Publications by authors named "Katharina Wimmer"

Background: In high-grade ovarian cancer (HGOC), determination of homologous recombination deficiency (HRD) status is commonly used in routine practice to predict response to platinum-based therapy or poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitors (PARPi). Here we tested the hypothesis that BRCA loss of function (LOF) due to epigenetic or genetic aberrations is a better predictor for the clinical outcome than HRD. One hundred thirty-one HGOC tissues were tested for BRCA DNA-methylation, BRCA mutations, HRD and BRCA1 mRNA expression, followed by a comprehensive survival analysis.

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Article Synopsis
  • Constitutional mismatch repair deficiency (CMMRD) is a rare genetic condition that significantly increases the lifetime risk of various cancers and has distinct non-cancer features, leading to evolving diagnosis and surveillance practices.* -
  • A comprehensive set of 82 recommendations for CMMRD diagnosis, surveillance, and clinical management has been developed by experts to standardize care across Europe, incorporating new research findings and patient input.* -
  • These recommendations provide detailed guidelines regarding testing criteria, age of initiation, frequency of surveillance, cancer treatment, and quality of life considerations—allowing for personalized adjustments based on individual patient needs.*
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Background: Constitutional mismatch repair deficiency syndrome (CMMRD) is a rare childhood cancer predisposition syndrome associated with a broad spectrum of malignancies, including non-Hodgkin lymphomas (NHL). Most patients die due to cancer before the age of 20 years. Limited data exist on CMMRD-associated lymphomas and their outcome.

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Biallelic germline pathogenic variants in one of the four mismatch repair genes (MSH2, MSH6, MLH1 and PMS2) cause a very rare, highly penetrant, childhood-onset cancer syndrome, called constitutional mismatch repair deficiency (CMMRD). The European consortium "Care for CMMRD" (C4CMMRD) was founded in Paris in 2013 to facilitate international collaboration and improve our knowledge of this rare cancer predisposition syndrome. Following initial publications on diagnostic criteria and surveillance guidelines for CMMRD, several partners collaborating within the C4CMMRD consortium have worked on and published numerous CMMRD-related clinical and biological projects.

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Background: Homologous recombination deficiency (HRD) has evolved into a major diagnostic marker in high-grade ovarian cancer (HGOC), predicting the response to poly (adenosine diphosphate-ribose) polymerase inhibitors (PARPi) and also platinum-based therapy. In addition to HRD, the type of peritoneal tumor spread influences the treatment response and patient survival; miliary type tumor spread has a poorer predicted outcome than non-miliary type tumor spread.

Methods: Known methods for HRD assessment were adapted for our technical requirements and the predictive-value integrated genomic instability score (PIGIS) for HRD assessment evolved as an outcome.

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Lynch syndrome (LS) and constitutional mismatch repair deficiency (CMMRD) are distinct cancer syndromes caused, respectively, by mono- and bi-allelic germline mismatch repair (MMR) variants. LS predisposes to mainly gastrointestinal and genitourinary cancers in adulthood. CMMRD predisposes to brain, haematological, and LS-spectrum cancers from childhood.

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Background: Constitutional mismatch repair deficiency (CMMRD) is a rare and extraordinarily penetrant childhood-onset cancer predisposition syndrome. Genetic diagnosis is often hampered by the identification of mismatch repair (MMR) variants of unknown significance and difficulties in PMS2 analysis, the most frequently mutated gene in CMMRD. We present the validation of a robust functional tool for CMMRD diagnosis and the characterization of microsatellite instability (MSI) patterns in blood and tumors.

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Purpose: Females with biallelic CHEK2 germline pathogenic variants (gPVs) more often develop multiple breast cancers than individuals with monoallelic CHEK2 gPVs. This study is aimed at expanding the knowledge on the occurrence of other malignancies.

Methods: Exome sequencing of individuals who developed multiple primary malignancies identified 3 individuals with the CHEK2 (NM_007194.

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Neurofibromatosis type 1 results from loss-of-function NF1 pathogenic variants (PVs). Up to 30% of all NF1 PVs disrupt mRNA splicing, including deep intronic variants. Here, we retrospectively investigated the spectrum of NF1 deep intronic PVs in a cohort of 8,090 unrelated individuals from the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) dataset with a molecularly confirmed neurofibromatosis type 1.

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Background & Aims: Constitutional mismatch repair deficiency (CMMRD) is a rare recessive childhood cancer predisposition syndrome caused by germline mismatch repair variants. Constitutional microsatellite instability (cMSI) is a CMMRD diagnostic hallmark and may associate with cancer risk. We quantified cMSI in a large CMMRD patient cohort to explore genotype-phenotype correlations using novel MSI markers selected for instability in blood.

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Background: Constitutional mismatch repair deficiency (CMMRD) is a rare autosomal recessively inherited syndrome that is caused by biallelic pathogenic variants of the mismatch repair genes. It is characterised by the development of multiple tumours in the first and second decade of life including brain, gastrointestinal and haematological tumours often resulting in early death. In order to improve the prognosis of these patients, the European collaborative group 'care for CMMRD' developed a surveillance programme in 2014 and established a registry of patients with CMMRD in Paris.

