3329 results for "*geneti*"

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• InTEAM Consortium - Alcoholic Hepatitis

  Alcoholic hepatitis (AH) is a life-threatening condition characterized by profound hepatocellular dysfunction for which targeted treatments are urgently needed. Identification of molecular drivers is hampered by the lack of suitable animal models. By performing RNA sequencing in livers from patients with different phenotypes of alcohol-related liver disease (ALD), we describe the transcriptional programs involved in disease progression. We uncovered that development of AH is characterized by the defective activity of liver-enriched transcription factors (LETFs). The PPARG predicted activation state was found increased in early forms of ALD, while AH was associated by a marked decrease in HNF4A-dependent gene expression along with a marked expression of the fetal HNF4A isoform (P2). TGFB1, a key upstream transcriptome regulator in AH, induced the use of HNF4a P2 promoter in hepatocytes, which resulted in abnormal bile acid synthesis and defective metabolic and synthetic functions. PPARG agonists partially prevented this effect. We conclude that targeting TGFB1 and epigenetic drivers that modulate HNF4A-dependent gene expression could be beneficial to improve hepatocellular function in patients with AH. The study was conducted thanks to a multicenter collaboration under the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)-funded consortium: Integrated Approaches for Identifying Molecular Targets in Alcoholic Hepatitis (InTEAM).

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• Gene-Environment Interactions in COCCaINE Use Disorder: Collaborative Case-Control Initiative in Cocaine Addiction

  Drug addiction is a phenotype that has high heritability estimates. In recent years, association studies of candidate genes and some genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified a large number of SNPs associated with substance use, abuse or dependence, particularly in phenotypes related to alcohol and nicotine use. Regarding snorted or smoked cocaine dependency, only one GWAS has been conducted so far. In addition, genetic association studies that specifically evaluated smoked cocaine dependence (e.g. crack) are rare, because of characteristics related to the route of administration and duration of the effect of the drug. Thus, the main aim of this GWAS was to identify genetic variations that modulate the risk for the cocaine dependence.

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• Molecular Determinants of Tumor Behavior in Early Lung Adenocarcinoma

  Lung adenocarcinoma is the leading cause of cancer death worldwide and a heterogeneous disease with poor survival in the advanced stage. Given that the frequency of early diagnosis is increasing, the investigation of the molecular determinants of disease progression is paramount. Prediction of whether the tumor is indolent or aggressive has been the subject of recent investigations. Yet, the molecular underpinnings explaining the difference in tumor behavior remains largely unknown and is directly relevant to the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of lung cancer screening, including the risks of over-diagnosis and overtreatment. To gain insights into the molecular pathogenesis and the underlying molecular determinants of clinical behavior of early adenocarcinoma, we investigated genetic alterations in 102 surgically resected early adenocarcinomas. We hypothesized that the behavior of early adenocarcinoma can be predicted based on genomic underpinnings. To identify the type of genomic alterations associated with resected indolent and aggressive early lung ADC, the DNA samples from 21 adenocarcinoma in situ (AIS), 27 minimally invasive adenocarcinoma (MIA) and 54 fully invasive adenocarcinoma were collected and subjected to a deep next generation sequencing, targeting a custom 347 cancer gene panel. Our study provides new insights into cancer genomic evolution, helps to elucidate the interplay of somatic mutation and the adaptation of clones, and brings new insights into the key distinction between indolent and aggressive tumor behavior.

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• Genetic and Epigenetic Determinants of Pediatric Obesity-Associated Asthma

  Fifty-nine obese and sixty-one normal-weight asthmatic children of African American or Hispanic background, age 7-11 years, with well controlled asthma, were recruited from clinics affiliated with Children's Hospital at Montefiore, Bronx, New York, USA. We isolated CD4+ T cells (Th cells) from a fasting sample of peripheral blood and conducted genome-wide assays of gene expression by Directional Transcriptome Sequencing (RNA-seq), DNA methylation by HELP-tagging, and examined genetic polymorphisms and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), informative about ancestry, by array-based genotyping using Multi-Ethnic Genotyping Array.

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• 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.

