1. |
- Aad, G., et al.
(author)
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- 2012
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swepub:Mat__t (peer-reviewed)
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2. |
- Brownstein, Catherine A., et al.
(author)
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An international effort towards developing standards for best practices in analysis, interpretation and reporting of clinical genome sequencing results in the CLARITY Challenge
- 2014
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In: Genome Biology. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1465-6906 .- 1474-760X. ; 15:3, s. R53-
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: There is tremendous potential for genome sequencing to improve clinical diagnosis and care once it becomes routinely accessible, but this will require formalizing research methods into clinical best practices in the areas of sequence data generation, analysis, interpretation and reporting. The CLARITY Challenge was designed to spur convergence in methods for diagnosing genetic disease starting from clinical case history and genome sequencing data. DNA samples were obtained from three families with heritable genetic disorders and genomic sequence data were donated by sequencing platform vendors. The challenge was to analyze and interpret these data with the goals of identifying disease-causing variants and reporting the findings in a clinically useful format. Participating contestant groups were solicited broadly, and an independent panel of judges evaluated their performance. Results: A total of 30 international groups were engaged. The entries reveal a general convergence of practices on most elements of the analysis and interpretation process. However, even given this commonality of approach, only two groups identified the consensus candidate variants in all disease cases, demonstrating a need for consistent fine-tuning of the generally accepted methods. There was greater diversity of the final clinical report content and in the patient consenting process, demonstrating that these areas require additional exploration and standardization. Conclusions: The CLARITY Challenge provides a comprehensive assessment of current practices for using genome sequencing to diagnose and report genetic diseases. There is remarkable convergence in bioinformatic techniques, but medical interpretation and reporting are areas that require further development by many groups.
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3. |
- Bastard, P, et al.
(author)
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Vaccine breakthrough hypoxemic COVID-19 pneumonia in patients with auto-Abs neutralizing type I IFNs
- 2023
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In: Science immunology. - : American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). - 2470-9468. ; 8:90, s. eabp8966-
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Life-threatening ‘breakthrough’ cases of critical COVID-19 are attributed to poor or waning antibody response to the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine in individuals already at risk. Pre-existing autoantibodies (auto-Abs) neutralizing type I IFNs underlie at least 15% of critical COVID-19 pneumonia cases in unvaccinated individuals; however, their contribution to hypoxemic breakthrough cases in vaccinated people remains unknown. Here, we studied a cohort of 48 individuals (age 20-86 years) who received 2 doses of an mRNA vaccine and developed a breakthrough infection with hypoxemic COVID-19 pneumonia 2 weeks to 4 months later. Antibody levels to the vaccine, neutralization of the virus, and auto-Abs to type I IFNs were measured in the plasma. Forty-two individuals had no known deficiency of B cell immunity and a normal antibody response to the vaccine. Among them, ten (24%) had auto-Abs neutralizing type I IFNs (aged 43-86 years). Eight of these ten patients had auto-Abs neutralizing both IFN-α2 and IFN-ω, while two neutralized IFN-ω only. No patient neutralized IFN-β. Seven neutralized 10 ng/mL of type I IFNs, and three 100 pg/mL only. Seven patients neutralized SARS-CoV-2 D614G and the Delta variant (B.1.617.2) efficiently, while one patient neutralized Delta slightly less efficiently. Two of the three patients neutralizing only 100 pg/mL of type I IFNs neutralized both D61G and Delta less efficiently. Despite two mRNA vaccine inoculations and the presence of circulating antibodies capable of neutralizing SARS-CoV-2, auto-Abs neutralizing type I IFNs may underlie a significant proportion of hypoxemic COVID-19 pneumonia cases, highlighting the importance of this particularly vulnerable population.
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4. |
- Huang, Yang Zhong, et al.
(author)
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RNA aptamer-based functional ligands of the neurotrophin receptor, TrkB
- 2012
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In: Molecular Pharmacology. - Bethesda, United States : American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics. - 0026-895X .- 1521-0111. ; 82:4, s. 623-635
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Many cell surface signaling receptors, such as the neurotrophin receptor, TrkB, have emerged as potential therapeutic targets for diverse diseases. Reduced activation of TrkB in particular is thought to contribute to neurodegenerative diseases. Unfortunately, development of therapeutic reagents that selectively activate particular cell surface receptors such as TrkB has proven challenging. Like many cell surface signaling receptors, TrkB is internalized upon activation; in this proof-of-concept study, we exploited this fact to isolate a pool of nuclease-stabilized RNA aptamers enriched for TrkB agonists. One of the selected aptamers, C4-3, was characterized with recombinant protein-binding assays, cell-based signaling and functional assays, and, in vivo in a seizure model in mice. C4-3 binds the extracellular domain of TrkB with high affinity (KD ∼2 nM) and exhibits potent TrkB partial agonistic activity and neuroprotective effects in cultured cortical neurons. In mice, C4-3 activates TrkB upon infusion into the hippocampus; systemic administration of C4-3 potentiates kainic acid-induced seizure development. We conclude that C4-3 is a potentially useful therapeutic agent for neurodegenerative diseases in which reduced TrkB activation has been implicated. We anticipate that the cell-based aptamer selection approach used here will be broadly applicable to the identification of aptamer-based agonists for a variety of cell-surface signaling receptors. Copyright © 2012 The American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics.
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5. |
- Lapointe, Jacques, et al.
(author)
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Gene expression profiling identifies clinically relevant subtypes of prostate cancer
- 2004
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In: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. - : Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. - 0027-8424 .- 1091-6490. ; 101:3, s. 811-816
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Prostate cancer, a leading cause of cancer death, displays a broad range of clinical behavior from relatively indolent to aggressive metastatic disease. To explore potential molecular variation underlying this clinical heterogeneity, we profiled gene expression in 62 primary prostate tumors, as well as 41 normal prostate specimens and nine lymph node metastases, using cDNA microarrays containing ≈26,000 genes. Unsupervised hierarchical clustering readily distinguished tumors from normal samples, and further identified three subclasses of prostate tumors based on distinct patterns of gene expression. High-grade and advanced stage tumors, as well as tumors associated with recurrence, were disproportionately represented among two of the three subtypes, one of which also included most lymph node metastases. To further characterize the clinical relevance of tumor subtypes, we evaluated as surrogate markers two genes differentially expressed among tumor subgroups by using immunohistochemistry on tissue microarrays representing an independent set of 225 prostate tumors. Positive staining for MUC1, a gene highly expressed in the subgroups with "aggressive" clinicopathological features, was associated with an elevated risk of recurrence (P = 0.003), whereas strong staining for AZGP1, a gene highly expressed in the other subgroup, was associated with a decreased risk of recurrence (P = 0.0008). In multivariate analysis, MUC1 and AZGP1 staining were strong predictors of tumor recurrence independent of tumor grade, stage, and preoperative prostate-specific antigen levels. Our results suggest that prostate tumors can be usefully classified according to their gene expression patterns, and these tumor subtypes may provide a basis for improved prognostication and treatment stratification.
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