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Colorectal cancer (CRC) in adolescents and young adults (AYA) is very rare. Known predisposition syndromes include Lynch syndrome (LS) due to highly penetrant MLH1 and MSH2 alleles, familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP), constitutional mismatch-repair deficiency (CMMRD), and polymerase proofreading-associated polyposis (PPAP). Yet, 60% of AYA-CRC cases remain unexplained.

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Purpose: Neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2) and schwannomatosis (SWN) are genetically distinct tumor predisposition syndromes with overlapping phenotypes. We sought to update the diagnostic criteria for NF2 and SWN by incorporating recent advances in genetics, ophthalmology, neuropathology, and neuroimaging.

Methods: We used a multistep process, beginning with a Delphi method involving global disease experts and subsequently involving non-neurofibromatosis clinical experts, patients, and foundations/patient advocacy groups.

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Article Synopsis
  • Heterozygous pathogenic variants in POLE or POLD1 lead to polymerase proofreading associated polyposis (PPAP), which results in colorectal cancer in adults and is linked to a deficiency in DNA repair.
  • Constitutional mismatch-repair deficiency (CMMRD) is caused by bi-allelic pathogenic variants in MMR genes, leading to a higher risk of various cancers in children, often accompanied by notable nonmalignant features like skin pigmentation changes.
  • This study found three patients with suspected CMMRD but identified them instead as having heterozygous POLE variants, suggesting a unique CMMRD-like syndrome linked to specific POLE variants that may require treatment similar to CMMRD monitoring protocols.
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Purpose: By incorporating major developments in genetics, ophthalmology, dermatology, and neuroimaging, to revise the diagnostic criteria for neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) and to establish diagnostic criteria for Legius syndrome (LGSS).

Methods: We used a multistep process, beginning with a Delphi method involving global experts and subsequently involving non-NF experts, patients, and foundations/patient advocacy groups.

Results: We reached consensus on the minimal clinical and genetic criteria for diagnosing and differentiating NF1 and LGSS, which have phenotypic overlap in young patients with pigmentary findings.

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Childhood malignancies are rarely related to known environmental exposures, and it has become increasingly evident that inherited genetic factors play a substantial causal role. Large-scale sequencing studies have shown that approximately 10% of children with cancer have an underlying cancer predisposition syndrome. The number of recognised cancer predisposition syndromes and cancer predisposition genes are constantly growing.

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Article Synopsis
  • - Biallelic germline pathogenic variants in mismatch repair (MMR) genes lead to constitutional MMR deficiency (CMMRD), a syndrome causing childhood cancers, which can be confused with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1). Testing for CMMRD in NF1-suspected children not carrying NF1/SPRED1 variants helps identify those needing monitoring before tumors develop.
  • - A study screened over 700 children suspected of having sporadic NF1 but without NF1/SPRED1 variants, using a microsatellite instability (MSI) test, and found CMMRD confirmed in 3 out of 7 positive cases, indicating a low prevalence of 0.41%.
  • - The findings
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Background: Malignant brain tumors (BT) are among the cancers most frequently associated with constitutional mismatch repair deficiency (CMMRD), a rare childhood cancer predisposition syndrome resulting from biallelic germline mutations in mismatch repair genes. This study analyzed data from the European "Care for CMMRD" (C4CMMRD) database to describe their clinical characteristics, treatments, and outcome with the aim of improving its diagnosis/treatment.

Methods: Retrospective analysis of data on patients with CMMRD and malignant BT from the C4CMMRD database up to July 2017.

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To develop implants with improved bone ingrowth, titanium substrates were coated with homogeneous and dense struvite (MgNH4PO4·6H2O) layers by means of electrochemically assisted deposition. Strontium nitrate was added to the coating electrolyte in various concentrations, in order to fabricate Sr-doped struvite coatings with Sr loading ranging from 10.6 to 115 μg/cm2.

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Uncovering frequent motives of action by which variants impair 3' splice site (3'ss) recognition and selection is essential to improve our understanding of this complex process. Through several mini-gene experiments, we demonstrate that the pyrimidine (Y) to purine (R) transversion NM_000267.3(NF1):c.

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Linked-read sequencing provides long-range information on short-read sequencing data by barcoding reads originating from the same DNA molecule, and can improve detection and breakpoint identification for structural variants (SVs). Here we present LinkedSV for SV detection on linked-read sequencing data. LinkedSV considers barcode overlapping and enriched fragment endpoints as signals to detect large SVs, while it leverages read depth, paired-end signals and local assembly to detect small SVs.

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  • * Approximately 25% of those with these variants exhibited a Noonan-like phenotype, notably more than traditional NF1 patients (p < .0001), with p.Arg1276 and p.Lys1423 linked to serious cardiovascular issues.
  • * The p.Met1149 variant presented a milder phenotype mainly with skin symptoms, affecting 0.4% of the UAB cohort, highlighting important genotype-phenotype correlations that can improve patient counseling and
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Biallelic mutations in any of the four mismatch repair genes , , and result in one of the most aggressive childhood cancer predisposition syndromes, termed constitutional mismatch repair deficiency (CMMRD) syndrome. In addition to a very high tumour risk, the CMMRD phenotype is often characterised by the presence of signs reminiscent of neurofibromatosis type 1. Although paediatric systemic lupus erythematosus (pSLE) has been reported so far in three patients with CMMRD, it has not been considered a diagnostic feature of the syndrome.

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