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

April 17, 2024 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

Recruiting

Conditions

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

Observational

Enrollment (Estimated)

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 Backup

Study Locations

    • 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

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

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

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.

Collaborators

Investigators

  • 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

August 1, 2016

Primary Completion (Estimated)

August 1, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

August 1, 2030

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

September 22, 2016

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

October 5, 2016

First Posted (Estimated)

October 6, 2016

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimated)

April 19, 2024

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

April 17, 2024

Last Verified

April 1, 2024

More Information

Terms related to this study

Other Study ID Numbers

  • PRO15110344

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

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.

Clinical Trials on Undiagnosed Disease

3
Subscribe