Publications by authors named "Karen Weck"

Gain-of-function variants in the WDR44 gene have recently been associated with an X-linked ciliopathy-related neurodevelopmental phenotype. Here, we report on a WDR44 loss-of-function (LOF) variant identified in the genome sequence from a male fetus enrolled in the Prenatal Genetic Diagnosis by Genomic Sequencing (PrenatalSEQ) multicenter study. The phenotype is consistent with the described X-linked ciliopathy that includes developmental delay, microcephaly, congenital heart defects, kidney abnormalities, cryptorchidism, musculoskeletal abnormalities, craniofacial dysmorphism, and effusions.

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Article Synopsis
  • The Association for Molecular Pathology's Pharmacogenomics Working Group aims to establish key attributes and a standard set of genetic variants for clinical pharmacogenetic testing.
  • The document outlines two tiers of recommended genetic variants, which will guide clinical laboratories in creating pharmacogenomics assays.
  • Focused on dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPYD) testing, the recommendations encourage standardization while serving as a flexible reference rather than strict rules.
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  • FOLFIRI, a treatment for metastatic colorectal cancer, was tested using a pharmacogenomic strategy to tailor irinotecan doses based on UGT1A1 genotypes to see if it could improve progression-free survival (PFS).
  • In a study with 100 participants, results showed a median PFS of 12.5 months, which was shorter than expected, with variations in PFS based on genotype.
  • Although a tailored irinotecan strategy showed modest improvements in PFS for certain genotypes, it did not significantly change overall treatment outcomes and shouldn't replace current standard practices for first-line treatment.
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The goals of the Association for Molecular Pathology Clinical Practice Committee's Pharmacogenomics (PGx) Working Group are to define the key attributes of pharmacogenetic alleles recommended for clinical testing and a minimum set of variants that should be included in clinical PGx genotyping assays. This document series provides recommendations for a minimum panel of variant alleles (tier 1) and an extended panel of variant alleles (tier 2) that will aid clinical laboratories when designing assays for PGx testing. The Association for Molecular Pathology PGx Working Group considered functional impact of the variant alleles, allele frequencies in multiethnic populations, the availability of reference materials, and other technical considerations for PGx testing when developing these recommendations.

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Purpose: To evaluate whether deep prenatal phenotyping of fetal brain abnormalities (FBAs) increases diagnostic yield of trio-exome sequencing (ES) compared with standard phenotyping.

Methods: Retrospective exploratory analysis of a multicenter prenatal ES study. Participants were eligible if an FBA was diagnosed and subsequently found to have a normal microarray.

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We report 21 families displaying neurodevelopmental differences and multiple congenital anomalies while bearing a series of rare variants in (). MAP4K4 has been implicated in many signaling pathways including c-Jun N-terminal and RAS kinases and is currently under investigation as a druggable target for multiple disorders. Using several zebrafish models, we demonstrate that these human variants are either loss-of-function or dominant-negative alleles and show that decreasing Map4k4 activity causes developmental defects.

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An emerging role for DNA sequencing is to identify people at risk for an inherited cancer syndrome in order to prevent or ameliorate the manifestation of symptoms. Two cancer syndromes, Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer and Lynch Syndrome meet the "Tier 1" evidence threshold established by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for routine testing of patients with a personal or family history of cancer. Advancements in genomic medicine have accelerated public health pilot programs for these highly medically actionable conditions.

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The goals of the Association for Molecular Pathology Clinical Practice Committee's Pharmacogenomics (PGx) Working Group are to define the key attributes of pharmacogenetic alleles recommended for clinical testing and a minimum set of variants that should be included in clinical PGx genotyping assays. This article provides recommendations for a minimum panel of variant alleles (Tier 1) and an extended panel of variant alleles (Tier 2) that will aid clinical laboratories when designing assays for PGx testing. The Association for Molecular Pathology PGx Working Group considered the functional impact of the variant alleles, allele frequencies in multiethnic populations, the availability of reference materials, as well as other technical considerations for PGx testing when developing these recommendations.

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Purpose: Advances in clinical genomic sequencing capabilities, including reduced costs and knowledge gains, have bolstered the consideration of genomic screening in healthy adult populations. Yet, little is known about the existing landscape of genomic screening programs in the United States. It can be difficult to find information on current implementation efforts and best practices, particularly in light of critical questions about equity, cost, and benefit.

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Study Objective: To compare the clinical effectiveness of genotype-guided P2Y12 inhibitor selection following PCI in older patients (≥70 years) and younger patients (<70 years).

