1
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Wisetchat S, Stevens KA, Frost SR. Facial modeling and measurement based upon homologous topographical features. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0304561. [PMID: 38820264 PMCID: PMC11142440 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0304561] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2023] [Accepted: 05/13/2024] [Indexed: 06/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Measurement of human faces is fundamental to many applications from recognition to genetic phenotyping. While anthropometric landmarks provide a conventional set of homologous measurement points, digital scans are increasingly used for facial measurement, despite the difficulties in establishing their homology. We introduce an alternative basis for facial measurement, which 1) provides a richer information density than discrete point measurements, 2) derives its homology from shared facial topography (ridges, folds, etc.), and 3) quantifies local morphological variation following the conventions and practices of anatomical description. A parametric model that permits matching a broad range of facial variation by the adjustment of 71 parameters is demonstrated by modeling a sample of 80 adult human faces. The surface of the parametric model can be adjusted to match each photogrammetric surface mesh generally to within 1 mm, demonstrating a novel and efficient means for facial shape encoding. We examine how well this scheme quantifies facial shape and variation with respect to geographic ancestry and sex. We compare this analysis with a more conventional, landmark-based geometric morphometric (GMM) study with 43 landmarks placed on the same set of scans. Our multivariate statistical analysis using the 71 attribute values separates geographic ancestry groups and sexes with a high degree of reliability, and these results are broadly similar to those from GMM, but with some key differences that we discuss. This approach is compared with conventional, non-parametric methods for the quantification of facial shape, including generality, information density, and the separation of size and shape. Potential uses for phenotypic and dysmorphology studies are also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sawitree Wisetchat
- Department of Anthropology, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, United States of America
| | - Kent A. Stevens
- Department of Computer and Information Science, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, United States of America
| | - Stephen R. Frost
- Department of Anthropology, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, United States of America
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2
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Slavotinek A. Genetics in Pediatric Practice: From Baby Steps to Running Fast. Pediatr Clin North Am 2023; 70:885-894. [PMID: 37704347 DOI: 10.1016/j.pcl.2023.05.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/15/2023]
Abstract
In the last few decades, medical genetics has undergone a revolution because of the development of technologies and informatics approaches that can generate and analyze large amounts of genomic data. Pediatricians have been hugely affected by these changes. The early age of presentation for birth defects and neurocognitive disorders, together with a shortage of trained genetics professionals, has increased consultations for conditions with a genetic cause, not only in pediatric practice but also in other subspecialties. In the future, genetic testing in childhood is likely to include pediatricians, who can initiate testing in partnership with trained genetics professionals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne Slavotinek
- Medical Genetics, Division of Human Genetics, Department of Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, University of Cincinnati School of Medicine, 3333 Burnet Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45229, USA.
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3
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Osmond M, Hartley T, Johnstone B, Andjic S, Girdea M, Gillespie M, Buske O, Dumitriu S, Koltunova V, Ramani A, Boycott KM, Brudno M. PhenomeCentral: 7 years of rare disease matchmaking. Hum Mutat 2022; 43:674-681. [PMID: 35165961 DOI: 10.1002/humu.24348] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2021] [Revised: 02/04/2022] [Accepted: 02/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
A major challenge in validating genetic causes for patients with rare diseases (RDs) is the difficulty in identifying other RD patients with overlapping phenotypes and variants in the same candidate gene. This process, known as matchmaking, requires robust data sharing solutions in order to be effective. In 2014 we launched PhenomeCentral, a RD data repository capable of collecting computer-readable genotypic and phenotypic data for the purposes of RD matchmaking. Over the past 7 years PhenomeCentral's features have been expanded and its dataset has consistently grown. There are currently 1,615 users registered on PhenomeCentral, which have contributed over 12,000 patient cases. Most of these cases contain detailed phenotypic terms, with a significant portion also providing genomic sequence data or other forms of clinical information. Matchmaking within PhenomeCentral, and with connections to other data repositories in the Matchmaker Exchange, have collectively resulted in over 60,000 matches, which have facilitated multiple gene discoveries. The collection of deep phenotypic and genotypic data has also positioned PhenomeCentral well to support next generation of matchmaking initiatives that utilize genome sequencing data, ensuring that PhenomeCentral will remain a useful tool in solving undiagnosed RD cases in the years to come. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew Osmond
- Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute, University of Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Taila Hartley
- Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute, University of Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Brittney Johnstone
- Cancer Genetics and High Risk Program, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Sasha Andjic
- DATA Team and Techna Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Marta Girdea
- DATA Team and Techna Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Meredith Gillespie
- Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute, University of Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | | | - Sergiu Dumitriu
- DATA Team and Techna Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Veronika Koltunova
- DATA Team and Techna Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Arun Ramani
- Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Kym M Boycott
- Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute, University of Ottawa, ON, Canada.,Department of Genetics, Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario, ON, Canada
| | - Michael Brudno
- DATA Team and Techna Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Department of Computer Science, University of Toronto, ON, Canada.,Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
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4
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Shah M, Selvanathan A, Baynam G, Berman Y, Boughtwood T, Freckmann M, Parasivam G, White SM, Grainger N, Kirk EP, Ma ASL, Sachdev R. Paediatric genomic testing: Navigating genomic reports for the general paediatrician. J Paediatr Child Health 2022; 58:8-15. [PMID: 34427008 PMCID: PMC9292248 DOI: 10.1111/jpc.15703] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2021] [Revised: 08/05/2021] [Accepted: 08/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Monogenic rare disorders contribute significantly to paediatric morbidity and mortality, and elucidation of the underlying genetic cause may have benefits for patients, families and clinicians. Advances in genomic technology have enabled diagnostic yields of up to 50% in some paediatric cohorts. This has led to an increase in the uptake of genetic testing across paediatric disciplines. This can place an increased burden on paediatricians, who may now be responsible for interpreting and explaining test results to patients. However, genomic results can be complex, and sometimes inconclusive for the ordering paediatrician. Results may also cause uncertainty and anxiety for patients and their families. The paediatrician's genetic literacy and knowledge of genetic principles are therefore critical to inform discussions with families and guide ongoing patient care. Here, we present four hypothetical case vignettes where genomic testing is undertaken, and discuss possible results and their implications for paediatricians and families. We also provide a list of key terms for paediatricians.
