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Kim SY, Lee S, Woo H, Han J, Ko YJ, Shim Y, Park S, Jang SS, Lim BC, Ko JM, Kim KJ, Cho A, Kim H, Hwang H, Choi JE, Kim MJ, Moon J, Seong MW, Park SS, Choi SA, Lee JE, Kwon YS, Sohn YB, Kim JS, Kim WS, Lee YJ, Kwon S, Kim YO, Kook H, Cho YG, Cheon CK, Kang KS, Song MR, Kim YJ, Cha HJ, Choi HJ, Kee Y, Park SG, Baek ST, Choi M, Ryu DS, Chae JH. The Korean undiagnosed diseases program phase I: expansion of the nationwide network and the development of long-term infrastructure. Orphanet J Rare Dis 2022; 17:372. [PMID: 36209187 PMCID: PMC9548182 DOI: 10.1186/s13023-022-02520-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2022] [Accepted: 09/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Phase I of the Korean Undiagnosed Diseases Program (KUDP), performed for 3 years, has been completed. The Phase I program aimed to solve the problem of undiagnosed patients throughout the country and develop infrastructure, including a data management system and functional core laboratory, for long-term translational research. Herein, we share the clinical experiences of the Phase I program and introduce the activities of the functional core laboratory and data management system. RESULTS During the program (2018-2020), 458 patients were enrolled and classified into 3 groups according to the following criteria: (I) those with a specific clinical assessment which can be verified by direct testing (32 patients); (II) those with a disease group with genetic and phenotypic heterogeneity (353 patients); and (III) those with atypical presentations or diseases unknown to date (73 patients). All patients underwent individualized diagnostic processes based on the decision of an expert consortium. Confirmative diagnoses were obtained for 242 patients (52.8%). The diagnostic yield was different for each group: 81.3% for Group I, 53.3% for Group II, and 38.4% for Group III. Diagnoses were made by next-generation sequencing for 204 patients (84.3%) and other genetic testing for 35 patients (14.5%). Three patients (1.2%) were diagnosed with nongenetic disorders. The KUDP functional core laboratory, with a group of experts, organized a streamlined research pipeline covering various resources, including animal models, stem cells, structural modeling and metabolic and biochemical approaches. Regular data review was performed to screen for candidate genes among undiagnosed patients, and six different genes were identified for functional research. We also developed a web-based database system that supports clinical cohort management and provides a matchmaker exchange protocol based on a matchbox, likely to reinforce the nationwide clinical network and further international collaboration. CONCLUSIONS The KUDP evaluated the unmet needs of undiagnosed patients and established infrastructure for a data-sharing system and future functional research. The advancement of the KUDP may lead to sustainable bench-to-bedside research in Korea and contribute to ongoing international collaboration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Soo Yeon Kim
- Department of Genomic Medicine, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Seungbok Lee
- Department of Pediatrics, Pediatric Clinical Neuroscience Center, Seoul National University Children's Hospital, National University College of Medicine, 101 Daehakro Jongno-gu, Seoul, 110-744, Republic of Korea
| | - Hyewon Woo
- Department of Pediatrics, Pediatric Clinical Neuroscience Center, Seoul National University Children's Hospital, National University College of Medicine, 101 Daehakro Jongno-gu, Seoul, 110-744, Republic of Korea
| | - Jiyeon Han
- Department of Pediatrics, Pediatric Clinical Neuroscience Center, Seoul National University Children's Hospital, National University College of Medicine, 101 Daehakro Jongno-gu, Seoul, 110-744, Republic of Korea
| | - Young Jun Ko
- Department of Pediatrics, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam, Republic of Korea
| | - Youngkyu Shim
- Department of Pediatrics, Korea University Ansan Hospital, Ansan, Republic of Korea
| | - Soojin Park
- Department of Pediatrics, Pediatric Clinical Neuroscience Center, Seoul National University Children's Hospital, National University College of Medicine, 101 Daehakro Jongno-gu, Seoul, 110-744, Republic of Korea
| | - Se Song Jang
- Department of Pediatrics, Pediatric Clinical Neuroscience Center, Seoul National University Children's Hospital, National University College of Medicine, 101 Daehakro Jongno-gu, Seoul, 110-744, Republic of Korea
| | - Byung Chan Lim
- Department of Pediatrics, Pediatric Clinical Neuroscience Center, Seoul National University Children's Hospital, National University College of Medicine, 101 Daehakro Jongno-gu, Seoul, 110-744, Republic of Korea
| | - Jung Min Ko
- Division of Clinical Genetics, Department of Pediatrics, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Ki Joong Kim
- Department of Pediatrics, Pediatric Clinical Neuroscience Center, Seoul National University Children's Hospital, National University College of Medicine, 101 Daehakro Jongno-gu, Seoul, 110-744, Republic of Korea
| | - Anna Cho
- Department of Pediatrics, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam, Republic of Korea
| | - Hunmin Kim
- Department of Pediatrics, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam, Republic of Korea
| | - Hee Hwang
- Department of Pediatrics, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam, Republic of Korea
| | - Ji Eun Choi
- Department of Pediatrics, SMG-SNU Boramae Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Man Jin Kim
- Department of Genomic Medicine, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Jangsup Moon
- Department of Genomic Medicine, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Moon-Woo Seong
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Sung Sup Park
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Sun Ah Choi
- Department of Pediatrics, Ehwa Womans University Mokdong Hospital, Ehwa Womans University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Ji Eun Lee
- Department of Pediatric, Inha University College of Medicine, Inha University Hospital, Incheon, Republic of Korea
| | - Young Se Kwon
- Department of Pediatric, Inha University College of Medicine, Inha University Hospital, Incheon, Republic of Korea
| | - Young Bae Sohn
- Department of Medical Genetics, Ajou University Hospital, Ajou University School of Medicine, Suwon, Republic of Korea
| | - Jon Soo Kim
- Department of Pediatrics, Chungbuk National University Hospital, Cheongju, Republic of Korea
| | - Won Seop Kim
- Department of Pediatrics, Chungbuk National University Hospital, Cheongju, Republic of Korea.,Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju, Republic of Korea
| | - Yun Jeong Lee
- Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, Kyungpook National University Hospital, Daegu, Republic of Korea
| | - Soonhak Kwon
- Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, Kyungpook National University Hospital, Daegu, Republic of Korea
| | - Young Ok Kim
- Departmentof Pediatrics, Chonnam National University Medical School, Gwangju, Republic of Korea
| | - Hoon Kook
- Departmentof Pediatrics, Chonnam National University Medical School, Gwangju, Republic of Korea
| | - Yong Gon Cho
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Jeonbuk National University Medical School, Jeonju, Republic of Korea
| | - Chong Kun Cheon
- Department of Pediatrics, Pusan National University Yangsan Hospital, Yangsan, Republic of Korea
| | - Ki-Soo Kang
- Department of Pediatrics, Jeju National University Hospital, Jeju, Republic of Korea
| | - Mi-Ryoung Song
- School of Life Sciences, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, Gwangju, Republic of Korea
| | - Young-Joon Kim
- School of Life Sciences, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, Gwangju, Republic of Korea
| | - Hyuk-Jin Cha
- Collage of Pharmacy, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Hee-Jung Choi
- School of Biological Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Yun Kee
- Division of Biomedical Convergence, College of Biomedical Science, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon, Republic of Korea
| | - Sung-Gyoo Park
- Collage of Pharmacy, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Seung Tae Baek
- Department of Life Sciences, Pohang University of Science and Technology, Pohang, Republic of Korea
| | - Murim Choi
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | | | - Jong-Hee Chae
- Department of Genomic Medicine, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea. .,Department of Pediatrics, Pediatric Clinical Neuroscience Center, Seoul National University Children's Hospital, National University College of Medicine, 101 Daehakro Jongno-gu, Seoul, 110-744, Republic of Korea.
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Kim SY, Lim BC, Lee JS, Kim WJ, Kim H, Ko JM, Kim KJ, Choi SA, Kim H, Hwang H, Choi JE, Cho A, Moon J, Seong MW, Park SS, Lee YJ, Kim YO, Kim JS, Kim WS, Kwon YS, Park JD, Ahn Y, Hwang JY, Park HY, Lee Y, Choi M, Chae JH. The Korean undiagnosed diseases program: lessons from a one-year pilot project. Orphanet J Rare Dis 2019; 14:68. [PMID: 30894207 DOI: 10.1186/s13023-019-1041-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2018] [Accepted: 02/28/2019] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The Korean Undiagnosed Diseases Program (KUDP) was launched in January 2017 as a one-year pilot project to address the increasing global interest in patients with undiagnosed rare diseases. The purpose of this paper is to summarize the project results and emphasize the unmet research needs among patients with undiagnosed rare diseases in Korea. Results Patient enrollment, assessment, and diagnostic processes were determined by the KUDP clinical expert consortium. Patients followed a diagnostic workflow after being categorized into one of four groups: I) insufficient clinical information or lack of standard diagnostic processes; II) undiagnosed due to low disease awareness; III) clinically diagnosed but unconfirmed genetically due to genetic heterogeneities; or IV) unknown disease due to complex, atypical clinical presentations. After excluding two patients from group I, 97 patients were enrolled, including 10 in group II, 67 in group III, and 20 in group IV. Most of them (92 of 97, 94.8%) were pediatric patients (< 18 years old) and 59 (60.8%) were male. The primary symptoms for 80 patients (82.5%) were neurologic. During the one-year pilot study, 72 patients completed a diagnostic assessment including clinical and molecular genetic analyses; some patients also underwent pathological or biochemical analysis. Twenty-eight of these patients (28/72, 38.9%) achieved molecular genetic diagnosis. Thirteen patients were diagnosed based on traditional tests, including biochemical assay, single or targeted genetic analysis, and chromosomal microarray. We performed whole exome sequencing on 52 patients, among whom 15 (28.8%, 15/52) reached a final diagnosis. One new disorder was identified via international collaboration. Conclusions Using an efficient clinical diagnostic workflow, this KUDP pilot study resulted in a fair diagnostic success rate, improving the potential for additional diagnoses and new scientific discovery of complex and rare diseases. KUDP also satisfied unmet needs for rare diseases with multisystem involvement, highlighting the value of emerging genomic technologies for further research into rare and still-undiagnosed conditions. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s13023-019-1041-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Mueller T, Jerrentrup A, Bauer MJ, Fritsch HW, Schaefer JR. Characteristics of patients contacting a center for undiagnosed and rare diseases. Orphanet J Rare Dis 2016; 11:81. [PMID: 27328799 PMCID: PMC4915144 DOI: 10.1186/s13023-016-0467-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2016] [Accepted: 06/10/2016] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Little is known about the characteristics of patients seeking help from dedicated centers for undiagnosed and rare diseases. However, information about their demographics, symptoms, prior diagnoses and medical specialty is crucial to optimize these centers’ processes and infrastructure. Methods Using a questionnaire, structured information from 522 adult patients contacting a center for undiagnosed and rare diseases was obtained. The information included basic sociodemographic data (age, gender, insurance status), previous hospital admissions, primary symptoms of complaint and previously determined diagnosis. Results The majority of patients completing the questionnaire were female, 300 (57 %) vs. 222 men (43 %). The median age was 52 years (range 18–92). More than half, 309 (59 %), of our patients had never been admitted to a university hospital. Common diagnoses included other soft tissue disorders, not classified elsewhere (ICD M79, n = 63, 15.3 %), somatoform disorders (ICD F45, n = 51, 12.3 %) and other polyneuropathies (ICD G62, n=36, 8.7 %). The most frequent symptoms were general weakness (n = 180, 36.6 %) followed by arthralgia (n = 124, 25.2 %) and abdominal discomfort (n = 113, 23.0 %). The majority of patients had either internal medicine (81.3 %) and/or neurologic (37.6 %) health problems. Conclusions Pain-associated diagnoses and the typical “unexplained” medical conditions (chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome) are frequent among people contacting a center dedicated to undiagnosed diseases. The chief symptoms are mostly unspecific. An interdisciplinary organizational approach involving mainly internal medicine, neurology and psychiatry/psychosomatic care is needed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tobias Mueller
- Center for undiagnosed and rare diseases, University clinic Marburg, Baldinger Str. 1, D-35043, Marburg, Germany.
| | - Andreas Jerrentrup
- Center for undiagnosed and rare diseases, University clinic Marburg, Baldinger Str. 1, D-35043, Marburg, Germany
| | - Max Jakob Bauer
- Center for undiagnosed and rare diseases, University clinic Marburg, Baldinger Str. 1, D-35043, Marburg, Germany
| | - Hans Walter Fritsch
- Information technology Department, University clinic Marburg, Baldinger Str. 1, D-35043, Marburg, Germany
| | - Juergen Rolf Schaefer
- Center for undiagnosed and rare diseases, University clinic Marburg, Baldinger Str. 1, D-35043, Marburg, Germany
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