Design And Setting: Single-center, retrospective, cohort study. Risk of major adverse cardiovascular or cerebrovascular events (MACCE), defined as stent thrombosis, ischemic stroke, transient ischemic attack, non-fatal acute coronary syndrome, or cardiovascular death during 12 months after PCI, was compared across genotype and antiplatelet therapy groups by proportional hazards regression in patients ≥70 years and <70 years.

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The goals of the Association for Molecular Pathology Clinical Practice Committee's Pharmacogenomics (PGx) Working Group are to define the key attributes of pharmacogenetic alleles recommended for clinical testing, and to determine a minimal set of variants that should be included in clinical PGx genotyping assays. This document series provides recommendations on a minimal panel of variant alleles (Tier 1) and an extended panel of variant alleles (Tier 2) that will aid clinical laboratories in designing assays for PGx testing. When developing these recommendations, the Association for Molecular Pathology PGx Working Group considered the functional impact of the variant alleles, allele frequencies in multiethnic populations, the availability of reference materials, as well as other technical considerations with regard to PGx testing.

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Documenting variation in our genomes is important for research and clinical care. Accuracy in the description of DNA variants is therefore essential. To address this issue, the Human Variome Project convened a committee to evaluate the feasibility of requiring authors to verify that all variants submitted for publication complied with a widely accepted standard for description.

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Genotyping for CYP2C19 no function alleles to guide antiplatelet therapy after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) improves clinical outcomes. Although results for the increased function CYP2C19*17 allele are also reported, its clinical relevance in this setting remains unclear. A collaboration across nine sites examined antiplatelet therapy prescribing and clinical outcomes in 3,342 patients after implementation of CYP2C19-guided antiplatelet therapy.

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Article Synopsis
  • * The North Carolina Newborn Exome Sequencing for Universal Screening (NC NEXUS) project compared the effectiveness of exome sequencing (ES) in healthy newborns and those with conditions, finding high diagnostic confirmation rates for metabolic disorders (88%) but lower rates for hearing loss (18%).
  • * The study identified actionable genetic findings that standard NBS would miss and discovered various pathogenic variants, showcasing both the potential advantages and challenges of integrating genomic sequencing into newborn screening protocols.
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  • An amendment has been released for the paper.
  • The amended version includes updated information or corrections.
  • You can find the link to access the amendment at the top of the original paper.
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To realize the promise of population genomic screening for rare medically actionable conditions, critical challenges in the return of normal/negative results must be understood and overcome. Our study objective was to assess the functioning of a new 13-item measure (CoG-NR) of understanding of and knowledge about normal/negative genomic screening results for three highly actionable conditions: Lynch Syndrome, Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer, and Familial Hypercholesterolemia. Based on our prior research and expert review, we developed CoG-NR and tested how well it functioned using hypothetical scenarios in three Qualtrics surveys.

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The goal of the Association for Molecular Pathology (AMP) Clinical Practice Committee's AMP Pharmacogenomics (PGx) Working Group is to define the key attributes of PGx alleles recommended for clinical testing and a minimum set of variants that should be included in clinical PGx genotyping assays. This document series provides recommendations for a minimum panel of variant alleles (tier 1) and an extended panel of variant alleles (tier 2) that will aid clinical laboratories when designing assays for PGx testing. The AMP PGx Working Group considered functional impact of the variants, allele frequencies in multiethnic populations, the availability of reference materials, as well as other technical considerations for PGx testing when developing these recommendations.

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Article Synopsis
  • - Genotyping can help customize antiplatelet therapy for patients who have undergone percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), but this study also looked at its effects on other medications.
  • - Many of the prescribed medications, like proton pump inhibitors, antidepressants, and opioids, had actionable genetic recommendations, indicating the importance of pharmacogenomics (PGx).
  • - A simulation suggested that if multigene PGx results were utilized, there could be 17.5 additional PGx-guided medication interventions for every 100 PCI patients, highlighting the potential for optimizing overall medication prescriptions.
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Context.—: As pharmacogenetic testing is incorporated into routine care, it is essential for laboratories to provide accurate and consistent results. Certified laboratories must successfully complete proficiency testing.

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Before population screening of 'healthy' individuals is widely adopted, it is important to consider the harms and benefits of receiving positive results and how harms and benefits may differ by age. Participants in a preventive genomic screening study were screened for 17 genes associated with 11 conditions. We interviewed 11 participants who received positive results.

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Purpose: We investigated the diagnostic and clinical performance of trio exome sequencing (ES) in parent-fetus trios where the fetus had sonographic abnormalities but normal karyotype, microarray and, in some cases, normal gene-specific sequencing.

Methods: ES was performed from DNA of 102 anomalous fetuses and from peripheral blood from their parents. Parents provided consent for the return of diagnostic results in the fetus, medically actionable findings in the parents, and identification as carrier couple for significant autosomal recessive conditions.

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