Meningioma Genome Wide Association Study: Development of Pilot Data

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Elizabeth Claus, MD, PhD, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Yale University

Elizabeth Claus, MD,
PhD, Brigham and
Women’s Hospital,
Yale University

Dr. Claus’s most recent project represents the first effort, worldwide, to obtain pilot data for a genome wide association study for meningioma. It will also attempt to replicate recent preliminary findings of an association between meningioma risk and a BRCA1-associated protein.

Meningiomas account for approximately 30% of all intra-cranial tumors, yet little is known regarding the risk factors associated with these lesions. In an effort to better define such factors, Dr. Claus is performing a nation-wide case/control study of meningioma. This study will include a minimum of 3,200 subjects drawn from Massachusetts, Connecticut, North Carolina, California, and Texas.

At present, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) are funding identification and interview of study subjects as well as the collection of biological specimens for these subjects. No funding exists for the genetic analysis of these specimens. The goal of the current BSF project is to perform the first genome wide association study (GWAS) of meningioma using 200 cases in the above mentioned case/control study. These data will be used as pilot data towards a larger NIH application to perform a GWAS on the entire data set.

The specific aims of this project are to:

  • Perform a genome wide association study for meningioma on the first 200 cases drawn from Dr. Claus’s larger meningioma case/control study.
  • Attempt to replicate Dr. Claus’s Gliogene collaborators finding of a link between meningioma risk and BRIP1, breast cancer susceptibility gene (BRCA1)-interacting protein 1.