Publications by authors named "Emde A"

The majority of human genomic research studies have been conducted in European-ancestry cohorts, reducing the likelihood of detecting potentially novel and globally impactful findings. Here, we present mid-pass whole-genome sequencing data and a genome-wide association study in a cohort of 264 self-reported Malagasy individuals from three locations on the island of Madagascar. We describe genetic variation in this Malagasy cohort, providing insight into the shared and unique patterns of genetic variation across the island.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

This real-world study aimed to describe patient and clinical characteristics, treatment patterns and outcomes for patients with HR+/HER2- metastatic breast cancer receiving abemaciclib in France, Italy and Spain. A multicenter chart review was conducted for adult females with HR+/HER2- advanced/metastatic breast cancer who received abemaciclib in routine care. Real-world progression-free survival (rwPFS) was estimated via Kaplan-Meier curves.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Gout is the most common cause of inflammatory arthritis worldwide, particularly in Pacific regions. We aimed to establish the prevalence of gout and hyperuricaemia in French Polynesia, their associations with dietary habits, their comorbidities, the prevalence of the HLA-B*58:01 allele, and current management of the disease.

Methods: The Ma'i u'u survey was epidemiological, prospective, cross-sectional, and gout-focused and included a random sample of adults from the general adult population of French Polynesia.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The cyclin-dependent kinase 4 and 6 (CDK4/6) inhibitors palbociclib, ribociclib, and abemaciclib are standard-of-care therapy for hormone receptor-positive advanced or metastatic breast cancer, based on randomized trials showing improved progression-free survival for all 3 drugs and overall survival for ribociclib and abemaciclib. Results in early breast cancer are discordant, with sustained improvement in invasive disease-free survival demonstrated for abemaciclib but not other CDK4/6 inhibitors to date. We review nonclinical studies exploring mechanistic differences between the drugs, the impact of continuous dosing on treatment effect, and translational research into potential resistance mechanisms and prognostic and predictive markers.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

While the genomes of normal tissues undergo dynamic changes over time, little is understood about the temporal-spatial dynamics of genomes in premalignant tissues that progress to cancer compared to those that remain cancer-free. Here we use whole genome sequencing to contrast genomic alterations in 427 longitudinal samples from 40 patients with stable Barrett's esophagus compared to 40 Barrett's patients who progressed to esophageal adenocarcinoma (ESAD). We show the same somatic mutational processes are active in Barrett's tissue regardless of outcome, with high levels of mutation, ESAD gene and focal chromosomal alterations, and similar mutational signatures.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Human papillomavirus (HPV) causes 5% of all cancers and frequently integrates into host chromosomes. The HPV oncoproteins E6 and E7 are necessary but insufficient for cancer formation, indicating that additional secondary genetic events are required. Here, we investigate potential oncogenic impacts of virus integration.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Historically, geneticists have relied on genotyping arrays and imputation to study human genetic variation. However, an underrepresentation of diverse populations has resulted in arrays that poorly capture global genetic variation, and a lack of reference panels. This has contributed to deepening global health disparities.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • The Trans-Omics for Precision Medicine (TOPMed) programme aims to understand the genetic factors behind heart, lung, blood, and sleep disorders to enhance their diagnosis, treatment, and prevention.
  • TOPMed uses whole-genome sequencing from diverse individuals, revealing over 400 million genetic variants, many of which are rare and offer insights into human evolution and disease mechanisms.
  • The programme provides tools like a variant browser and access to genomic data, improving the capability of genome-wide association studies to include rare variants that could have significant health implications.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Cancer genomes often harbor hundreds of somatic DNA rearrangement junctions, many of which cannot be easily classified into simple (e.g., deletion) or complex (e.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • The publication contained an error regarding the name of the fourteenth author.
  • The incorrect name was initially printed in the article.
  • The correct name has now been provided to clarify the mistake.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • A clinical study was conducted in New York City with 30 glioblastoma patients to compare the effectiveness of whole genome sequencing (WGS) and RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) against targeted panel sequencing in identifying treatment options.
  • WGS/RNA-seq uncovered significantly more actionable clinical results—90% of the time—with an average of 16 times more unique variants identified, leading to 84 calls for actionable treatments that targeted panels missed.
  • The study found good agreement between manual and automated variant identification, showing that clinicians modified treatment plans based on this data in 10% of cases, marking a significant advancement in cancer treatment analysis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is marked by mutations in tumor suppressor and oncogenes, differing between adults and children, with some mutations linked to relapse risk.
  • The TARGET initiative conducted comprehensive genomic analyses on pediatric AML patients who did not respond to initial chemotherapy, identifying three main genetic groups.
  • The study found that even though these leukemias were resistant to therapy, they displayed different patterns of clonal evolution and persistent mutations, offering insights into potential improvements in diagnosis and treatment strategies for the disease.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a key factor in some oral squamous cell carcinomas (OSCCs), with a notable rise in these cancers, but additional genetic changes are also involved.
  • Comparative genomic analysis of HPV-positive and HPV-negative OSCCs revealed distinct mutational signatures reflecting different risk factors, with HPV-positive OSCCs showing a link to APOBEC editing and HPV-negative OSCCs linked to tobacco exposure.
  • Specific genetic alterations and mutations were identified in HPV-positive OSCCs that affect crucial cellular pathways, suggesting that the interaction between the virus and the host's genetic makeup plays a significant role in the development of these cancers.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Reliable detection of somatic variations is crucial in cancer research, and Lancet is introduced as an advanced variant caller designed to accurately identify SNVs and indels in tumor and matched normal samples using cutting-edge algorithms.
  • Through extensive testing against other popular somatic callers like MuTect and Strelka, Lancet has shown superior accuracy, especially in detecting indels, thanks to its innovative variant scoring system and ability to identify low-frequency mutations.
  • Lancet not only provides genome-wide analysis but also allows for detailed inspection of somatic variants in graph space, enhancing visualization for better variant confirmation, and is available as an open-source tool online.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