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Affiliation(s)
- Margit Shah
- Centre for Clinical GeneticsSydney Children's Hospital, Sydney Children's Hospitals NetworkSydneyNew South WalesAustralia,Department of Clinical GeneticsChildren's Hospital at Westmead, Sydney Children's Hospitals NetworkSydneyNew South WalesAustralia,Faculty of Health and Medical ScienceUniversity of SydneySydneyNew South WalesAustralia
| | - Arthavan Selvanathan
- Genetic Metabolic Disorders ServiceSydney Children's Hospitals NetworkSydneyNew South WalesAustralia
| | - Gareth Baynam
- Genetic Services of Western AustraliaKing Edward Memorial HospitalPerthWestern AustraliaAustralia,Western Australian Register of Developmental AnomaliesKing Edward Memorial HospitalPerthWestern AustraliaAustralia
| | - Yemima Berman
- Department of Clinical GeneticsRoyal North Shore HospitalSydneyNew South WalesAustralia,Sydney Medical SchoolUniversity of SydneySydneyNew South WalesAustralia
| | - Tiffany Boughtwood
- Australian GenomicsMelbourneVictoriaAustralia,Murdoch Children’s Research InstituteMelbourneVictoriaAustralia
| | - Mary‐Louise Freckmann
- Department of Clinical GeneticsRoyal North Shore HospitalSydneyNew South WalesAustralia,ACT Genetics ServiceThe Canberra HospitalCanberraAustralian Capital TerritoryAustralia
| | - Gayathri Parasivam
- NSW Health Centre for Genetics EducationRoyal North Shore HospitalSydneyNew South WalesAustralia,Present address:
Women's and Children's HospitalAdelaideSouth AustraliaAustralia
| | - Susan M White
- Victorian Clinical Genetics ServicesMelbourneVictoriaAustralia,Department of PaediatricsUniversity of MelbourneMelbourneVictoriaAustralia
| | - Natalie Grainger
- NSW Health Centre for Genetics EducationRoyal North Shore HospitalSydneyNew South WalesAustralia
| | - Edwin P Kirk
- Centre for Clinical GeneticsSydney Children's Hospital, Sydney Children's Hospitals NetworkSydneyNew South WalesAustralia,School of Women's and Children's HealthUniversity of New South WalesSydneyNew South WalesAustralia,NSW Health Pathology Randwick Genomics LaboratorySydneyNew South WalesAustralia
| | - Alan SL Ma
- Department of Clinical GeneticsChildren's Hospital at Westmead, Sydney Children's Hospitals NetworkSydneyNew South WalesAustralia,Specialty of Genomic MedicineUniversity of SydneySydneyNew South WalesAustralia
| | - Rani Sachdev
- Centre for Clinical GeneticsSydney Children's Hospital, Sydney Children's Hospitals NetworkSydneyNew South WalesAustralia,School of Women's and Children's HealthUniversity of New South WalesSydneyNew South WalesAustralia
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5
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Liu P, Gong M, Li J, Baynam G, Zhu W, Zhu Y, Chen L, Gu W, Zhang S. Innovation in Informatics to Improve Clinical Care and Drug Accessibility for Rare Diseases in China. Front Pharmacol 2021; 12:719415. [PMID: 34721018 PMCID: PMC8553959 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2021.719415] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2021] [Accepted: 09/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: In China, there are severe unmet medical needs of people living with rare diseases. Relatedly, there is a dearth of data to inform rare diseases policy. This is historically partially due to the lack of informatics infrastructure, including standards and terminology, data sharing mechanisms and network; and concerns over patient privacy protection. Objective: This study aims to introduce the progress of China's rare disease informatics platform and knowledgebase, and to discuss critical enablers of rare disease informatics innovation, including: data standardization; knowledgebase construction; national policy support; and multi-stakeholder participation. Methods: A systemic national strategy, delivered through multi-stakeholder engagement, has been implemented to create and accelerate the informatics infrastructure to support rare diseases management. This includes a disease registry system, together with more than 80 hospitals, to perform comprehensive research information collection, including clinical, genomic and bio-sample data. And a case reporting system, with a network of 324 hospitals, covering all mainland Chinese provinces, to further support reporting of rare diseases data. International standards were incorporated, and privacy issues were addressed through HIPAA compliant rules. Results: The National Rare Diseases Registry System of China (NRDRS) now covers 166 rare diseases and more than 63,000 registered patients. The National Rare Diseases Case Reporting System of China (NRDCRS) was primarily founded on the National Network of Rare Diseases (NNRD) of 324 hospitals and focused on real-time rare diseases case reporting; more than 400,000 cases have been reported. Based on the data available in the two systems, the National Center for Health Technology Assessment (HTA) of Orphan Medicinal Products (OMP) has been established and the expert consensus on HTA of OMP was produced. The largest knowledgebase for rare disease in Chinese has also been developed. Conclusion: A national strategy and the coordinating mechanism is the key to success in the improvement of Chinese rare disease clinical care and drug accessibility. Application of innovative informatics solutions can help accelerate the process, improve quality and increase efficiency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peng Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Complex Severe and Rare Diseases, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Science and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Mengchun Gong
- Institute of Health Management, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Jie Li
- Digital Health China Technologies Co., LTD, Beijing, China
| | - Gareth Baynam
- Western Australian Register of Developmental Anomalies, King Edward Memorial Hospital, Perth, WA, Australia.,Division of Paediatrics and Telethon Kids Institute, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, Perth, WA, Australia
| | - Weiguo Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Complex Severe and Rare Diseases, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Science and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Yicheng Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Complex Severe and Rare Diseases, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Science and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Limeng Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Complex Severe and Rare Diseases, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Science and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Weihong Gu
- State Key Laboratory of Complex Severe and Rare Diseases, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Science and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Shuyang Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Complex Severe and Rare Diseases, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Science and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
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6
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Choi HJ, Wang C, Pan X, Jang J, Cao M, Brazzo JA, Bae Y, Lee K. Emerging machine learning approaches to phenotyping cellular motility and morphodynamics. Phys Biol 2021; 18:10.1088/1478-3975/abffbe. [PMID: 33971636 PMCID: PMC9131244 DOI: 10.1088/1478-3975/abffbe] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2020] [Accepted: 05/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Cells respond heterogeneously to molecular and environmental perturbations. Phenotypic heterogeneity, wherein multiple phenotypes coexist in the same conditions, presents challenges when interpreting the observed heterogeneity. Advances in live cell microscopy allow researchers to acquire an unprecedented amount of live cell image data at high spatiotemporal resolutions. Phenotyping cellular dynamics, however, is a nontrivial task and requires machine learning (ML) approaches to discern phenotypic heterogeneity from live cell images. In recent years, ML has proven instrumental in biomedical research, allowing scientists to implement sophisticated computation in which computers learn and effectively perform specific analyses with minimal human instruction or intervention. In this review, we discuss how ML has been recently employed in the study of cell motility and morphodynamics to identify phenotypes from computer vision analysis. We focus on new approaches to extract and learn meaningful spatiotemporal features from complex live cell images for cellular and subcellular phenotyping.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hee June Choi
