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Dive L, Laberge AM, Freeman L, Bunnik EM. Beyond severity: utility as a criterion for setting the scope of RGCS. Eur J Hum Genet 2024:10.1038/s41431-024-01640-9. [PMID: 38811715 DOI: 10.1038/s41431-024-01640-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2024] [Revised: 04/18/2024] [Accepted: 05/15/2024] [Indexed: 05/31/2024] Open
Abstract
Reproductive genetic carrier screening (RGCS) allows prospective parents to identify and act upon their chances of having a child with a genetic condition. In deciding which genetic conditions to include in RGCS, severity is often used as a criterion. However, the concept is inherently complex, subjective and multidimensional, and determinations of severity will remain intractably contested. We propose the concept of utility as a criterion for setting the scope of RGCS, and put forward two central arguments for doing so. First, utility is a more appropriate and effective concept as it responds to context and makes an explicit connection between the purpose of RGCS and the value of information obtained for that purpose: namely, to facilitate reproductive decision-making. Utility comprises both clinical and personal utility, and varies according to the availability and accessibility of reproductive options, including pre-implantation genetic testing, prenatal genetic diagnosis, and termination of pregnancy. Second, there are ethical reasons for preferring utility over severity. Utility is a property of the information gleaned from RGCS, while severity is a property of a genetic condition or of an instance of this condition in a person. While consideration of the severity of genetic conditions is not lost when focusing on utility, the need to rely on value judgements regarding the quality of life of people who live with genetic conditions is circumvented. Therefore, utility should replace severity as justification for the inclusion of genetic conditions in RGCS programmes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa Dive
- Graduate School of Health, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
| | | | - Lucinda Freeman
- Graduate School of Health, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Eline M Bunnik
- Department of Medical Ethics, Philosophy and History of Medicine, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
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Grønbæk-Thygesen M, Hartmann-Petersen R. Cellular and molecular mechanisms of aspartoacylase and its role in Canavan disease. Cell Biosci 2024; 14:45. [PMID: 38582917 PMCID: PMC10998430 DOI: 10.1186/s13578-024-01224-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2023] [Accepted: 03/24/2024] [Indexed: 04/08/2024] Open
Abstract
Canavan disease is an autosomal recessive and lethal neurological disorder, characterized by the spongy degeneration of the white matter in the brain. The disease is caused by a deficiency of the cytosolic aspartoacylase (ASPA) enzyme, which catalyzes the hydrolysis of N-acetyl-aspartate (NAA), an abundant brain metabolite, into aspartate and acetate. On the physiological level, the mechanism of pathogenicity remains somewhat obscure, with multiple, not mutually exclusive, suggested hypotheses. At the molecular level, recent studies have shown that most disease linked ASPA gene variants lead to a structural destabilization and subsequent proteasomal degradation of the ASPA protein variants, and accordingly Canavan disease should in general be considered a protein misfolding disorder. Here, we comprehensively summarize the molecular and cell biology of ASPA, with a particular focus on disease-linked gene variants and the pathophysiology of Canavan disease. We highlight the importance of high-throughput technologies and computational prediction tools for making genotype-phenotype predictions as we await the results of ongoing trials with gene therapy for Canavan disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Grønbæk-Thygesen
- The Linderstrøm-Lang Centre for Protein Science, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Ole Maaløes Vej 5, 2200N, Copenhagen, Denmark.
| | - Rasmus Hartmann-Petersen
- The Linderstrøm-Lang Centre for Protein Science, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Ole Maaløes Vej 5, 2200N, Copenhagen, Denmark.
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4
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Zhang J, Wu Y, Chen S, Luo Q, Xi H, Li J, Qin X, Peng Y, Ma N, Yang B, Qiu X, Lu W, Chen Y, Jiang Y, Chen P, Liu Y, Zhang C, Zhang Z, Xiong Y, Shen J, Liang H, Ren Y, Ying C, Dong M, Li X, Xu C, Wang H, Zhang D, Xu C, Huang H. Prospective prenatal cell-free DNA screening for genetic conditions of heterogenous etiologies. Nat Med 2024; 30:470-479. [PMID: 38253798 DOI: 10.1038/s41591-023-02774-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2023] [Accepted: 12/18/2023] [Indexed: 01/24/2024]
Abstract
Prenatal cell-free DNA (cfDNA) screening uses extracellular fetal DNA circulating in the peripheral blood of pregnant women to detect prevalent fetal chromosomal anomalies. However, numerous severe conditions with underlying single-gene defects are not included in current prenatal cfDNA screening. In this prospective, multicenter and observational study, pregnant women at elevated risk for fetal genetic conditions were enrolled for a cfDNA screening test based on coordinative allele-aware target enrichment sequencing. This test encompasses the following three of the most frequent pathogenic genetic variations: aneuploidies, microdeletions and monogenic variants. The cfDNA screening results were compared to invasive prenatal or postnatal diagnostic test results for 1,090 qualified participants. The comprehensive cfDNA screening detected a genetic alteration in 135 pregnancies with 98.5% sensitivity and 99.3% specificity relative to standard diagnostics. Of 876 fetuses with suspected structural anomalies on ultrasound examination, comprehensive cfDNA screening identified 55 (56.1%) aneuploidies, 6 (6.1%) microdeletions and 37 (37.8%) single-gene pathogenic variants. The inclusion of targeted monogenic conditions alongside chromosomal aberrations led to a 60.7% increase (from 61 to 98) in the detection rate. Overall, these data provide preliminary evidence that a comprehensive cfDNA screening test can accurately identify fetal pathogenic variants at both the chromosome and single-gene levels in high-risk pregnancies through a noninvasive approach, which has the potential to improve prenatal evaluation of fetal risks for severe genetic conditions arising from heterogenous molecular etiologies. ClinicalTrials.gov registration: ChiCTR2100045739 .
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinglan Zhang
- Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital, Institute of Reproduction and Development, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
- Key Laboratory of Reproductive Genetics (Ministry of Education) and Department of Reproductive Endocrinology, Women's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China.
- School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.
- Beijing BioBiggen Technology Co., Ltd, Beijing, China.
| | - Yanting Wu
- Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital, Institute of Reproduction and Development, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital of Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Songchang Chen
- Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital, Institute of Reproduction and Development, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Qiong Luo
- Key Laboratory of Reproductive Genetics (Ministry of Education) and Department of Reproductive Endocrinology, Women's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
- Key Laboratory of Women's Reproductive Health of Zhejiang Province, and Zhejiang Provincial Clinical Research Center for Child Health, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Hui Xi
- National Health Commission (NHC) Key Laboratory of Birth Defect for Research and Prevention, Hunan Provincial Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital, Changsha, China
| | - Jianli Li
- Beijing BioBiggen Technology Co., Ltd, Beijing, China
| | - Xiaomei Qin
- Beijing BioBiggen Technology Co., Ltd, Beijing, China
| | - Ying Peng
- National Health Commission (NHC) Key Laboratory of Birth Defect for Research and Prevention, Hunan Provincial Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital, Changsha, China
| | - Na Ma
- National Health Commission (NHC) Key Laboratory of Birth Defect for Research and Prevention, Hunan Provincial Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital, Changsha, China
| | - Bingxin Yang
- International Peace Maternity and Child Health Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Xiang Qiu
- Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital of Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Weiliang Lu
- Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital of Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yuan Chen
- Key Laboratory of Reproductive Genetics (Ministry of Education) and Department of Reproductive Endocrinology, Women's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
- Key Laboratory of Women's Reproductive Health of Zhejiang Province, and Zhejiang Provincial Clinical Research Center for Child Health, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Ying Jiang
- Key Laboratory of Reproductive Genetics (Ministry of Education) and Department of Reproductive Endocrinology, Women's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
- Key Laboratory of Women's Reproductive Health of Zhejiang Province, and Zhejiang Provincial Clinical Research Center for Child Health, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Panpan Chen
- Key Laboratory of Reproductive Genetics (Ministry of Education) and Department of Reproductive Endocrinology, Women's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
- Key Laboratory of Women's Reproductive Health of Zhejiang Province, and Zhejiang Provincial Clinical Research Center for Child Health, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Yifeng Liu
- Key Laboratory of Reproductive Genetics (Ministry of Education) and Department of Reproductive Endocrinology, Women's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
- Key Laboratory of Women's Reproductive Health of Zhejiang Province, and Zhejiang Provincial Clinical Research Center for Child Health, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Chen Zhang
- Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital, Institute of Reproduction and Development, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Zhiwei Zhang
- Beijing BioBiggen Technology Co., Ltd, Beijing, China
| | - Yu Xiong
- Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital of Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Jie Shen
- Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital of Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Huan Liang
- Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital of Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yunyun Ren
- Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital of Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Chunmei Ying
- Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital of Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Minyue Dong
- Key Laboratory of Reproductive Genetics (Ministry of Education) and Department of Reproductive Endocrinology, Women's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
- Key Laboratory of Women's Reproductive Health of Zhejiang Province, and Zhejiang Provincial Clinical Research Center for Child Health, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Xiaotian Li
- Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital of Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Congjian Xu
- Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital, Institute of Reproduction and Development, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital of Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Hua Wang
- National Health Commission (NHC) Key Laboratory of Birth Defect for Research and Prevention, Hunan Provincial Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital, Changsha, China.
- NHC Key Laboratory of Birth Defects Research, Prevention and Treatment, Hunan Provincial Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital, Changsha, China.
| | - Dan Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Reproductive Genetics (Ministry of Education) and Department of Reproductive Endocrinology, Women's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China.
- Key Laboratory of Women's Reproductive Health of Zhejiang Province, and Zhejiang Provincial Clinical Research Center for Child Health, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China.
| | - Chenming Xu
- Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital, Institute of Reproduction and Development, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
- Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital of Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
| | - Hefeng Huang
- Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital, Institute of Reproduction and Development, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
- Key Laboratory of Reproductive Genetics (Ministry of Education) and Department of Reproductive Endocrinology, Women's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China.
- Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital of Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
- International Peace Maternity and Child Health Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.
- Research Units of Embryo Original Diseases, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shanghai, China.
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Research Center of Reproduction and Development, Shanghai, China.
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Busnelli A, Ciani O, Caroselli S, Figliuzzi M, Poli M, Levi-Setti PE, Tarricone R, Capalbo A. Implementing preconception expanded carrier screening in a universal health care system: A model-based cost-effectiveness analysis. Genet Med 2023; 25:100943. [PMID: 37489580 DOI: 10.1016/j.gim.2023.100943] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2023] [Revised: 07/17/2023] [Accepted: 07/18/2023] [Indexed: 07/26/2023] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE The limited evidence available on the cost-effectiveness (CE) of expanded carrier screening (ECS) prevents its widespread use in most countries, including Italy. Herein, we aimed to estimate the CE of 3 ECS panels (ie, American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics [ACMG] Tier 1 screening, "Focused Screening," testing 15 severe, highly penetrant conditions, and ACMG Tier 3 screening) compared with no screening, the health care model currently adopted in Italy. METHODS The reference population consisted of Italian couples seeking pregnancy with no increased personal/familial genetic risk. The CE model was developed from the perspective of the Italian universal health care system and was based on the following assumptions: 100% sensitivity of investigated screening strategies, 77% intervention rate of at-risk couples (ARCs), and no risk to conceive an affected child by risk-averse couples opting for medical interventions. RESULTS The incremental CE ratios generated by comparing each genetic screening panel with no screening were: -14,875 ± 1,208 €/life years gained (LYG) for ACMG1S, -106,863 ± 2,379 €/LYG for Focused Screening, and -47,277 ± 1,430 €/LYG for ACMG3S. ACMG1S and Focused Screening were dominated by ACMG3S. The parameter uncertainty did not significantly affect the outcome of the analyses. CONCLUSION From a universal health care system perspective, all the 3 ECS panels considered in the study would be more cost-effective than no screening.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Busnelli
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, Pieve Emanuele-Milan, Italy; IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Rozzano-Milan, Italy.
| | - Oriana Ciani
- Center for Research on Health and Social Care Management, SDA Bocconi, Milan, Italy
| | | | | | | | - Paolo Emanuele Levi-Setti
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, Pieve Emanuele-Milan, Italy; IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Rozzano-Milan, Italy
| | - Rosanna Tarricone
- Center for Research on Health and Social Care Management, SDA Bocconi, Milan, Italy; Department of Social and Political Science, Bocconi University, Milan, Italy
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