Publications by authors named "M J Welland"

Purpose: As part of the 100,000 Genomes Project, we set out to assess the potential viability and clinical impact of reporting genetic variants associated with drug-induced toxicity for patients with cancer recruited for whole-genome sequencing (WGS) as part of a genomic medicine service.

Methods: Germline WGS from 76,805 participants was analyzed for pharmacogenetic (PGx) variants in four genes (, , , ) associated with toxicity induced by five drugs used in cancer treatment (capecitabine, fluorouracil, mercaptopurine, thioguanine, irinotecan). Linking genomic data with prescribing and hospital incidence records, a phenome-wide association study (PheWAS) was performed to identify whether phenotypes indicative of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) were enriched in drug-exposed individuals with the relevant PGx variants.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • About 25% of patients with unexplained kidney failure have a genetic cause, specifically related to monogenic disorders.
  • A study explored the effectiveness of whole genome sequencing (WGS) combined with broad gene panel analysis in diagnosing these cases, finding it to be a viable method for identifying genetic mutations.
  • Among 100 participants aged ≤50 with stage 5 chronic kidney disease, a genetic diagnosis was reached in 25%, with a higher likelihood of positive results in those with a family history of chronic kidney disease.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: Oxyntomodulin (Oxm) hormone peptide has a number of beneficial effects on nutrition and metabolism including increased energy expenditure and reduced body weight gain. Despite its many advantages as a potential therapeutic agent, Oxm is subjected to rapid renal clearance and protease degradation limiting its clinical application. Previously, we have shown that subcutaneous administration of a fibrillar Oxm formulation can significantly prolong its bioactivity from a few hours to a few days.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

A lab handbook is a flexible document that outlines the ethos of a research lab or group. A good handbook will outline the different roles within the lab, explain what is expected of all lab members, provide an overview of the culture the lab aims to create, and describe how the lab supports its members so that they can develop as researchers. Here we describe how we wrote a lab handbook for a large research group, and provide resources to help other labs write their own handbooks.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease (AD), are associated with protein misfolding and aggregation into amyloid fibrils. Increasing evidence suggests that soluble, low-molecular-weight aggregates play a key role in disease-associated toxicity. Within this population of aggregates, closed-loop pore-like structures have been observed for a variety of amyloid systems, and their presence in brain tissues is associated with high levels of neuropathology.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF