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Bardhan S, Li H, Tarver E, Schramm C, Brown M, Garcia L, Schwartz B, Mazzucco A, Natarajan N, Walsh E, Ryan L, Pearson G, Parisi MA. The National Institutes of Health INvestigation of Co-occurring conditions across the Lifespan to Understand Down syndromE (INCLUDE) Project: Accelerating research discoveries for people with Down syndrome across the lifespan. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF MEDICAL GENETICS. PART C, SEMINARS IN MEDICAL GENETICS 2024; 196:e32081. [PMID: 38197535 PMCID: PMC10939900 DOI: 10.1002/ajmg.c.32081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2023] [Revised: 11/29/2023] [Accepted: 12/01/2023] [Indexed: 01/11/2024]
Abstract
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has a long-standing history of support for research in Down syndrome (DS). In response to a 2018 congressional directive for a trans-NIH initiative to address medical issues in DS, NIH launched the INCLUDE Project (INvestigation of Co-occurring conditions across the Lifespan to Understand Down syndromE). Reflecting the three INCLUDE components of basic science research, cohort development, and clinical trials, the Project has published funding opportunities to address conditions such as immune disorders and Alzheimer's disease. Due to a steady expansion in dedicated funding over its first 5 years, INCLUDE has invested $258 M in over 250 new research projects. INCLUDE also supports training initiatives to expand the number and diversity of investigators studying DS. NIH has funded an INCLUDE Data Coordinating Center that is collecting de-identified clinical information and multi-omics data from research participants for broad data sharing and secondary analyses. Through the DS-Connect® registry, INCLUDE investigators can access recruitment support. The INCLUDE Research Plan articulates research goals for the program, with an emphasis on diversity of research participants and investigators. Finally, a new Cohort Development Program is poised to increase the impact of the INCLUDE Project by recruiting a large DS cohort across the lifespan.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sujata Bardhan
- Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), NIH, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Huiqing Li
- National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Erika Tarver
- National Institute on Aging (NIA), NIH, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Charlene Schramm
- National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Marishka Brown
- National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Linda Garcia
- Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), NIH, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Bryanna Schwartz
- National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Anna Mazzucco
- Office of the Director, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | | | - Elizabeth Walsh
- Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), NIH, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Laurie Ryan
- National Institute on Aging (NIA), NIH, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Gail Pearson
- National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Melissa A Parisi
- Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), NIH, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
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Ciciora SL, Manickam K, Saps M. Quality of life measures in children with Down syndrome with disorders of gut-brain interaction. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF MEDICAL GENETICS. PART C, SEMINARS IN MEDICAL GENETICS 2023; 193:e32071. [PMID: 37882146 DOI: 10.1002/ajmg.c.32071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2023] [Revised: 09/28/2023] [Accepted: 10/03/2023] [Indexed: 10/27/2023]
Abstract
Down syndrome (DS) is associated with multiple medical comorbidities. Perhaps related to such, caregivers of individuals with DS report lower quality of life (QoL) compared to individuals without DS. It has been shown that disorders of gut-brain interaction (DGBI) such as functional constipation (FC) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) are common in individuals with DS. We measured caregiver-reported QoL in individuals with DS with a DGBI and compared them to individuals with DS without a DGBI via a cross-sectional national survey. All measures of QoL were lower in those with DS who meet criteria for a DGBI compared to those with DS without a DGBI. Males and females with DS and at least one DGBI had similar QoL scores. While FC was the most common DGBI seen in individuals with DS, there was no difference in any aspect of QoL in subjects with FC when compared to individuals with other DGBIs. However, all measures of QoL were lower in those with IBS compared to individuals with other DGBIs. These findings suggest that management of gastrointestinal symptoms from DGBIs, particularly IBS, may serve as a target for increasing QoL in a notable subset of individuals with DS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steven L Ciciora
- Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, Nationwide Children's Hospital, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, Ohio, USA
| | - Kandamurugu Manickam
- Division of Genetic and Genomic Medicine, Nationwide Children's Hospital, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, Ohio, USA
| | - Miguel Saps
- Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida, USA
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