HIEnome Study: Genome Sequencing for Perinatal HIE

Newborns diagnosed with moderate or severe perinatal hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) who are undergoing therapeutic hypothermia will receive genome sequencing to identify co-morbid genetic conditions. Participants' genetic data will be analyzed for copy number variations (CNVs), single nucleotide variants (SNVs), and triplet repeat disorders per ACMG reporting standards.

Neonates enrolled in this study will undergo genome sequencing with parental controls as applicable.

The primary outcome will be the number of cases with a pathogenic or likely-pathogenic variant associated with encephalopathy. This will further be stratified by the presence or absence of a perinatal hypoxic insult or sentinel event.

A secondary outcome will be the incremental improvement in genome sequencing versus simulated exome testing. Diagnostic variants will be classified by their genomic location: exonic, intronic, or deep intronic. The rate of diagnostic findings in genomic locations that would be assayed by exome sequencing will be compared to the overall diagnostic rate (including variants in intronic regions that would not be detected on exome sequencing) to determine the incremental diagnostic benefit of genome sequencing over exome sequencing in this population.

A secondary outcome will be the identification rate of non-diagnostic / indeterminate results in genes linked to conditions with an overlapping neuromuscular or neurodevelopmental phenotype.