Exome and Genome Analysis to Elucidate Genetic Etiologies and Population Characteristics in the Plain Community

March 7, 2026 updated by: Lina Ghaloul Gonzalez, University of Pittsburgh

Use of Whole Exome Sequencing/Whole Genome Sequencing in the Plain Communities

This study is designed to utilize whole exome and whole genome sequencing techniques to identify underlying genetic causes for undiagnosed disorders in the Plain Communities, and to do population genetic studies looking at genetic drift and founder mutations in this unique population.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Detailed Description

The long term goal of this proposal is to establish a Translational Medicine Program for the Old Order Amish and Mennonite communities that is accessible to their members with decreasing cost and effective diagnostic strategies, and to leverage the genetic information obtained to better understand the genetic forces and risks driving the health of these populations. As a bridge to do so, next-generation sequencing technology will be used to identify genetic defects in Old Order Amish families/individuals who have a clinical picture suggestive of a Mendelian disorder but with unknown diagnosis. Investigators plan to develop targeted analytical NGS panels optimized for general use in the clinical setting when dealing with Plain Communities patients and families, yielding better and more prompt clinical intervention and improvement of outcomes. The study also involves use of whole genome sequencing for a mutant allele discovery platform to identify novel genetic risks in this population not yet identified in patients, and to use this platform to describe genetic differences in Old Order Amish communities across Pennsylvania and ultimately across the country. With WGS will be used to analyze population genetics by comparing the distribution of genetic variants among the various Amish communities and to compare these with their European ancestry variants available in 1000 genome project, to study the influence of founder-selection and genetic drift in these populations.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Observational

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
300

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Contact Backup

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Pennsylvania
      • Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States, 15224
        • Recruiting
        • Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC
        • Sub-Investigator:
          • Gerard Vockley, MD, PhD
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Lina Ghaloul Gonzalez, MD
        • Sub-Investigator:
          • Roxanne Acquaro, MS, LCGC
        • Sub-Investigator:
          • M. Michael Barmada
        • Sub-Investigator:
          • Steven Dobrowolski
        • Sub-Investigator:
          • Jessica Sebastian, MS, LCGC
        • Sub-Investigator:
          • Andrew McCarty, MS, LCGC
        • Sub-Investigator:
          • Christine Munro, BSc
        • Sub-Investigator:
          • Jodie Vento, MS, LCGC
        • Sub-Investigator:
          • Catherine Walsh Vockley, MS, LCGC
        • Contact:
        • Contact:

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

No older than 100 years (Child, Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Families of Amish/Mennonite background which include at least one individual with a clinical phenotype and a pedigree suggestive of genetic disease will be considered for the undiagnosed disease portion of the study. Initial outreach will be to Plain Communities in western Pennsylvania, but all Pain Community members are eligible as long as they have been evaluated by a local clinical geneticist. Any individual (and their family members) from the Plain Community is eligible for the population based studies of founder effects and genetic drift.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Any person of Amish or Mennonite descent

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Individuals who are not of Amish or Mennonite descent

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Exome and genome sequencing results for clinical diagnosis in participants.
Time Frame: Within approximately one year for each participant
Each participant will be sequenced and DNA data will be analyzed for gene mutations consistent with the clinical symptomatology
Within approximately one year for each participant

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Exome and genome sequence results for population genetic studies
Time Frame: Through study completion, approximately 5 years
Exome and genome sequencing will be used to evaluate genetic changes in specific communities within the Amish and Mennonite communities. These changes/differences will be compared among the groups to show how population migration and new genetic mutations effect the burden of genetic disease in these populations.
Through study completion, approximately 5 years

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
University of Pittsburgh

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
Horizon Pharma USA, Inc.

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Lina Ghaloul Gonzalez, MD, University of Pittsburgh

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
August 1, 2016

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
August 1, 2036

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
August 1, 2040

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
September 22, 2016

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
October 5, 2016

First Posted (Estimated)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
October 6, 2016

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
March 10, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
March 7, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
March 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • STUDY19040413

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

YES

IPD Plan Description

Results relevant to the participant's clinical condition will be verified in a CLIA-certified laboratory and reported to the participant.

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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