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• CRISPR-Mediated ASD Gene Knockout Reduces Neuronal Activity

  Autism Spectrum Disorder is phenotypically and genetically heterogeneous. We present a CRISPR gene editing strategy to insert a protein tag and premature termination sites creating an induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) knockout resource for functional studies of 10 ASD-relevant genes (AFF2/FMR2, ANOS1, ASTN2, ATRX, CACNA1C, CHD8, DLGAP2, KCNQ2, SCN2A, TENM1). Neurogenin 2 (NGN2)-directed induction of iPSCs allowed production of excitatory neurons, and mutant proteins were not detectable. RNAseq revealed convergence of several neuronal networks. Using both patch-clamp and multi-electrode array approaches, the electrophysiological deficits measured were distinct for different mutations. However, they culminated in a consistent reduction in synaptic activity, including reduced spontaneous excitatory post-synaptic current frequencies in AFF2/FMR2-, ASTN2-, ATRX-, KCNQ2- and SCN2A-null neurons. Despite ASD susceptibility genes belonging to different gene ontologies, isogenic stem cell resources can reveal common functional phenotypes, such as reduced functional connectivity.

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• GeneScreen, a Population Based, Targeted Genomic Screening Study

  The GeneScreen research study was based at the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill. It brought together researchers from different disciplines, including genetics, clinical medicine, bioethics, sociology, anthropology, psychology, and public health, to study the best ways to offer targeted genetic screening to the general adult population. DNA samples were collected from people who joined GeneScreen to look at a targeted panel of 17 genes. It tested for genetic differences (called mutations) that can cause one of 11 rare, but preventable or treatable conditions, including certain types of cancer and heart disease. Each condition has specific medical advice people can follow with their doctors to prevent or treat a serious health problem. The GeneScreen study was approved by the UNC Institutional Review Board and by the Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research Institutional Review Board. GeneScreen is funded by the National Human Genome Research Institute of the National Institutes of Health.

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• The Institute for Genomic Medicine at Nationwide Children's Hospital Pediatric Cancer and Blood Disorder Project

  The aim of this study is to enable the unification of the clinical and research arms of comprehensive genomic profiling in the setting of cancer and hematologic disease. Increasingly, studies of the genomic etiology of cancer and hematologic diseases are being utilized for patient management, including prognostication, informing diagnosis, and evaluating eligibility for targeted therapeutics and clinical trials. Clinically available testing can be limited in scope and follow-up, and thus assessment of the impact on patient outcomes is difficult to ascertain. N-of-1 studies have the ability to more broadly impact our understanding of the mechanisms of cancer and hematologic disease, and can have benefit for the individual as well as the larger population of patients with these diseases. Thus, we seek to study and characterize the genomic underpinnings of cancer and hematologic disease through genomic profiling studies bridging both clinical and research components. We will rigorously perform and vet research sequencing and genomic studies protocols for the purpose of transitioning these assays to clinically valid testing for use in clinical patient care. We have been enrolling patients onto this comprehensive genomic profiling study since January 2018. As part of the genomic workup for these patients, we have been performing tumor and normal whole genome sequencing, whole exome sequencing and RNA-Seq. The project is largely supported by the Nationwide Children's Foundation, and we anticipate adding another 50-70 cases per year. This protocol is significant in that it expands our understanding of the etiology of cancer and hematologic disease through a comprehensive analysis aimed at detecting a broad scope of genomic aberrations. Additionally, it improves our understanding of the clinical utility of genomic profiling and has the potential to ultimately improve patient management and surveillance at both level of an individual and general populations of patients affected by these diseases. Primary Objectives: Aim 1: Use diagnostic, relapse, and/or germline samples for augmented whole exome sequencing to characterize the spectrum of germline and somatic genomic alterations in pediatric malignancies and hematologic disease. Aim 2: Examine gene expression and fusion events using whole RNA-seq "transcriptome" analysis or targeted RNA-seq analysis such as the Archer FusionPlex technology. Aim 3: Compare the results of our enhanced molecular profiling vs. that which is detectable by traditional methods as related to cytogenetic, molecular, and minimal residual disease analyses performed as part of standard of care. Aim 4: Examine the utility of comprehensive genomic profiling by collection and evaluation of outcomes data as related to enhancement/alteration in diagnosis, prognosis, treatment management, and clinical benefit. Secondary Objective: Aim 1: Use and clinically validate expanded laboratory methodologies and bioinformatic approaches to more broadly assess genomic complexity (e.g. whole genome sequencing, transcriptome sequencing, in vitro analyses, minimal residual disease testing, clonality assays, proteomics) in the setting of hematologic and oncologic disease. In so doing, we aspire to make novel discoveries and associations, as related to disease phenotypes and subtypes, variant causality, therapeutic targeting, and cancer biology.

