Publications by authors named "Matthew P Conomos"

Sharing diverse genomic and other biomedical datasets is critical to advancing scientific discoveries and their equitable translation to improve human health. However, data sharing remains challenging in the context of legacy datasets, evolving policies, multi-institutional consortium science, and international stakeholders. The NIH-funded Polygenic Risk Methods in Diverse Populations (PRIMED) Consortium was established to improve the performance of polygenic risk estimates for a broad range of health and disease outcomes with global impacts.

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Population descriptors used in genetic studies have broad social and translational implications. There are no globally agreed-upon definitions or usages of common population descriptors (e.g.

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Obesity is a major public health crisis associated with high mortality rates. Previous genome-wide association studies (GWAS) investigating body mass index (BMI) have largely relied on imputed data from European individuals. This study leveraged whole-genome sequencing (WGS) data from 88,873 participants from the Trans-Omics for Precision Medicine (TOPMed) Program, of which 51% were of non-European population groups.

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Sharing diverse genomic and other biomedical datasets is critical to advance scientific discoveries and their equitable translation to improve human health. However, data sharing remains challenging in the context of legacy datasets, evolving policies, multi-institutional consortium science, and international stakeholders. The NIH-funded Polygenic Risk Methods in Diverse Populations (PRIMED) Consortium was established to improve the performance of polygenic risk estimates for a broad range of health and disease outcomes with global impacts.

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Article Synopsis
  • Polygenic risk scores (PRSs) could enhance disease risk prediction, but their current effectiveness is compromised for non-European populations, creating potential health disparities.
  • The PRIMED Consortium aims to improve PRS performance by aggregating diverse genetic data on a cloud platform and evaluating ethical implications related to its implementation.
  • Focused on cardiometabolic diseases and cancer, PRIMED seeks to promote equity in polygenic risk assessment through collaboration across multiple research sites and organizations.
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Schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSDs) are characterized by substantial clinical and genetic heterogeneity. Multiple recurrent copy number variants (CNVs) increase risk for SSDs; however, how known risk CNVs and broader genome-wide CNVs influence clinical variability is unclear. The current study examined associations between borderline intellectual functioning or childhood-onset psychosis, known risk CNVs, and burden of deletions affecting genes in 18 previously validated neurodevelopmental gene-sets in 618 SSD individuals.

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  • Coronary artery calcification (CAC) is linked to heart disease and assessed through a genome-wide association study (GWAS) involving 22,400 participants from various backgrounds.
  • The study confirmed connections with four known genetic loci and discovered two new loci related to CAC, with supportive replication findings for both.
  • Functional tests suggest that ARSE promotes calcification in vascular smooth muscle cells and its variants may influence CAC levels, identifying ARSE as a key target for potential treatments in vascular calcific diseases.
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  • Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have successfully identified genes linked to telomere length, but previous research hadn't validated these findings until now.
  • In a large analysis involving over 211,000 people, the study discovered five new signals linked to telomere length and highlighted the importance of blood/immune cells in this area.
  • The researchers confirmed that the genes KBTBD6 and POP5 truly affect telomere length by demonstrating that manipulating these genes can lengthen telomeres and that their regulation is crucial for understanding telomere biology.
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Introduction: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a complex disease influenced by genetics and environment. More than 75 susceptibility loci have been linked to late-onset AD, but most of these loci were discovered in genome-wide association studies (GWAS) exclusive to non-Hispanic White individuals. There are wide disparities in AD risk across racially stratified groups, and while these disparities are not due to genetic differences, underrepresentation in genetic research can further exacerbate and contribute to their persistence.

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  • Megabase-scale mosaic chromosomal alterations (mCAs) in blood can indicate the risk of various human diseases, and this study analyzes whole-genome sequencing data from 67,390 individuals to better understand mCA rates across different genetic backgrounds.
  • The research found that whole-genome sequencing is more effective than traditional methods for detecting mCAs, revealing that individuals of European ancestry have higher rates of autosomal mCAs and lower rates of chromosome X mCAs compared to those of African or Hispanic ancestry.
  • The study identifies three genetic loci linked to chromosome X loss and associates rare variants in specific genes (DCPS, ADM17, PPP1R16B, and TET2) with autosomal mCAs
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  • Obesity poses a significant public health challenge and is linked to high mortality rates, with prior studies focusing mostly on European populations.
  • This research utilized whole-genome sequencing data from a diverse group of 88,873 individuals, finding 18 new signals associated with body mass index (BMI) and highlighting a novel SNP prevalent among people of African descent.
  • The study emphasizes the importance of diverse genetic data in identifying new obesity-related variants, moving us closer to personalized medical interventions for this crisis.
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  • * The study involved 6,722 participants (including both predominantly White and African American cohorts) to identify proteins associated with lung function, using advanced proteomic methods and spirometry data.
  • * Findings revealed 254 proteins linked to lung function, with 15 proteins associated with the decline in lung function over time, highlighting significant biological pathways like immune response and matrix remodeling.
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Background: Risk for venous thromboembolism has a strong genetic component. Whole genome sequencing from the TOPMed program (Trans-Omics for Precision Medicine) allowed us to look for new associations, particularly rare variants missed by standard genome-wide association studies.

