Making medical decisions in dependence of genetic background: estimation of the utility of DNA testing in clinical, pharmaco-epidemiological or genetic studies

Haemostaseome-associated SNPs: has the thrombotic phenotype a greater influence than ethnicity? GMT study from Aquitaine including Basque individuals

The Genetic Markers for Thrombosis (GMT) study compared the relative influence of ethnicity and thrombotic phenotype regarding the distribution of SNPs implicated in haemostasis pathophysiology ("haemostaseome"). We assessed 384 SNPs in three groups, each of 480 subjects: 1) general population of Aquitaine region (Southwestern France) used as control; 2) patients with venous thromboembolism from the same area; and 3) autochthonous Basques, a genetic isolate, who demonstrate unusual characteristics regarding the coagulation system. This study sought to evaluate i) the value of looking for a large number of genes in order to identify new genetic markers of thrombosis, ii) the value of investigating low risk factors and potential preferential associations, iii) the impact of ethnicity on the characterisation of markers for thrombosis. We did not detect any previously unrecognised SNP significantly associated with thrombosis risk or any preferential associations of low-risk factors in patients with thrombosis. The sum of ϰ² values for our 110 significant SNPs demonstrated a smaller genetic distance between patients and controls (321 cumulated ϰ² value) than between Basques and controls (1,570 cumulated ϰ² value). Hence, our study confirms the genetic particularity of Basques especially regarding a significantly lower expression of the non-O blood group (p< 0.0004). This is mitigated by a higher prevalence of factor II Leiden (p< 0.02) while factor V Leiden prevalence does not differ. Numerous other differences covering a wide range of proteins of the haemostaseome may result in an overall different genetic risk for venous thromboembolism.

Horizon scanning for translational genomic research beyond bench to bedside

The dizzying pace of genomic discoveries is leading to an increasing number of clinical applications. However, very little translational research is ongoing beyond Bench to Bedside to assess validity, utility, implementation and outcomes of such applications. Here we report cross sectional results of ongoing horizon scanning of translational genomic research conducted between May 16, 2012 and May 15, 2013. Based on a weekly, systematic query of PubMed, we created a curated set of 505 beyond bench-to-bedside research publications, including 312 original research articles, 123 systematic and other reviews, 38 clinical guidelines, policies and recommendations, and 32 papers describing tools, decision support and educational materials. Most papers (62%) addressed a specific genomic test or other health application; almost half of these (n=180) were related to cancer. We estimate that these publications account for 0.5% of reported human genomics and genetics research during the same time. These data provide baseline information to track the evolving knowledge base and gaps in genomic medicine. Continuous horizon scanning is crucial for an evidence-based translation of genomic discoveries into improved health care and disease prevention.