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• Mobile Technology to Identify Mechanisms Linking Genetic Variation and Depression in Intern Health Study (IHS)

  The Intern Health Study is an NIH-funded longitudinal cohort study that assesses stress and mood in medical interns at institutions around the US, enrolling over 3000 new interns each year. We are hopeful that data collected in this study will further understanding of the psychological, genetic, and program factors involved in the development of depression under stress, and make a real change in the residency experience.

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• Genetic Studies of Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD)

  The Genetic Studies of Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) is an ongoing genetic research and biobanking protocol which aims to elucidate the genetic basis CKD. The study recruits patients seen at the Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) Nephrology Division for the evaluation and care of CKD. All patients clinically diagnosed with CKD are eligible to participate; there are no inclusion or exclusion criteria related to age, sex/gender, and/or race/ethnicity. In addition to office visits, patients are recruited in contexts including perinatal care and nonprofit events for patients with various forms of CKD; recruitment tools include bilingual informational brochures, flyers, and consent forms. All individuals provide informed consent; for minors, signature of the parent/guardian is required. Consent includes: use of biosamples given for genetic studies, and the request to be re-contacted if medically actionable genetic findings are identified. In the case of the latter, such research-level findings are first validated in a clinically certified (CLIA) laboratory environment, using a second sample given by the individual at the time of re-contact; following CLIA validation, the individual is once again re-contacted, and, assuming he or she still desires return of these results, they can then be returned. Following the above consent process to participate in the study, individuals provide a single biosample (generally, a venous blood sample), from which DNA is extracted using standard protocols and used for genetic studies, such as exome sequencing. Basic clinical and demographic data, including sex/gender, age, and race/ethnicity are also collected. All data collected is stored in a secure computerized database, with patient samples anonymized using numerical identifiers; the relation of this identifier to patients' names is kept in a locked computer file in a centralized database. Electronic data complies with all HIPAA and other privacy and security regulations, and resides on a firewall server maintained by the CUMC IT department.

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• Elucidating Transcription Regulation by Epigenetics in Neuroblastoma

  PURPOSE Whole-genome profiles of the epigenetic modification 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5-hmC) are robust diagnostic biomarkers in adult patients with cancer. We investigated if 5-hmC profiles would serve as novel prognostic markers in neuroblastoma, a clinically heterogeneous pediatric cancer. Because this DNA modification facilitates active gene expression, we hypothesized that 5-hmC profiles would identify transcriptomic networks driving the clinical behavior of neuroblastoma. PATIENTS AND METHODS Nano-hmC-Seal sequencing was performed on DNA from Discovery (n = 51), Validation (n = 38), and Children's Oncology Group (n = 20) cohorts of neuroblastoma tumors. RNA was isolated from 48 tumors for RNA sequencing. Genes with differential 5-hmC or expression between clusters were identified using DESeq2. A 5-hmC model predicting outcome in high-risk patients was established using linear discriminant analysis. RESULTS Comparison of low- versus high-risk tumors in the Discovery cohort revealed 577 genes with differential 5-hmC. Hierarchical clustering of tumors from the Discovery and Validation cohorts using these genes identified two main clusters highly associated with established prognostic markers, clinical risk group, and outcome. Genes with increased 5-hmC and expression in the favorable cluster were enriched for pathways of neuronal differentiation and KRAS activation, whereas genes involved in inflammation and the PRC2 complex were identified in the unfavorable cluster. The linear discriminant analysis model trained on high-risk Discovery cohort tumors was prognostic of outcome when applied to high-risk tumors from the Validation and Children's Oncology Group cohorts (hazard ratio, 3.8). CONCLUSION 5-hmC profiles may be optimal DNA-based biomarkers in neuroblastoma. Analysis of transcriptional networks regulated by these epigenomic modifications may lead to a deeper understanding of drivers of neuroblastoma phenotype. "Reprinted from Applebaum et. JCO Precision Oncology, 2019, with permission from creative commons license."

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• 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.