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MA 01609, United States of America
- Vascular Biology Program and Department of Surgery, Boston Children’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, United States of America
| | - Chuangqi Wang
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MA 01609, United States of America
- Present address. Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Xiang Pan
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MA 01609, United States of America
- Vascular Biology Program and Department of Surgery, Boston Children’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, United States of America
| | - Junbong Jang
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MA 01609, United States of America
- Vascular Biology Program and Department of Surgery, Boston Children’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, United States of America
| | - Mengzhi Cao
- Data Science Program, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MA 01609, United States of America
| | - Joseph A Brazzo
- Department of Pathology and Anatomical Sciences, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University at Buffalo, State University of New York, Buffalo, NY 14203, United States of America
| | - Yongho Bae
- Department of Pathology and Anatomical Sciences, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University at Buffalo, State University of New York, Buffalo, NY 14203, United States of America
| | - Kwonmoo Lee
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MA 01609, United States of America
- Vascular Biology Program and Department of Surgery, Boston Children’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, United States of America
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7
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Azzariti DR, Hamosh A. Genomic Data Sharing for Novel Mendelian Disease Gene Discovery: The Matchmaker Exchange. Annu Rev Genomics Hum Genet 2020; 21:305-326. [PMID: 32339034 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-genom-083118-014915] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
In the last decade, exome and/or genome sequencing has become a common test in the diagnosis of individuals with features of a rare Mendelian disorder. Despite its success, this test leaves the majority of tested individuals undiagnosed. This review describes the Matchmaker Exchange (MME), a federated network established to facilitate the solving of undiagnosed rare-disease cases through data sharing. MME supports genomic matchmaking, the act of connecting two or more parties looking for cases with similar phenotypes and variants in the same candidate genes. An application programming interface currently connects six matchmaker nodes-the Database of Chromosomal Imbalance and Phenotype in Humans Using Ensembl Resources (DECIPHER), GeneMatcher, PhenomeCentral, seqr, MyGene2, and the Initiative on Rare and Undiagnosed Diseases (IRUD) Exchange-resulting in a collective data set spanning more than 150,000 cases from more than 11,000 contributors in 88 countries. Here, we describe the successes and challenges of MME, its individual matchmaking nodes, plans for growing the network, and considerations for future directions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danielle R Azzariti
- The Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, USA;
| | - Ada Hamosh
- McKusick-Nathans Department of Genetic Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21287, USA;
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8
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Baenas N, Wagner AE. Drosophila melanogaster as an alternative model organism in nutrigenomics. GENES AND NUTRITION 2019; 14:14. [PMID: 31080523 PMCID: PMC6501408 DOI: 10.1186/s12263-019-0641-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2019] [Accepted: 04/17/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Nutrigenomics explains the interaction between the genome, the proteome, the epigenome, the metabolome, and the microbiome with the nutritional environment of an organism. It is therefore situated at the interface between an organism's health, its diet, and the genome. The diet and/or specific dietary compounds are able to affect not only the gene expression patterns, but also the epigenetic mechanisms as well as the production of metabolites and the bacterial composition of the microbiota. Drosophila melanogaster provides a well-suited model organism to unravel these interactions in the context of nutrigenomics as it combines several advantages including an affordable maintenance, a short generation time, a high fecundity, a relatively short life expectancy, a well-characterized genome, and the availability of several mutant fly lines. Furthermore, it hosts a mammalian-like intestinal system with a clear microbiota and a fat body resembling the adipose tissue with liver-equivalent oenocytes, supporting the fly as an excellent model organism not only in nutrigenomics but also in nutritional research. Experimental approaches that are essentially needed in nutrigenomic research, including several sequencing technologies, have already been established in the fruit fly. However, studies investigating the interaction of a specific diet and/or dietary compounds in the fly are currently very limited. The present review provides an overview of the fly's morphology including the intestinal microbiome and antimicrobial peptides as modulators of the immune system. Additionally, it summarizes nutrigenomic approaches in the fruit fly helping to elucidate host-genome interactions with the nutritional environment in the model organism Drosophila melanogaster.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nieves Baenas
- 1Institute of Nutritional Medicine, University of Lübeck, Ratzeburger Allee 160, 23538 Lübeck, Germany
| | - Anika E Wagner
- 2Institute of Nutritional Sciences, Justus-Liebig-University, Wilhelmstrasse 20, 35392 Giessen, Germany
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9
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Tomar S, Sethi R, Lai PS. Specific phenotype semantics facilitate gene prioritization in clinical exome sequencing. Eur J Hum Genet 2019; 27:1389-1397. [PMID: 31053788 DOI: 10.1038/s41431-019-0412-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2018] [Revised: 02/21/2019] [Accepted: 04/15/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Selection and prioritization of phenotype-centric variants remains a challenging part of variant analysis and interpretation in clinical exome sequencing. Phenotype-driven shortlisting of patient-specific gene lists can avoid missed diagnosis. Here, we analyzed the relevance of using primary Human Phenotype Ontology identifiers (HPO IDs) in prioritizing Mendelian disease genes across 30 in-house, 10 previously reported, and 10 recently published cases using three popular web-based gene prioritization tools (OMIMExplorer, VarElect & Phenolyzer). We assessed partial HPO-based gene prioritization using randomly chosen and top 10%, 30%, and 50% HPO IDs based on information content and found high variance within rank ratios across the former vs the latter. This signified that randomly selected less-specific HPO IDs for a given disease phenotype performed poorly by ranking probe gene farther away from the top rank. In contrast, the use of top 10%, 30%, and 50% HPO IDs individually could rank the probe gene among the top 1% in the ranked list of genes that was equivalent to the results when the full list of HPO IDs were used. Hence, we conclude that use of just the top 10% of HPO IDs chosen based on information content is sufficient for ranking the probe gene at top position. Our findings provide practical guidance for utilizing structured phenotype semantics and web-based gene-ranking tools to aid in identifying known as well unknown candidate gene associations in Mendelian disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Swati Tomar
- Department of Paediatrics, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, National University Health System (NUHS), 1E Kent Ridge Road, 119228, Singapore
| | - Raman Sethi
- Department of Paediatrics, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, National University Health System (NUHS), 1E Kent Ridge Road, 119228, Singapore
| | - Poh San Lai
- Department of Paediatrics, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, National University Health System (NUHS), 1E Kent Ridge Road, 119228, Singapore.