Methods: The 3793 cases and 7834 controls (11.

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Background: Whether genetics contribute to the rising prevalence of obesity or its cardiovascular consequences in today's obesogenic environment remains unclear. We sought to determine whether the effects of a higher aggregate genetic burden of obesity risk on body mass index (BMI) or cardiovascular disease (CVD) differed by birth year.

Methods: We split the FHS (Framingham Heart Study) into 4 equally sized birth cohorts (birth year before 1932, 1932 to 1946, 1947 to 1959, and after 1960).

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  • Genome-wide association studies have found thousands of genetic variations affecting blood traits, but the impact of structural variants on these traits was previously unclear.
  • A study using whole genome sequencing from a diverse group of nearly 50,700 participants identified 21 significant structural variants linked to red and white blood cell traits, with most findings confirmed in other datasets.
  • Experimental evidence showed that a specific deletion linked to lower monocyte counts disrupts an enhancer for the S1PR3 gene, leading to reduced S1PR3 expression.
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  • Large-scale whole-genome sequencing studies allow researchers to examine associations between rare noncoding variants and complex diseases, although current methods struggle with the noncoding genome analysis.
  • The STAARpipeline framework offers a comprehensive solution for detecting noncoding rare variant associations through various analytical approaches, including gene-centric and non-gene-centric analyses that utilize functional annotations.
  • The effectiveness of STAARpipeline is demonstrated through its application in identifying significant noncoding RV sets linked to lipid traits in over 21,000 samples, with successful replication in an additional group, and further analysis of other traits.
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How race, ethnicity, and ancestry are used in genomic research has wide-ranging implications for how research is translated into clinical care and incorporated into public understanding. Correlation between race and genetic ancestry contributes to unresolved complexity for the scientific community, as illustrated by heterogeneous definitions and applications of these variables. Here, we offer commentary and recommendations on the use of race, ethnicity, and ancestry across the arc of genetic research, including data harmonization, analysis, and reporting.

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Background: Statins remain one of the most prescribed medications worldwide. While effective in decreasing atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease risk, statin use is associated with adverse effects for a subset of patients, including disrupted metabolic control and increased risk of type 2 diabetes.

Methods: We investigated the potential role of the gut microbiome in modifying patient responses to statin therapy across two independent cohorts (discovery n = 1,848, validation n = 991).

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  • - This study investigates the genetic basis of telomere length (TL) across a diverse group of 109,122 individuals from various ancestries, marking the first such analysis that includes non-European populations.
  • - Researchers identified 59 significant genetic variants linked to TL, with 20 novel associations; these findings suggest that the genetic factors influencing TL are consistent across different populations.
  • - The analysis further revealed connections between telomere length and increased cancer risk, highlighting the potential implications of telomere genetics in age-related diseases.
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Current publicly available tools that allow rapid exploration of linkage disequilibrium (LD) between markers (e.g., HaploReg and LDlink) are based on whole-genome sequence (WGS) data from 2,504 individuals in the 1000 Genomes Project.

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Deficiency of the immune checkpoint lymphocyte activation gene-3 (LAG3) protein is significantly associated with both elevated HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C) and myocardial infarction risk. We determined the association of genetic variants within ±500 kb of LAG3 with plasma LAG3 and defined LAG3-associated plasma proteins with HDL-C and clinical outcomes. Whole genome sequencing and plasma proteomics were obtained from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) and the Framingham Heart Study (FHS) cohorts as part of the Trans-Omics for Precision Medicine program.

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  • A large-scale GWAS was conducted on leukocyte traits using data from 61,802 individuals of diverse backgrounds, focusing on over 109 million genetic variants.
  • The study identified 7 associations related to leukocyte counts, including a significant variant on chromosome X linked to lower eosinophil counts and variants prevalent in African Americans associated with monocyte and lymphocyte counts.
  • Findings suggest that the discovered eosinophil-lowering variant may reduce the risk of allergic diseases, indicating the importance of diverse samples in uncovering genetic associations often overlooked in studies focusing on European ancestry.
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Platelets play a key role in thrombosis and hemostasis. Platelet count (PLT) and mean platelet volume (MPV) are highly heritable quantitative traits, with hundreds of genetic signals previously identified, mostly in European ancestry populations. We here utilize whole genome sequencing (WGS) from NHLBI's Trans-Omics for Precision Medicine initiative (TOPMed) in a large multi-ethnic sample to further explore common and rare variation contributing to PLT (n = 61 200) and MPV (n = 23 485).

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Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) and whole-exome sequencing studies have become increasingly available and are being used to identify rare genetic variants associated with health and disease outcomes. Investigators routinely use mixed models to account for genetic relatedness or other clustering variables (e.g.

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Numerous genome-wide association studies (GWASs) have been conducted for the identification of genetic variants involved with human height. The vast majority of these studies, however, have been conducted in populations of European ancestry. Here, we report the first GWAS of adult height in the Taiwan Biobank using a discovery sample of 14 571 individuals and an independent replication sample of 20 506 individuals.

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