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• Whole-Exome Sequencing and Targeted DNA Sequencing of Matched Ocular Melanocytosis and Uveal Melanoma

  Ocular melanocytosis is the most important predisposing condition for the eye cancer uveal melanoma (UM). Here we used whole-exome and deep targeted sequencing to identify for the first time a clonal Gq pathway mutation in ocular melanocytosis, which gave rise to UM. Additionally, we elucidated the order in which canonical genetic aberrations were acquired during tumor evolution. These findings provide a mechanistic explanation for the well-known clinical association of ocular melanocytosis with UM, and they provide new insights into UM tumor evolution. Reprinted from: Durante MA, Field MG, Sanchez MI, Covington KR, Decatur CL, Dubovy SR, Harbour JW. Genomic evolution of uveal melanoma arising in ocular melanocytosis, with permission from Cold Spring Harbor Molecular Case Studies.

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• CADD/GADD centers on Antisocial Drug Dependence

  CADD (Center for Antisocial Drug Dependence): Funded through NIDA 011015 to study genetic influences on, and treatment of, antisocial drug dependence, studying both clinical probands and their families, and community samples of matched controls, twins, and participants in an ongoing longitudinal adoption study. A collaboration between three organizations at two campuses of the University of Colorado. Longitudinal with three waves of data collection completed. GADD (Genetics of Adolescent Antisocial Drug Dependence): Funded originally through NIDA 012845, s multisite collaboration including adolescent subjects at high-risk for antisocial drug dependence and their siblings, recruited in Denver, CO and San Diego, CA. Longitudinal with two waves of data collection completed, one in progress as of May, 2018.

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• RNAseq of Sjögren's Syndrome and Healthy Volunteers' Salivary Glands

  Mechanistic genetic and inflammatory endpoints were studied to gain insight into the molecular mechanisms of Sjögren's syndrome. Transcriptomic studies allowed the exploration of molecular alterations that might cause or influence the studied salivary gland pathology and potentially elucidate druggable pathways for intervention.

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• Genome-Wide Association of Type 2 Diabetes in Africans: The AADM Study

  The Africa America Diabetes Mellitus (AADM) study is a genetic epidemiological study of type 2 diabetes in Sub-Saharan Africa. Study participants were enrolled through university medical centers in Nigeria, Ghana, and Kenya. Ethical approval for the study was obtained from the Institutional Review Board (IRB) of each participating institution. All subjects provided written informed consent for the collection of samples and subsequent analysis. The case definition of type 2 diabetes was based on the American Diabetes Association (ADA) criteria. After providing informed consent, participants underwent the same enrollment procedures, which included collection of demographic information, medical history, clinical examination and a blood draw. Genome-wide SNP genotyping was done on either the Axiom™ PanAFR SNP array (n=1,808) or the Multi-Ethnic Global Array (MEGA) (n=3,423). After appropriate quality control, in silico imputation was done using the African Genome Resources Haplotype Reference Panel (at the Sanger Imputation Service). Imputed genotypes were filtered for variants with minor allele frequency (MAF)≥ 0.01 and information score (info) ≥ 0.3 for genetic association analysis. Genome-wide association analysis between type 2 diabetes and the imputed genotype dosages was done using a generalized linear mixed model, which adjusted for age, gender, body mass index, the genetic relatedness matrix and the first three principal components (PCs) of the genotypes.

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• Transcriptomic Analysis of Human Hematopoietic Progenitors from Healthy Donors and Bone Marrow Failure Patients

  The purpose of this study was to define transcriptional changes that occur in the rare and heterogeneous bone marrow progenitors that are affected in Shwachman-Diamond Syndrome. Data are reported for four genetically confirmed SDS patients ranging from 11-26 years old, 3 male and 1 female, and four healthy donors ranging from 25-29 years old, 2 male and 2 female. Subjects provided written, informed consent in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki's Ethical Principles of Medical Research Involving Human Subjects. Single CD34+ cells were purified from fresh bone marrow and cDNA libraries were prepared using the SMARTer Ultra Low RNA Kit (Clontech; pre-2015) or SMART-Seq v4 Ultra Low RNA Kit (Clontech; post-2015). Libraries were sequenced on a HiSeq 2500 Instrument (Illumina, San Diego, CA) to a read depth of ~3 M paired-end, 25 bp reads per single cell. Paired-end reads were mapped to the hg38 human transcriptome (Gencode v24) using STAR v2.4.2a.

