scholarly journals Clinical Application of Genetic Prediction in the Management of CAD

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (01) ◽  
pp. 46-52
Author(s):  
Robert Roberts ◽  
Jacques Fair
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Primary Prevention ◽  
Genetic Risk ◽  
Association Studies ◽  
Genome Wide Association Studies ◽  
Cardiac Events ◽  
High Genetic Risk ◽  
Risk Variants ◽  
Single Number ◽  
Conventional Risk Factors

Sequencing of the human genome followed by the HapMap project made possible the unbiased genome-wide association studies that led to the discovery of hundreds of genetic risk variants predisposing to CAD. The total genetic risk for CAD can be expressed in a single number based on the number of variants inherited. A GRS derived from genotyping with microarrays containing these risk variants has been evaluated in over 1 million individuals. Risk stratification for CAD based on the GRS was shown to be superior to conventional risk factors. Placebo-controlled clinical trials showed individuals with high genetic risk had a 40-50% reduction in cardiac events with a favorable lifestyle, and cholesterol-lowering drugs. The risk of CAD based on conventional risk factors such as hypertension are age-dependent, occurring primarily in the sixth or seventh decade which is too late for primary prevention. The GRS is independent of age and can be determined at birth if needed. Incorporation of the GRS into clinical practice would transform the primary prevention of CAD, the number one killer.

Functional consequences of genome wide risk variants for neuropsychiatric disordes in the human brain

2011 ◽  
Vol 26 (S2) ◽  
pp. 2082-2082
Author(s):  
T. Lancaster ◽  
D. Linden
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Risk ◽  
Imaging Techniques ◽  
Association Studies ◽  
Memory Task ◽  
Neuropsychiatric Disorders ◽  
Genome Wide Association Studies ◽  
High Genetic Risk ◽  
Intermediate Phenotypes ◽  
Risk Variants ◽  
Genome Wide

IntroductionRecent advances in DNA sequencing have allowed large neuropsychiatric populations to be screened for genetic variants that may influence the progression of mental disorders. Recent GWAS (Genome Wide Association Studies) have identified risk loci for schizophrenia (SZ), Bipolar disorder (BD) and Alzheimer's disease (AD). ObjectivesA major concern is to understand how these recently identified risk variants influence vulnerability to neuropsychiatric disorders.AimsCommon risk variants may contribute to intermediate phenotypes associated with neuropsychiatric disorders. A key aim is to investigate whether individuals expressing susceptibility loci demonstrate similar deficits to those of patients. This may help to elucidate new pharmacological pathways.MethodsA combination of neuroimaging (fMRI & EEG) and behavioural studies (emotional working memory task, visual encoding efficiency and decision-making ability) were used to probe risk carriers for GWAS validated risk loci associated with SZ, BD and AD. The paradigms were previously validated as methods that neuropsychiatric populations displayed deficits in.ResultsGWAS risk SNP carriers displayed patterns of behavioural/neurophysiology typically seen in their respective neuropsychiatric populations. The risk carrier populations display less overt phenotypes than patients or first-degree relatives, nevertheless displayed small but significant trait effects typically observed in individuals with high levels of genetic risk.ConclusionsGWAS risk carriers display small but significant effects that reflect a sub-clinical phenotype typically seen in individuals with high genetic risk. Imaging techniques such as fMRI are useful in measuring these subtle differences. Behavioural testing requires larger populations or more penetrant risk alleles for overt phenotypic effects to be witnessed.

scholarly journals A Journey through Genetic Architecture and Predisposition of Coronary Artery Disease

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (5) ◽  
pp. 382-398
Author(s):  
Robert Roberts ◽  
Chih Chao Chang
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Coronary Artery Disease ◽  
Coronary Artery ◽  
Primary Prevention ◽  
Risk Score ◽  
Genetic Risk ◽  
Genetic Risk Score ◽  
Cardiac Events ◽  
Artery Disease ◽  
Conventional Risk Factors

Introduction: To halt the spread of coronary artery disease (CAD), the number one killer in the world, requires primary prevention. Fifty percent of all Americans are expected to experience a cardiac event; the challenge is identifying those at risk. 40 to 60% of predisposition to CAD is genetic. The first genetic risk variant, 9p21, was discovered in 2007. Genome-Wide Association Studies has since discovered hundreds of genetic risk variants. The genetic burden for CAD can be expressed as a single number, Genetic Risk Score (GRS). Assessment of GRS to risk stratify for CAD was superior to conventional risk factors in several large clinical trials assessing statin therapy, and more recently in a population of nearly 500,000 (UK Biobank). Studies were performed based on prospective genetic risk stratification for CAD. These studies showed that a favorable lifestyle was associated with a 46% reduction in cardiac events and programmed exercise, a 50% reduction in cardiac events. Genetic risk score is superior to conventional risk factors, and is markedly attenuated by lifestyle changes and drug therapy. Genetic risk can be determined at birth or any time thereafter. Conclusion: Utilizing the GRS to risk stratify young, asymptomatic individuals could provide a paradigm shift in the primary prevention of CAD and significantly halt its spread.

scholarly journals Chromatin architecture in addiction circuitry elucidates biological mechanisms underlying cigarette smoking and alcohol use traits.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nancy Y.A Sey ◽  
Benxia Hu ◽  
Marina Iskhakova ◽  
Huaigu Sun ◽  
Neda Shokrian ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Alcohol Use ◽  
Cigarette Smoking ◽  
Genetic Risk ◽  
Target Genes ◽  
Association Studies ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Genetic Risk Factors ◽  
Genome Wide Association Studies ◽  
Risk Genes

Cigarette smoking and alcohol use are among the most prevalent substances used worldwide and account for a substantial proportion of preventable morbidity and mortality, underscoring the public health significance of understanding their etiology. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have successfully identified genetic variants associated with cigarette smoking and alcohol use traits. However, the vast majority of risk variants reside in non-coding regions of the genome, and their target genes and neurobiological mechanisms are unknown. Chromosomal conformation mappings can address this knowledge gap by charting the interaction profiles of risk-associated regulatory variants with target genes. To investigate the functional impact of common variants associated with cigarette smoking and alcohol use traits, we applied Hi-C coupled MAGMA (H-MAGMA) built upon cortical and midbrain dopaminergic neuronal Hi-C datasets to GWAS summary statistics of nicotine dependence, cigarettes per day, problematic alcohol use, and drinks per week. The identified risk genes mapped to key pathways associated with cigarette smoking and alcohol use traits, including drug metabolic processes and neuronal apoptosis. Risk genes were highly expressed in cortical glutamatergic, midbrain dopaminergic, GABAergic, and serotonergic neurons, suggesting them as relevant cell types in understanding the mechanisms by which genetic risk factors influence cigarette smoking and alcohol use. Lastly, we identified pleiotropic genes between cigarette smoking and alcohol use traits under the assumption that they may reveal substance-agnostic, shared neurobiological mechanisms of addiction. The number of pleiotropic genes was ~26-fold higher in dopaminergic neurons than in cortical neurons, emphasizing the critical role of ascending dopaminergic pathways in mediating general addiction phenotypes. Collectively, brain region- and neuronal subtype-specific 3D genome architecture refines neurobiological hypotheses for smoking, alcohol, and general addiction phenotypes by linking genetic risk factors to their target genes.

scholarly journals Critical Analysis of Genome-Wide Association Studies: Triple Negative Breast Cancer Quae Exempli Causa

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (16) ◽  
pp. 5835
Author(s):  
Maria-Ancuta Jurj ◽  
Mihail Buse ◽  
Alina-Andreea Zimta ◽  
Angelo Paradiso ◽  
Schuyler S. Korban ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
Risk Factors ◽  
Genetic Risk ◽  
Triple Negative ◽  
Cancer Susceptibility ◽  
Association Studies ◽  
Breast Cancer Susceptibility ◽  
Risk Scores ◽  
Genome Wide Association Studies ◽  
Genome Wide

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) are useful in assessing and analyzing either differences or variations in DNA sequences across the human genome to detect genetic risk factors of diseases prevalent within a target population under study. The ultimate goal of GWAS is to predict either disease risk or disease progression by identifying genetic risk factors. These risk factors will define the biological basis of disease susceptibility for the purposes of developing innovative, preventative, and therapeutic strategies. As single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are often used in GWAS, their relevance for triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) will be assessed in this review. Furthermore, as there are different levels and patterns of linkage disequilibrium (LD) present within different human subpopulations, a plausible strategy to evaluate known SNPs associated with incidence of breast cancer in ethnically different patient cohorts will be presented and discussed. Additionally, a description of GWAS for TNBC will be presented, involving various identified SNPs correlated with miRNA sites to determine their efficacies on either prognosis or progression of TNBC in patients. Although GWAS have identified multiple common breast cancer susceptibility variants that individually would result in minor risks, it is their combined effects that would likely result in major risks. Thus, one approach to quantify synergistic effects of such common variants is to utilize polygenic risk scores. Therefore, studies utilizing predictive risk scores (PRSs) based on known breast cancer susceptibility SNPs will be evaluated. Such PRSs are potentially useful in improving stratification for screening, particularly when combining family history, other risk factors, and risk prediction models. In conclusion, although interpretation of the results from GWAS remains a challenge, the use of SNPs associated with TNBC may elucidate and better contextualize these studies.

scholarly journals Polygenic Susceptibility of Aortic Aneurysms Associates to the Diameter of the Aneurysm Sac: the Aneurysm-Express Biobank Cohort

