in clinical genetics, clinical laboratory genetics (cytogenetics and molecular genetics), genomics and bioinformatics. This design is intended to be platform and vendor-neutral (common denominator is genome sequence coordinates), and is a dynamic process with input from the broader genetics community and evidence-based review by the expert panel (a Steering Committee with international representation). Public Database for clinical and research community: It is essential that a publicly available database be created and maintained for cytogenetic array data generated in clinical testing laboratories. This will be integrated into the current dbGaP database at NCBI/NIH and released through dbVar, and curated by a committee of clinical genetics laboratory experts. The very high quality of copy number data (i.e., deletions and duplications) coming from clinical laboratories combined with expert curation will produce an invaluable resource to the clinical and research communities. Standards for interpretation of cytogenetic array results: Using the ISCA Database, along with other genomic and genetics databases, the Consortium will develop recommendations for the interpretation and reporting of pathogenic vs. benign copy number changes as well as imbalances of uncertain clinical significance. Membership in the ISCA Consortium is open to all individuals and laboratories involved in cytogenetic array testing who are committed to free data sharing and to participation in a process to develop evidence-based standards and guidelines to improve patient care. ISCA is available through dbVar: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/dbvar/studies/nstd37/ http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/dbvar/studies/nstd75/ http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/dbvar/studies/nstd45/ http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/dbvar/studies/nstd101/

  Study phs000205

• Genomic analysis of primary plasma cell leukemia reveals complex structural alterations and high risk mutational patterns

  Primary plasma cell leukemia (pPCL) is a rare and aggressive form of multiple myeloma (MM) that is characterized by poor overall survival despite advances in anti-MM therapy. The disease biology as well as molecular mechanisms that distinguish pPCL from non-pPCL MM remain poorly understood. In an attempt to identify key biological mechanisms that result in the aggressive pPCL phenotype we performed whole exome sequencing in 23 patients with newly diagnosed pPCL. The results reveal an enrichment of complex structural changes and high risk mutational patterns in pPCL that explain, at least in part, the aggressive nature of the disease. In particular pPCL patients with traditional low risk features such as translocation t(11;14) or hyperdiploidy accumulated adverse risk genetic events that could account for the poor outcome in this group.

  Study phs002022