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10
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White JD, Ortega-Castrillón A, Matthews H, Zaidi AA, Ekrami O, Snyders J, Fan Y, Penington T, Van Dongen S, Shriver MD, Claes P. MeshMonk: Open-source large-scale intensive 3D phenotyping. Sci Rep 2019; 9:6085. [PMID: 30988365 PMCID: PMC6465282 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-42533-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 76] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2018] [Accepted: 03/29/2019] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Dense surface registration, commonly used in computer science, could aid the biological sciences in accurate and comprehensive quantification of biological phenotypes. However, few toolboxes exist that are openly available, non-expert friendly, and validated in a way relevant to biologists. Here, we report a customizable toolbox for reproducible high-throughput dense phenotyping of 3D images, specifically geared towards biological use. Given a target image, a template is first oriented, repositioned, and scaled to the target during a scaled rigid registration step, then transformed further to fit the specific shape of the target using a non-rigid transformation. As validation, we use n = 41 3D facial images to demonstrate that the MeshMonk registration is accurate, with 1.26 mm average error, across 19 landmarks, between placements from manual observers and using the MeshMonk toolbox. We also report no variation in landmark position or centroid size significantly attributable to landmarking method used. Though validated using 19 landmarks, the MeshMonk toolbox produces a dense mesh of vertices across the entire surface, thus facilitating more comprehensive investigations of 3D shape variation. This expansion opens up exciting avenues of study in assessing biological shapes to better understand their phenotypic variation, genetic and developmental underpinnings, and evolutionary history.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julie D White
- Department of Anthropology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA.
| | - Alejandra Ortega-Castrillón
- Department of Electrical Engineering, ESAT/PSI, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Medical Imaging Research Center, UZ Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Harold Matthews
- Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
- Department of Human Genetics, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Arslan A Zaidi
- Department of Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Omid Ekrami
- Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | | | - Yi Fan
- Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia
- Melbourne Dental School, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Tony Penington
- Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
- Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, Australia
| | | | - Mark D Shriver
- Department of Anthropology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Peter Claes
- Department of Electrical Engineering, ESAT/PSI, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
- Medical Imaging Research Center, UZ Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
- Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia.
- Department of Human Genetics, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom.
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11
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Kothari C, Wack M, Hassen‐Khodja C, Finan S, Savova G, O'Boyle M, Bliss G, Cornell A, Horn EJ, Davis R, Jacobs J, Kohane I, Avillach P. Phelan-McDermid syndrome data network: Integrating patient reported outcomes with clinical notes and curated genetic reports. Am J Med Genet B Neuropsychiatr Genet 2018; 177:613-624. [PMID: 28862395 PMCID: PMC5832521 DOI: 10.1002/ajmg.b.32579] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2017] [Accepted: 07/18/2017] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
The heterogeneity of patient phenotype data are an impediment to the research into the origins and progression of neuropsychiatric disorders. This difficulty is compounded in the case of rare disorders such as Phelan-McDermid Syndrome (PMS) by the paucity of patient clinical data. PMS is a rare syndromic genetic cause of autism and intellectual deficiency. In this paper, we describe the Phelan-McDermid Syndrome Data Network (PMS_DN), a platform that facilitates research into phenotype-genotype correlation and progression of PMS by: a) integrating knowledge of patient phenotypes extracted from Patient Reported Outcomes (PRO) data and clinical notes-two heterogeneous, underutilized sources of knowledge about patient phenotypes-with curated genetic information from the same patient cohort and b) making this integrated knowledge, along with a suite of statistical tools, available free of charge to authorized investigators on a Web portal https://pmsdn.hms.harvard.edu. PMS_DN is a Patient Centric Outcomes Research Initiative (PCORI) where patients and their families are involved in all aspects of the management of patient data in driving research into PMS. To foster collaborative research, PMS_DN also makes patient aggregates from this knowledge available to authorized investigators using distributed research networks such as the PCORnet PopMedNet. PMS_DN is hosted on a scalable cloud based environment and complies with all patient data privacy regulations. As of October 31, 2016, PMS_DN integrates high-quality knowledge extracted from the clinical notes of 112 patients and curated genetic reports of 176 patients with preprocessed PRO data from 415 patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cartik Kothari
- Department of Biomedical InformaticsHarvard Medical SchoolBostonMassachusetts
| | - Maxime Wack
- Department of Biomedical InformaticsHarvard Medical SchoolBostonMassachusetts
| | | | - Sean Finan
- Boston Children's HospitalBostonMassachusetts
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Isaac Kohane
- Department of Biomedical InformaticsHarvard Medical SchoolBostonMassachusetts
| | - Paul Avillach
- Department of Biomedical InformaticsHarvard Medical SchoolBostonMassachusetts
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12
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Meeting Patients' Right to the Correct Diagnosis: Ongoing International Initiatives on Undiagnosed Rare Diseases and Ethical and Social Issues. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2018; 15:ijerph15102072. [PMID: 30248891 PMCID: PMC6210164 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph15102072] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2018] [Revised: 09/14/2018] [Accepted: 09/18/2018] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
The time required to reach a correct diagnosis is a key concern for rare disease (RD) patients. Diagnostic delay can be intolerably long, often described as an “odyssey” and, for some, a diagnosis may remain frustratingly elusive. The International Rare Disease Research Consortium proposed, as ultimate goal for 2017–2027, to enable all people with a suspected RD to be diagnosed within one year of presentation, if the disorder is known. Subsequently, unsolved cases would enter a globally coordinated diagnostic and research pipeline. In-depth analysis of the genotype through next generation sequencing, together with a standardized in-depth phenotype description and sophisticated high-throughput approaches, have been applied as diagnostic tools to increase the chance of a timely and accurate diagnosis. The success of this approach is evident in the Orphanet database. From 2010 to March 2017 over 600 new RDs and roughly 3600 linked genes have been described and identified. However, combination of -omics and phenotype data, as well as international sharing of this information, has raised ethical concerns. Values to be assessed include not only patient autonomy but also family implications, beneficence, non-maleficence, justice, solidarity and reciprocity, which must be respected and promoted and, at the same time, balanced among each other. In this work we suggest that, to maximize patients’ involvement in the search for a diagnosis and identification of new causative genes, undiagnosed patients should have the possibility to: (1) actively participate in the description of their phenotype; (2) choose the level of visibility of their profile in matchmaking databases; (3) express their preferences regarding return of new findings, in particular which level of Variant of Unknown Significance (VUS) significance should be considered relevant to them. The quality of the relationship between individual patients and physicians, and between the patient community and the scientific community, is critically important for optimizing the use of available data and enabling international collaboration in order to provide a diagnosis, and the attached support, to unsolved cases. The contribution of patients to collecting and coding data comprehensively is critical for efficient use of data downstream of data collection.