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• Gabriella Miller Kids First Pediatric Research Program in Genetics at the Intersection of Childhood Cancer and Birth Defects

  The Gabriella Miller Kids First Pediatric Research Program (Kids First) is a trans-NIH effort initiated in response to the 2014 Gabriella Miller Kids First Research Act and supported by the NIH Common Fund. This program focuses on gene discovery in pediatric cancers and structural birth defects and the development of the Gabriella Miller Kids First Pediatric Data Resource (Kids First Data Resource). All of the WGS and phenotypic data from this study are accessible through dbGaP and kidsfirstdrc.org, where other Kids First datasets can also be accessed. Birth defects and childhood cancer share biological pathways that are important for cell growth and division. We propose that sequencing pediatric patients suffering both conditions will allow us to discover the underlying genes and in turn advance our understanding of the causes of these devastating diseases.

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• 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.

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• RNA sequencing, ATACseq, and TCR-seq of Tfh cells and CXCR5- CD4+ T cells in HIV infected lymph nodes

  The high dimensional analyses of CD4+ T cells in human lymph nodes are case-based analyses of the TCR repertoire, transcriptome, and epigenetic signatures of various CD4+ T cells in human lymph nodes. The study aims to determine clonal overlap between phenotypically distinct CD4+ T cells and the similarities between these populations on transcriptional and epigenetic levels. This study performs TCR repertoire sequencing using Molecular Identifier Clustering-based Immune Repertoire Sequencing (MIDCIRS). We found clonal overlap between a population of CXCR5- T cells and follicular helper T (Tfh) cells. We also show epigenetic and transcriptional similarities between CXCR5-PD-1+ T cells and Tfh cells. This study shares an overlapping set of donors with phs001548.

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• A Phenotypic and Genomics Approach in a Multi-Ethnic Cohort to Subtype Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

  Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a complex autoimmune disease that affects multiple organ systems and varies in severity across different populations. To examine the clinical heterogeneity of SLE, we sought to identify different lupus subtypes within our multi-ethnic cohort using a clustering approach. Additionally, with genome-wide methylation and genotype data generated for our cohort, we applied integrative methods to investigate genetic and epigenetic risk factors. This integrative and computational approach revealed molecular differences associated with phenotypic clusters.

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• 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.

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• Transdisciplinary Studies of Genetic Variation in Colorectal Cancer(CORECT): Axiom GWAS

  This study is part 1 of 2 for Schumacher et al, Nat Commun. 2015 Jul 7;6:7138. Part 1 is the original GWAS data for 9,259 participants on the Affymetrix Axiom platform of the studies listed below in the Inclusion Criteria.

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• Genetics of Mammographic Density in Ashkenazi Jews

  Mammographic density (MD) is a strong risk factor for breast cancer and is also a highly heritable trait with ~60-70% of the variance due to genetic factors, based on twin studies. MD is also higher in families with a strong history of breast cancer. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS), which focus on common genetic variants, have identified several single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with MD. However, these SNPs explain a very small fraction of the variance of MD, suggesting many other genes are involved. Thus, the vast majority of the heritability of mammographic density remains unexplained and may be explained, at least in part, by rare variants. Ashkenazi Jewish women are a founder population; founder populations frequently have alleles affecting phenotypes which may be unique and/or extremely rare in other populations. Prior reports have identified an association between higher mammographic density and Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry. Therefore, we developed a study of mammographic density in AJ women. We combined datasets from several different cohorts including (a) the California Pacific Medical Center Research Institute (b) the Athena Breast Health Cohort and (c) the Marin Women's study. In each study, we identified women who reported AJ ancestry (determined by self-report or by genetic analysis). We identified mammograms by linking the women to the San Francisco Mammography Registry. We retrieved digital mammographic results and used software to infer volumetric density and percent volumetric density for each woman. We then performed genome-wide genotyping of the samples using the Illumina MEGA array.

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• Genetics and Pathophysiology of Autoinflammatory Disorders

  In this study, patients with suspected disorders of inflammation and innate immune system dysregulation will undergo whole exome sequencing. This will involve both family studies (often trios or multiplex families including affected and unaffected individuals) and sporadic cases. The overall objective is to discover rare/novel high-penetrance mutations in genes that have not yet been implicated as the cause of monogenic autoinflammatory diseases. The aim also includes discovery of variants associated with inflammatory disease susceptibility.

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