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Constance J. H. C. M. van Laarhoven ◽  
Jessica van Setten ◽  
Joost A. van Herwaarden ◽  
Gerard Pasterkamp ◽  
Dominique P. V. de Kleijn ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Risk ◽  
Association Studies ◽  
Significant Risk ◽  
Aortic Aneurysms ◽  
Polygenic Risk Score ◽  
Genome Wide Association Studies ◽  
Risk Variants ◽  
Genome Wide ◽  
Best Fit ◽  
Genetic Risk Variants

AbstractRecent genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have discovered ten genetic risk variants for abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA). To what extent these genetic variants contribute to the pathology of aneurysms is yet unknown. The present study aims to investigate whether genetic risk variants are associated with three clinical features: diameter of aneurysm sac, type of artery and aneurysm related-symptoms in aortic and peripheral aneurysm patients. Aneurysm tissue of 415 patients included in the Aneurysm-Express biobank was used. A best-fit polygenic risk score (PRS) based on previous GWAS effect estimates was modeled for each clinical phenotype. The best-fit PRS (including 272 variants at PT = 0.01015) showed a significant correlation with aneurysm diameter (R2 = 0.019, p = 0.001). No polygenic association was found with clinical symptoms or artery type. In addition, the ten genome-wide significant risk variants for AAA were tested individually, but no associations were observed with any of the clinical phenotypes. All models were corrected for confounders and data was normalized. In conclusion, a weighted PRS of AAA susceptibility explained 1.9% of the phenotypic variation (p = 0.001) in diameter in aneurysm patients. Given our limited sample size, future biobank collaborations need to confirm a potential causal role of susceptibility variants on aneurysmal disease initiation and progression.

scholarly journals The contribution of common genetic risk variants for ADHD to a general factor of childhood psychopathology

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isabell Brikell ◽  
Henrik Larsson ◽  
Yi Lu ◽  
Erik Pettersson ◽  
Qi Chen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Risk ◽  
Association Studies ◽  
Neurodevelopmental Disorder ◽  
Risk Scores ◽  
General Factor ◽  
Genome Wide Association Studies ◽  
General Psychopathology ◽  
Oppositional Defiant ◽  
Risk Variants ◽  
Genetic Risk Variants

AbstractAttention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a heritable neurodevelopmental disorder, with common genetic risk variants implicated in the clinical diagnosis and symptoms of ADHD. However, given evidence of comorbidity and genetic overlap across neurodevelopmental and externalizing conditions, it remains unclear whether these genetic risk variants are ADHD-specific. The aim of this study was to evaluate the associations between ADHD genetic risks and related neurodevelopmental and externalizing conditions, and to quantify the extent to which any such associations can be attributed to a general genetic liability towards psychopathology. We derived ADHD polygenic risk scores (PRS) for 13,460 children aged 9 and 12 years from the Child and Adolescent Twin Study in Sweden, using results from an independent meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies of ADHD diagnosis and symptoms. Associations between ADHD PRS, a latent general psychopathology factor, and six latent neurodevelopmental and externalizing factors were estimated using structural equation modelling. ADHD PRS were statistically significantly associated with elevated levels of inattention, hyperactivity/impulsivity, autistic traits, learning difficulties, oppositional-defiant, and conduct problems (standardized regression coefficients=0.07-0.12). Only the association with specific hyperactivity/impulsivity remained significant after accounting for a general psychopathology factor, on which all symptoms loaded positively (standardized mean loading=0.61, range=0.32-0.91). ADHD PRS simultaneously explained 1% (p-value<0.001) of the variance in the general psychopathology factor and 0.50% (p-value<0.001) in the specific hyperactivity/impulsivity factor. Our results suggest that common genetic risk variants associated with ADHD have largely general pleiotropic effects on neurodevelopmental and externalizing traits in the general population, in addition to a specific association with hyperactivity/impulsivity symptoms.

scholarly journals Multiomic blood correlates of genetic risk identify presymptomatic disease alterations

2020 ◽  
Vol 117 (35) ◽  
pp. 21813-21820
Author(s):  
Michael Wainberg ◽  
Andrew T. Magis ◽  
John C. Earls ◽  
Jennifer C. Lovejoy ◽  
Nasa Sinnott-Armstrong ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Biological Networks ◽  
Genetic Risk ◽  
Complex Traits ◽  
Clinical Laboratory ◽  
Clinical Symptoms ◽  
Association Studies ◽  
Risk Scores ◽  
Genome Wide Association Studies ◽  
High Genetic Risk ◽  
Genetic And Environmental Factors

Transitions from health to disease are characterized by dysregulation of biological networks under the influence of genetic and environmental factors, often over the course of years to decades before clinical symptoms appear. Understanding these dynamics has important implications for preventive medicine. However, progress has been hindered both by the difficulty of identifying individuals who will eventually go on to develop a particular disease and by the inaccessibility of most disease-relevant tissues in living individuals. Here we developed an alternative approach using polygenic risk scores (PRSs) based on genome-wide association studies (GWAS) for 54 diseases and complex traits coupled with multiomic profiling and found that these PRSs were associated with 766 detectable alterations in proteomic, metabolomic, and standard clinical laboratory measurements (clinical labs) from blood plasma across several thousand mostly healthy individuals. We recapitulated a variety of known relationships (e.g., glutamatergic neurotransmission and inflammation with depression, IL-33 with asthma) and found associations directly suggesting therapeutic strategies (e.g., Ω-6 supplementation and IL-13 inhibition for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) and influences on longevity (leukemia inhibitory factor, ceramides). Analytes altered in high-genetic-risk individuals showed concordant changes in disease cases, supporting the notion that PRS-associated analytes represent presymptomatic disease alterations. Our results provide insights into the molecular pathophysiology of a range of traits and suggest avenues for the prevention of health-to-disease transitions.

scholarly journals Risks and Function of Breast Cancer Susceptibility Alleles

Cancers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (16) ◽  
pp. 3953
Author(s):  
Saeideh Torabi Dalivandan ◽  
Jasmine Plummer ◽  
Simon A. Gayther
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
Risk Factors ◽  
Disease Risk ◽  
Cancer Susceptibility ◽  
Association Studies ◽  
Treatment Strategies ◽  
Polygenic Risk Score ◽  
Genome Wide Association Studies ◽  
Degree Relative ◽  
Risk Variants

Family history remains one of the strongest risk factors for breast cancer. It is well established that women with a first-degree relative affected by breast cancer are twice as likely to develop the disease themselves. Twins studies indicate that this is most likely due to shared genetics rather than shared epidemiological/lifestyle risk factors. Linkage and targeted sequencing studies have shown that rare high- and moderate-penetrance germline variants in genes involved in the DNA damage response (DDR) including BRCA1, BRCA2, PALB2, ATM, and TP53 are responsible for a proportion of breast cancer cases. However, breast cancer is a heterogeneous disease, and there is now strong evidence that different risk alleles can predispose to different subtypes of breast cancer. Here, we review the associations between the different genes and subtype-specificity of breast cancer based on the most comprehensive genetic studies published. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have also been used to identify an additional hereditary component of breast cancer, and have identified hundreds of common, low-penetrance susceptibility alleles. The combination of these low penetrance risk variants, summed as a polygenic risk score (PRS), can identify individuals across the spectrum of disease risk. However, there remains a substantial bottleneck between the discovery of GWAS-risk variants and their contribution to tumorigenesis mainly because the majority of these variants map to the non-protein coding genome. A range of functional genomic approaches are needed to identify the causal risk variants and target susceptibility genes and establish their underlying role in disease biology. We discuss how the application of these multidisciplinary approaches to understand genetic risk for breast cancer can be used to identify individuals in the population that may benefit from clinical interventions including screening for early detection and prevention, and treatment strategies to reduce breast cancer-related mortalities.

The Association Between Genetic Risk Factors and the Size of Intracranial Aneurysms at Time of Rupture

Neurosurgery ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 73 (4) ◽  
pp. 705-708 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel Kleinloog ◽  
Femke N.G. van 't Hof ◽  
Franciscus J. Wolters ◽  
Ingeborg Rasing ◽  
Irene C. van der Schaaf ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Genetic Risk ◽  
Intracranial Aneurysms ◽  
Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage ◽  
Association Studies ◽  
Genetic Risk Score ◽  
Genetic Risk Factors ◽  
Genome Wide Association Studies ◽  
Aneurysm Size ◽  
Genome Wide

Abstract BACKGROUND: Genetic risk factors for intracranial aneurysms may influence the size of aneurysms. OBJECTIVE: To assess the association between genetic risk factors and the size of aneurysms at the time of rupture. METHODS: Genotypes of 7 independent single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the 6 genetic risk loci identified in genome-wide association studies of patients with intracranial aneurysms were obtained from 700 Dutch patients with an aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (1997-2007) previously genotyped in the genome-wide association studies; 255 additional Dutch patients with an aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (2007-2011) were genotyped for these SNPs. Aneurysms were measured on computerized tomography angiography or digital subtraction angiography. The mean aneurysm size (with standard error) was compared between patients with and without a genetic risk factor by the use of linear regression. The association between SNPs and size was assessed for single SNPs and for the combined effect of SNPs by using a weighted genetic risk score. RESULTS: Single SNPs showed no association with aneurysm size, nor did the genetic risk score. CONCLUSION: The 6 genetic risk loci have no major influence on the size of aneurysms at the time of rupture. Because these risk loci explain no more than 5% of the genetic risk, other genetic factors for intracranial aneurysms may influence aneurysm size and thereby proneness to rupture.

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