Using Whole Exome Sequencing to Walk From Clinical Practice to Research and Back Again

Genetic counselors' utilization of ChatGPT in professional practice: A cross-sectional study

PURPOSE

The precision medicine era has seen increased utilization of artificial intelligence (AI) in the field of genetics. We sought to explore the ways that genetic counselors (GCs) currently use the publicly accessible AI tool Chat Generative Pre-trained Transformer (ChatGPT) in their work.

METHODS

GCs in North America were surveyed about how ChatGPT is used in different aspects of their work. Descriptive statistics were reported through frequencies and means.

RESULTS

Of 118 GCs who completed the survey, 33.8% (40) reported using ChatGPT in their work; 47.5% (19) use it in clinical practice, 35% (14) use it in education, and 32.5% (13) use it in research. Most GCs (62.7%; 74) felt that it saves time on administrative tasks but the majority (82.2%; 97) felt that a paramount challenge was the risk of obtaining incorrect information. The majority of GCs not using ChatGPT (58.9%; 46) felt it was not necessary for their work.

CONCLUSION

A considerable number of GCs in the field are using ChatGPT in different ways, but it is primarily helpful with tasks that involve writing. It has potential to streamline workflow issues encountered in clinical genetics, but practitioners need to be informed and uniformly trained about its limitations.

Exploring the evolving roles of clinical geneticists and genetic counselors in the era of genomic medicine

The increased utilization of clinical genomic sequencing in the past decade has ushered in the era of genomic medicine, requiring genetics providers to acquire new skills and adapt their practices. The change in workplace responsibilities of clinical/medical geneticists (CMGs) and genetic counselors (GCs) in North America, due to the evolution of genetic testing, has not been studied. We surveyed CMGs (n = 80) and GCs (n = 127) with experience in general/pediatric genetics to describe their current practice of clinical tasks and the change in regularity of performing these tasks over the past 5-10 years. Currently, complementarity of responsibilities between CMGs and GCs clearly exists but providers who have been in the field for longer have noted role changes. Trends indicate that fewer experienced CMGs perform physical exams and select genetic tests than before and fewer experienced GCs complete requisitions and write result letters. The frequency of CMGs and GCs who investigate genetic test results, however, has increased. This study provides insight into the changing landscape of clinical genetics practice. Our findings suggest that the roles and responsibilities of CMGs and GCs have shifted in the past decade.

Novel Mutations in the MKKS, BBS7, and ALMS1 Genes in Iranian Children with Clinically Suspected Bardet–Biedl Syndrome

Bardet–Biedl syndrome is a rare autosomal recessive form of syndromic obesity which is characterized by retinal degeneration, obesity, polydactyly, cognitive impairment, and renal and urogenital anomalies. In this study, we used whole-exome sequencing (WES) to investigate the underlying mutations in four Iranian children from consanguineous families with a clinical diagnosis of Bardet–Biedl syndrome (BBS). In three out of four children, we identified one previously reported frameshifting variant in the BBS12 gene (c.265-266delTT, p.L89fs) and two novel nonsense variants in MKKS (c.1196T>G, p.L399X) and BBS7 genes (c.1636C>T, p.Q546X). In the other child, no mutations were detected in known genes for BBS. However, we identified a novel variant in the ALMS1 gene (c.10996delC, p.Q3666fs) indicative of Alström syndrome. All variants were interpreted as pathogenic according to American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG) guidelines and confirmed through Sanger sequencing. In conclusion, our results not only expand the spectrum of mutations in BBS and ALMS1 genes but also accentuate the importance of genetic testing for differentiating BBS from Alström syndrome.

Genetics and genetic testing in congenital heart disease

Congenital heart defects (CHDs) are structural abnormalities of the heart and great vessels that are present from birth. The presence or absence of extracardiac anomalies has historically been used to identify patients with possible monogenic, chromosomal, or teratogenic CHD causes. These distinctions remain clinically relevant, but it is increasingly clear that nonsyndromic CHDs can also be genetic. This article discusses key morphologic, molecular, and signaling mechanisms relevant to heart development, summarizes overall progress in molecular genetic analyses of CHDs, and provides current recommendations for clinical application of genetic testing.