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13
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Gainotti S, Torreri P, Wang CM, Reihs R, Mueller H, Heslop E, Roos M, Badowska DM, de Paulis F, Kodra Y, Carta C, Martìn EL, Miller VR, Filocamo M, Mora M, Thompson M, Rubinstein Y, Posada de la Paz M, Monaco L, Lochmüller H, Taruscio D. The RD-Connect Registry & Biobank Finder: a tool for sharing aggregated data and metadata among rare disease researchers. Eur J Hum Genet 2018; 26:631-643. [PMID: 29396563 PMCID: PMC5945774 DOI: 10.1038/s41431-017-0085-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2017] [Revised: 11/20/2017] [Accepted: 11/23/2017] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
In rare disease (RD) research, there is a huge need to systematically collect biomaterials, phenotypic, and genomic data in a standardized way and to make them findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable (FAIR). RD-Connect is a 6 years global infrastructure project initiated in November 2012 that links genomic data with patient registries, biobanks, and clinical bioinformatics tools to create a central research resource for RDs. Here, we present RD-Connect Registry & Biobank Finder, a tool that helps RD researchers to find RD biobanks and registries and provide information on the availability and accessibility of content in each database. The finder concentrates information that is currently sparse on different repositories (inventories, websites, scientific journals, technical reports, etc.), including aggregated data and metadata from participating databases. Aggregated data provided by the finder, if appropriately checked, can be used by researchers who are trying to estimate the prevalence of a RD, to organize a clinical trial on a RD, or to estimate the volume of patients seen by different clinical centers. The finder is also a portal to other RD-Connect tools, providing a link to the RD-Connect Sample Catalogue, a large inventory of RD biological samples available in participating biobanks for RD research. There are several kinds of users and potential uses for the RD-Connect Registry & Biobank Finder, including researchers collaborating with academia and the industry, dealing with the questions of basic, translational, and/or clinical research. As of November 2017, the finder is populated with aggregated data for 222 registries and 21 biobanks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabina Gainotti
- Bioethics Unit, Office of the President, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy.
- National Center for Rare Diseases, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy.
| | - Paola Torreri
- National Center for Rare Diseases, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | | | - Robert Reihs
- Institute of Pathology, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria
| | - Heimo Mueller
- Institute of Pathology, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria
| | - Emma Heslop
- John Walton Muscular Dystrophy Research Centre, Institute of Genetic Medicine, Newcastle University, Newcastle, UK
| | - Marco Roos
- Human Genetics Department, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Dorota Mazena Badowska
- John Walton Muscular Dystrophy Research Centre, Institute of Genetic Medicine, Newcastle University, Newcastle, UK
| | - Federico de Paulis
- National Center for Rare Diseases, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | - Yllka Kodra
- National Center for Rare Diseases, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | - Claudio Carta
- National Center for Rare Diseases, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | - Estrella Lopez Martìn
- Institute of Rare Diseases Research (IIER) & Centre for Biomedical Network Research on Rare Diseases (CIBERER), Institute of Health Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | | | - Mirella Filocamo
- Centro di diagnostica genetica e biochimica delle malattie metaboliche, Istituto Giannina Gaslini, Genoa, Italy
| | - Marina Mora
- Neuromuscular Diseases and Neuroimmunology Unit, Fondazione Istituto Neurologico C. Besta, Milan, Italy
| | - Mark Thompson
- Human Genetics Department, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Yaffa Rubinstein
- Office of Health Information Programs Development, National Library of Medicine (NLM), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Manuel Posada de la Paz
- Institute of Rare Diseases Research (IIER) & Centre for Biomedical Network Research on Rare Diseases (CIBERER), Institute of Health Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | | | - Hanns Lochmüller
- John Walton Muscular Dystrophy Research Centre, Institute of Genetic Medicine, Newcastle University, Newcastle, UK
| | - Domenica Taruscio
- National Center for Rare Diseases, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
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14
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Peron A, Vignoli A, Briola FL, Morenghi E, Tansini L, Alfano RM, Bulfamante G, Terraneo S, Ghelma F, Banderali G, Viskochil DH, Carey JC, Canevini MP. Deep phenotyping of patients with Tuberous Sclerosis Complex and no mutation identified in TSC1 and TSC2. Eur J Med Genet 2018; 61:403-410. [PMID: 29432982 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmg.2018.02.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2017] [Revised: 01/12/2018] [Accepted: 02/08/2018] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Tuberous Sclerosis Complex (TSC) is a multisystemic condition caused by mutations in TSC1 or TSC2, but a pathogenic variant is not identified in up to 10% of the patients. The aim of this study was to delineate the phenotype of pediatric and adult patients with a definite clinical diagnosis of TSC and no mutation identified in TSC1 or TSC2. We collected molecular and clinical data of 240 patients with TSC, assessing over 50 variables. We compared the phenotype of the homogeneous group of individuals with No Mutation Identified (NMI) with that of TSC patients with a TSC1 and TSC2 pathogenic variant. 9.17% of individuals were classified as NMI. They were diagnosed at an older age (p = 0.001), had more frequent normal cognition (p < 0.001) and less frequent epilepsy (p = 0.010), subependymal nodules (p = 0.022) and giant cell astrocytomas (p = 0.008) than patients with TSC2 pathogenic variants. NMI individuals showed more frequent bilateral and larger renal angiomyolipomas (p = 0.001; p = 0.003) and pulmonary involvement (trend) than patients with TSC1 pathogenic variants. Only one NMI individual had intellectual disability. None presented with a subependymal giant cell astrocytoma. Other medical problems not typical of TSC were found in 42.86%, without a recurrent pattern of abnormalities. Other TSC-associated neuropsychiatric disorders and drug-resistance in epilepsy were equally frequent in the three groups. This study provides a systematic clinical characterization of patients with TSC and facilitates the delineation of a distinctive phenotype indicative of NMI patients, with important implications for surveillance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angela Peron
- Child Neuropsychiatry Unit - Epilepsy Center, San Paolo Hospital, Milan, Italy; Department of Health Sciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy; Department of Pediatrics, Division of Medical Genetics, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
| | - Aglaia Vignoli
- Child Neuropsychiatry Unit - Epilepsy Center, San Paolo Hospital, Milan, Italy; Department of Health Sciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Francesca La Briola
- Child Neuropsychiatry Unit - Epilepsy Center, San Paolo Hospital, Milan, Italy
| | - Emanuela Morenghi
- Biostatistics Unit, Humanitas Clinical and Research Center, Milan, Italy; Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, Milan, Italy
| | - Lucia Tansini
- Child Neuropsychiatry Unit - Epilepsy Center, San Paolo Hospital, Milan, Italy
| | - Rosa Maria Alfano
- Human Pathology and Molecular Pathology Unit, San Paolo Hospital, Milan, Italy
| | - Gaetano Bulfamante
- Department of Health Sciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy; Human Pathology and Molecular Pathology Unit, San Paolo Hospital, Milan, Italy
| | - Silvia Terraneo
- Department of Health Sciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy; Respiratory Unit, San Paolo Hospital, Milan, Italy
| | - Filippo Ghelma
- Department of Health Sciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy; DAMA (Disabled Advanced Medical Assistance), San Paolo Hospital, Milan, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Banderali
- Department of Health Sciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy; Pediatrics Unit, San Paolo Hospital, Milan, Italy
| | - David H Viskochil
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Medical Genetics, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - John C Carey
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Medical Genetics, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Maria Paola Canevini
- Child Neuropsychiatry Unit - Epilepsy Center, San Paolo Hospital, Milan, Italy; Department of Health Sciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
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15
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Maarouf H, Taboada M, Rodriguez H, Arias M, Sesar Á, Sobrido MJ. An ontology-aware integration of clinical models, terminologies and guidelines: an exploratory study of the Scale for the Assessment and Rating of Ataxia (SARA). BMC Med Inform Decis Mak 2017; 17:159. [PMID: 29207981 PMCID: PMC5718136 DOI: 10.1186/s12911-017-0568-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2017] [Accepted: 11/24/2017] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Electronic rating scales represent an important resource for standardized data collection. However, the ability to exploit reasoning on rating scale data is still limited. The objective of this work is to facilitate the integration of the semantics required to automatically interpret collections of standardized clinical data. We developed an electronic prototype for the Scale of the Assessment and Rating of Ataxia (SARA), broadly used in neurology. In order to address the modeling challenges of the SARA, we propose to combine the best performances from OpenEHR clinical archetypes, guidelines and ontologies. Methods A scaled-down version of the Human Phenotype Ontology (HPO) was built, extracting the terms that describe the SARA tests from free-text sources. This version of the HPO was then used as backbone to normalize the content of the SARA through clinical archetypes. The knowledge required to exploit reasoning on the SARA data was modeled as separate information-processing units interconnected via the defined archetypes. Each unit used the most appropriate technology to formally represent the required knowledge. Results Based on this approach, we implemented a prototype named SARA Management System, to be used for both the assessment of cerebellar syndrome and the production of a clinical synopsis. For validation purposes, we used recorded SARA data from 28 anonymous subjects affected by Spinocerebellar Ataxia Type 36 (SCA36). When comparing the performance of our prototype with that of two independent experts, weighted kappa scores ranged from 0.62 to 0.86. Conclusions The combination of archetypes, phenotype ontologies and electronic information-processing rules can be used to automate the extraction of relevant clinical knowledge from plain scores of rating scales. Our results reveal a substantial degree of agreement between the results achieved by an ontology-aware system and the human experts. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12911-017-0568-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haitham Maarouf
- Department of Electronics & Computer Science, Campus Vida, University of Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
| | - María Taboada
- Department of Electronics & Computer Science, Campus Vida, University of Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
| | - Hadriana Rodriguez
- Department of Electronics & Computer Science, Campus Vida, University of Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
| | - Manuel Arias
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital of Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
| | - Ángel Sesar
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital of Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
| | - María Jesús Sobrido
- Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria (IDIS), Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Raras (CIBERER), Santiago de Compostela, Spain
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16
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Baynam G, Molster C, Bauskis A, Kowal E, Savarirayan R, Kelaher M, Easteal S, Massey L, Garvey G, Goldblatt J, Pachter N, Weeramanthri TS, Dawkins HJS. Indigenous Genetics and Rare Diseases: Harmony, Diversity and Equity. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2017; 1031:511-520. [PMID: 29214589 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-67144-4_27] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Advances in our understanding of genetic and rare diseases are changing the face of healthcare. Crucially, the global community must implement these advances equitably to reduce health disparities, including between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples. We take an Australian perspective to illustrate some key areas that are fundamental to the equitable translation of new knowledge for the improved diagnosis of genetic and rare diseases for Indigenous people. Specifically, we focus on inequalities in access to clinical genetics services and the lack of genetic and phenomic reference data to inform diagnoses. We provide examples of ways in which these inequities are being addressed through Australian partnerships to support a harmonious and inclusive approach to ensure that benefits from traditional wisdom, community knowledge and shared experiences are interwoven to support and inform implementation of new knowledge from genomics and precision public health. This will serve to deliver benefits to all of our diverse citizens, including Indigenous populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gareth Baynam
- Genetic Services of Western Australia, King Edward Memorial Hospital, Subiaco, WA, Australia. .,Western Australian Register of Developmental Anomalies, Subiaco, WA, Australia. .,Undiagnosed Diseases Program, Subiaco, WA, Australia.