We developed and validated a clinical whole-genome and transcriptome sequencing (WGTS) assay that provides a comprehensive genomic profile of a patient's tumor. The ability to fully capture the mappable genome with sufficient sequencing coverage to precisely call DNA somatic single nucleotide variants, insertions/deletions, copy number variants, structural variants, and RNA gene fusions was analyzed. New York State's Department of Health next-generation DNA sequencing guidelines were expanded for establishing performance validation applicable to whole-genome and transcriptome sequencing.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Next-generation DNA sequencing (NGS) is being used in research and clinical settings to better understand and manage diseases, particularly by analyzing tumor genomic profiles.
  • The study focuses on glioblastoma, emphasizing the need to look at the entire genome for various genetic changes rather than just single mutations due to the complexity and diversity of this cancer type.
  • The paper details whole genome sequencing (WGS) methods and bioinformatics strategies used to identify and validate specific structural variants linked to glioblastoma, potentially leading to more targeted treatment options for patients.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Purpose: Patients with cancer who graciously consent for autopsy represent an invaluable resource for the study of cancer biology. To advance the study of tumor evolution, metastases, and resistance to treatment, we developed a next-generation rapid autopsy program integrated within a broader precision medicine clinical trial that interrogates pre- and postmortem tissue samples for patients of all ages and cancer types.

Materials And Methods: One hundred twenty-three (22%) of 554 patients who consented to the clinical trial also consented for rapid autopsy.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • The study aimed to analyze a glioblastoma tumor specimen using three different methods to identify actionable variants.
  • Tumor DNA was assessed through targeted panel analysis, whole-genome sequencing (WGS), and RNA sequencing (RNA-seq), with data evaluated by both human experts and IBM Watson Genomic Analytics (WGA).
  • Results showed that WGS and RNA-seq identified more variants than targeted panels, and WGA performed the analysis much faster than human analysts, highlighting the potential for improved patient care with human-machine collaboration.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Genomic rearrangements are a hallmark of human cancers. Here, we identify the piggyBac transposable element derived 5 (PGBD5) gene as encoding an active DNA transposase expressed in the majority of childhood solid tumors, including lethal rhabdoid tumors. Using assembly-based whole-genome DNA sequencing, we found previously undefined genomic rearrangements in human rhabdoid tumors.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

We present a system of nonlinear ordinary differential equations used to quantify the complex dynamics of the interactions between tumor growth, vasculature generation, and antiangiogenic treatment. The primary dataset consists of longitudinal tumor size measurements (1,371 total observations) in 105 colorectal tumor-bearing mice. Mice received single or combination administration of sunitinib, an antiangiogenic agent, and/or irinotecan, a cytotoxic agent.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Interest in RNA dysfunction in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) recently aroused upon discovering causative mutations in RNA-binding protein genes. Here, we show that extensive down-regulation of miRNA levels is a common molecular denominator for multiple forms of human ALS. We further demonstrate that pathogenic ALS-causing mutations are sufficient to inhibit miRNA biogenesis at the Dicing step.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • The study focuses on a whole-exome sequencing (WES) trial to understand responses and resistance to cancer therapies in patients with advanced, treatment-resistant cancers.
  • Researchers aimed to see how WES data influences therapy decisions and to identify potential new biomarkers for cancer response.
  • Out of 97 patients, WES detected many mutations, but actionable treatment recommendations based on this genetic information were utilized in only 5% of cases.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF