SecureMA: protecting participant privacy in genetic association meta-analysis.

Sharing genomic data is crucial to support scientific investigation such as genome-wide association studies. However, recent investigations suggest the privacy of the individual participants in these studies can be compromised, leading to serious concerns and consequences, such as overly restricted access to data.We introduce a novel cryptographic strategy to securely perform meta-analysis for genetic association […]

Association of cancer susceptibility variants with risk of multiple primary cancers: The population architecture using genomics and epidemiology study.

Multiple primary cancers account for approximately 16% of all incident cancers in the United States. Although genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified many common genetic variants associated with various cancer sites, no study has examined the association of these genetic variants with risk of multiple primary cancers (MPC).As part of the National Human Genome Research […]

Cross-cancer pleiotropic analysis of endometrial cancer: PAGE and E2C2 consortia.

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified a large number of cancer-associated single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), several of which have been associated with multiple cancer sites suggesting pleiotropic effects and shared biological mechanisms across some cancers. We hypothesized that SNPs associated with other cancers may be additionally associated with endometrial cancer. We examined 213 SNPs previously […]

Antiepileptic activity of preferential inhibitors of persistent sodium current.

Evidence from basic neurophysiology and molecular genetics has implicated persistent sodium current conducted by voltage-gated sodium (NaV ) channels as a contributor to the pathogenesis of epilepsy. Many antiepileptic drugs target NaV channels and modulate neuronal excitability, mainly by a use-dependent block of transient sodium current, although suppression of persistent current may also contribute to […]

eMERGEing progress in genomics-the first seven years.

The electronic MEdical Records & GEnomics (eMERGE) network was established in 2007 by the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in part to explore the utility of electronic medical records (EMRs) in genome science. The initial focus was on discovery primarily using the genome-wide association paradigm, but more […]

Automated quantification of pancreatic β-cell mass.

β-Cell mass is a parameter commonly measured in studies of islet biology and diabetes. However, the rigorous quantification of pancreatic β-cell mass using conventional histological methods is a time-consuming process. Rapidly evolving virtual slide technology with high-resolution slide scanners and newly developed image analysis tools has the potential to transform β-cell mass measurement. To test […]

Bioinformatics challenges in genome-wide association studies (GWAS).

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) are a powerful tool for investigators to examine the human genome to detect genetic risk factors, reveal the genetic architecture of diseases and open up new opportunities for treatment and prevention. However, despite its successes, GWAS have not been able to identify genetic loci that are effective classifiers of disease, limiting […]

Investigating the relationship between mitochondrial genetic variation and cardiovascular-related traits to develop a framework for mitochondrial phenome-wide association studies.

Mitochondria play a critical role in the cell and have DNA independent of the nuclear genome. There is much evidence that mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) variation plays a role in human health and disease, however, this area of investigation has lagged behind research into the role of nuclear genetic variation on complex traits and phenotypic outcomes. […]

Pleiotropic associations of risk variants identified for other cancers with lung cancer risk: the PAGE and TRICL consortia.

Genome-wide association studies have identified hundreds of genetic variants associated with specific cancers. A few of these risk regions have been associated with more than one cancer site; however, a systematic evaluation of the associations between risk variants for other cancers and lung cancer risk has yet to be performed.We included 18023 patients with lung […]

Pleiotropic effects of genetic risk variants for other cancers on colorectal cancer risk: PAGE, GECCO and CCFR consortia.

Genome-wide association studies have identified a large number of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with a wide array of cancer sites. Several of these variants demonstrate associations with multiple cancers, suggesting pleiotropic effects and shared biological mechanisms across some cancers. We hypothesised that SNPs previously associated with other cancers may additionally be associated with colorectal […]

Automated extraction of clinical traits of multiple sclerosis in electronic medical records.

The clinical course of multiple sclerosis (MS) is highly variable, and research data collection is costly and time consuming. We evaluated natural language processing techniques applied to electronic medical records (EMR) to identify MS patients and the key clinical traits of their disease course.We used four algorithms based on ICD-9 codes, text keywords, and medications […]