| | - Caron Molster
- Office of Population Health Genomics, Public Health Division, Department of Health, Government of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia
| | - Alicia Bauskis
- Office of Population Health Genomics, Public Health Division, Department of Health, Government of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia
| | - Emma Kowal
- Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation, Deakin University, Melbourne, Australia.,National Centre for Indigenous Genomics, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
| | - Ravi Savarirayan
- Victorian Clinical Genetics Services, Parkville, VIC, Australia.,Department of Paediatrics, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, 3010, Australia.,Northern Territory Clinical Genetics Services, NT, Darwin, 9000, Australia
| | - Margaret Kelaher
- Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, 3010, Australia
| | - Simon Easteal
- John Curtin School of Medical Research, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia.,National Centre for Indigenous Genomics, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
| | - Libby Massey
- John Curtin School of Medical Research, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia.,National Centre for Indigenous Genomics, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
| | - Gail Garvey
- Wellbeing and Preventable Chronic Disease Division, Menzies School of Health Research, Charles Darwin University, Darwin, NT, 0811, Australia
| | - Jack Goldblatt
- Genetic Services of Western Australia, Department of Health, Government of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia.,School of Paediatrics and Child Health, University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia
| | - Nicholas Pachter
- Genetic Services of Western Australia, Department of Health, Government of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia.,School of Paediatrics and Child Health, University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia.,School of Medicine and Pharmacology, University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia
| | - Tarun S Weeramanthri
- Sir Walter Murdoch School of Public Health and International Affairs, Murdoch University, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Hugh J S Dawkins
- Office of Population Health Genomics, Public Health Division, Department of Health, Government of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia
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17
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Glueck M, Gvozdik A, Chevalier F, Khan A, Brudno M, Wigdor D. PhenoStacks: Cross-Sectional Cohort Phenotype Comparison Visualizations. IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON VISUALIZATION AND COMPUTER GRAPHICS 2017; 23:191-200. [PMID: 27514055 DOI: 10.1109/tvcg.2016.2598469] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Cross-sectional phenotype studies are used by genetics researchers to better understand how phenotypes vary across patients with genetic diseases, both within and between cohorts. Analyses within cohorts identify patterns between phenotypes and patients (e.g., co-occurrence) and isolate special cases (e.g., potential outliers). Comparing the variation of phenotypes between two cohorts can help distinguish how different factors affect disease manifestation (e.g., causal genes, age of onset, etc.). PhenoStacks is a novel visual analytics tool that supports the exploration of phenotype variation within and between cross-sectional patient cohorts. By leveraging the semantic hierarchy of the Human Phenotype Ontology, phenotypes are presented in context, can be grouped and clustered, and are summarized via overviews to support the exploration of phenotype distributions. The design of PhenoStacks was motivated by formative interviews with genetics researchers: we distil high-level tasks, present an algorithm for simplifying ontology topologies for visualization, and report the results of a deployment evaluation with four expert genetics researchers. The results suggest that PhenoStacks can help identify phenotype patterns, investigate data quality issues, and inform data collection design.
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18
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Improved Diagnosis and Care for Rare Diseases through Implementation of Precision Public Health Framework. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2017; 1031:55-94. [PMID: 29214566 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-67144-4_4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Public health relies on technologies to produce and analyse data, as well as effectively develop and implement policies and practices. An example is the public health practice of epidemiology, which relies on computational technology to monitor the health status of populations, identify disadvantaged or at risk population groups and thereby inform health policy and priority setting. Critical to achieving health improvements for the underserved population of people living with rare diseases is early diagnosis and best care. In the rare diseases field, the vast majority of diseases are caused by destructive but previously difficult to identify protein-coding gene mutations. The reduction in cost of genetic testing and advances in the clinical use of genome sequencing, data science and imaging are converging to provide more precise understandings of the 'person-time-place' triad. That is: who is affected (people); when the disease is occurring (time); and where the disease is occurring (place). Consequently we are witnessing a paradigm shift in public health policy and practice towards 'precision public health'.Patient and stakeholder engagement has informed the need for a national public health policy framework for rare diseases. The engagement approach in different countries has produced highly comparable outcomes and objectives. Knowledge and experience sharing across the international rare diseases networks and partnerships has informed the development of the Western Australian Rare Diseases Strategic Framework 2015-2018 (RD Framework) and Australian government health briefings on the need for a National plan.The RD Framework is guiding the translation of genomic and other technologies into the Western Australian health system, leading to greater precision in diagnostic pathways and care, and is an example of how a precision public health framework can improve health outcomes for the rare diseases population.Five vignettes are used to illustrate how policy decisions provide the scaffolding for translation of new genomics knowledge, and catalyze transformative change in delivery of clinical services. The vignettes presented here are from an Australian perspective and are not intended to be comprehensive, but rather to provide insights into how a new and emerging 'precision public health' paradigm can improve the experiences of patients living with rare diseases, their caregivers and families.The conclusion is that genomic public health is informed by the individual and family needs, and the population health imperatives of an early and accurate diagnosis; which is the portal to best practice care. Knowledge sharing is critical for public health policy development and improving the lives of people living with rare diseases.
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19
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Exploring the Underlying Genetics of Craniofacial Morphology through Various Sources of Knowledge. BIOMED RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2016; 2016:3054578. [PMID: 28053980 PMCID: PMC5178329 DOI: 10.1155/2016/3054578] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2016] [Accepted: 11/15/2016] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
The craniofacial complex is the billboard of sorts containing information about sex, health, ancestry, kinship, genes, and environment. A thorough knowledge of the genes underlying craniofacial morphology is fundamental to understanding craniofacial biology and evolution. These genes can also provide an important foundation for practical efforts like predicting faces from DNA and phenotype-based facial diagnostics. In this work, we focus on the various sources of knowledge regarding the genes that affect patterns of craniofacial development. Although tremendous successes recently have been made using these sources in both methodology and biology, many challenges remain. Primary among these are precise phenotyping techniques and efficient modeling methods.
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20
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Ferguson LR, Barnett MPG. Why Are Omics Technologies Important to Understanding the Role of Nutrition in Inflammatory Bowel Diseases? Int J Mol Sci 2016; 17:E1763. [PMID: 27775675 PMCID: PMC5085787 DOI: 10.3390/ijms17101763] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2016] [Revised: 09/29/2016] [Accepted: 10/10/2016] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
For many years, there has been confusion about the role that nutrition plays in inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). It is apparent that good dietary advice for one individual may prove inappropriate for another. As with many diseases, genome-wide association studies across large collaborative groups have been important in revealing the role of genetics in IBD, with more than 200 genes associated with susceptibility to the disease. These associations provide clues to explain the differences in nutrient requirements among individuals. In addition to genes directly involved in the control of inflammation, a number of the associated genes play roles in modulating the gut microbiota. Cell line models enable the generation of hypotheses as to how various bioactive dietary components might be especially beneficial for certain genetic groups. Animal models are necessary to mimic aspects of the complex aetiology of IBD, and provide an important link between tissue culture studies and human trials. Once we are sufficiently confident of our hypotheses, we can then take modified diets to an IBD population that is stratified according to genotype. Studies in IBD patients fed a Mediterranean-style diet have been important in validating our hypotheses and as a proof-of-principle for the application of these sensitive omics technologies to aiding in the control of IBD symptoms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lynnette R Ferguson
- Discipline of Nutrition and Dietetics and Auckland Cancer Research Society, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, The University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland 1142, New Zealand.
| | - Matthew P G Barnett
- Food Nutrition & Health Team, Food & Bio-Based Products Group, AgResearch Limited, Palmerston North 4442, New Zealand.
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21
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Robinson PN, Mungall CJ, Haendel M. Capturing phenotypes for precision medicine. Cold Spring Harb Mol Case Stud 2016; 1:a000372. [PMID: 27148566 PMCID: PMC4850887 DOI: 10.1101/mcs.a000372] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Deep phenotyping followed by integrated computational analysis of genotype and phenotype is becoming ever more important for many areas of genomic diagnostics and translational research. The overwhelming majority of clinical descriptions in the medical literature are available only as natural language text, meaning that searching, analysis, and integration of medically relevant information in databases such as PubMed is challenging. The new journal Cold Spring Harbor Molecular Case Studies will require authors to select Human Phenotype Ontology terms for research papers that will be displayed alongside the manuscript, thereby providing a foundation for ontology-based indexing and searching of articles that contain descriptions of phenotypic abnormalities-an important step toward improving the ability of researchers and clinicians to get biomedical information that is critical for clinical care or translational research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter N Robinson
- Institute for Medical Genetics and Human Genetics, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, 10117 Berlin, Germany;; Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, 14195 Berlin, Germany;; Berlin Brandenburg Center for Regenerative Therapies (BCRT), Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, 13353 Berlin, Germany;; Institute for Bioinformatics, Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, Freie Universität Berlin, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | | | - Melissa Haendel
- Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, Oregon 97239, USA
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22
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Glueck M, Hamilton P, Chevalier F, Breslav S, Khan A, Wigdor D, Brudno M. PhenoBlocks: Phenotype Comparison Visualizations. IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON VISUALIZATION AND COMPUTER GRAPHICS 2016; 22:101-110. [PMID: 26529691 DOI: 10.1109/tvcg.2015.2467733] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
The differential diagnosis of hereditary disorders is a challenging task for clinicians due to the heterogeneity of phenotypes that can be observed in patients. Existing clinical tools are often text-based and do not emphasize consistency, completeness, or granularity of phenotype reporting. This can impede clinical diagnosis and limit their utility to genetics researchers. Herein, we present PhenoBlocks, a novel visual analytics tool that supports the comparison of phenotypes between patients, or between a patient and the hallmark features of a disorder. An informal evaluation of PhenoBlocks with expert clinicians suggested that the visualization effectively guides the process of differential diagnosis and could reinforce the importance of complete, granular phenotypic reporting.
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23
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Chopra M, Duan T. Rare genetic disease in China: a call to improve clinical services. Orphanet J Rare Dis 2015; 10:140. [PMID: 26515493 PMCID: PMC4625436 DOI: 10.1186/s13023-015-0333-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2015] [Accepted: 08/30/2015] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- M Chopra
- Shanghai First Maternity and Infant Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.,Department of Medical Genomics, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Missenden Road, Camperdown, Sydney, Australia.,University of Sydney, School of Genetic Medicine and Centre for China Studies, Sydney, Australia
| | - T Duan
- Shanghai First Maternity and Infant Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
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Chong J, Buckingham K, Jhangiani S, Boehm C, Sobreira N, Smith J, Harrell T, McMillin M, Wiszniewski W, Gambin T, Coban Akdemir Z, Doheny K, Scott A, Avramopoulos D, Chakravarti A, Hoover-Fong J, Mathews D, Witmer P, Ling H, Hetrick K, Watkins L, Patterson K, Reinier F, Blue E, Muzny D, Kircher M, Bilguvar K, López-Giráldez F, Sutton V, Tabor H, Leal S, Gunel M, Mane S, Gibbs R, Boerwinkle E, Hamosh A, Shendure J, Lupski J, Lifton R, Valle D, Nickerson D, Bamshad M, Bamshad MJ. The Genetic Basis of Mendelian Phenotypes: Discoveries, Challenges, and Opportunities. Am J Hum Genet 2015; 97:199-215. [PMID: 26166479 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajhg.2015.06.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 449] [Impact Index Per Article: 49.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2015] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Discovering the genetic basis of a Mendelian phenotype establishes a causal link between genotype and phenotype, making possible carrier and population screening and direct diagnosis. Such discoveries also contribute to our knowledge of gene function, gene regulation, development, and biological mechanisms that can be used for developing new therapeutics. As of February 2015, 2,937 genes underlying 4,163 Mendelian phenotypes have been discovered, but the genes underlying ∼50% (i.e., 3,152) of all known Mendelian phenotypes are still unknown, and many more Mendelian conditions have yet to be recognized. This is a formidable gap in biomedical knowledge. Accordingly, in December 2011, the NIH established the Centers for Mendelian Genomics (CMGs) to provide the collaborative framework and infrastructure necessary for undertaking large-scale whole-exome sequencing and discovery of the genetic variants responsible for Mendelian phenotypes. In partnership with 529 investigators from 261 institutions in 36 countries, the CMGs assessed 18,863 samples from 8,838 families representing 579 known and 470 novel Mendelian phenotypes as of January 2015. This collaborative effort has identified 956 genes, including 375 not previously associated with human health, that underlie a Mendelian phenotype. These results provide insight into study design and analytical strategies, identify novel mechanisms of disease, and reveal the extensive clinical variability of Mendelian phenotypes. Discovering the gene underlying every Mendelian phenotype will require tackling challenges such as worldwide ascertainment and phenotypic characterization of families affected by Mendelian conditions, improvement in sequencing and analytical techniques, and pervasive sharing of phenotypic and genomic data among researchers, clinicians, and families.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Michael J Bamshad
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA; Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA; Division of Genetic Medicine, Seattle Children's Hospital, Seattle, WA 98105, USA.
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