Genome Wide Association Coordinating Center

描述(由申请人提供)：美国国立卫生研究院全基因组基因和环境倡议(GEI)，旨在支持确定高影响疾病和潜在致因性环境暴露的主要遗传易感因素的努力，最近启动了全基因组关联(GWA)组成部分，以支持在初始发现或复制阶段的全基因组关联研究。为了支持这一雄心勃勃的努力的复杂性，华盛顿大学生物统计系召集了一个专家小组作为协调中心，以提供必要的组织和统计专门知识，以便整合数据、开发用于数据统一和分析的方法和工具，以及管理这种性质的大型多地点科学研究所需的任务。具体地说，GWA CC将作为一个中央资源，促进和支持GEI-GWA方案的活动，以及GEI支持的复制和精细绘图活动、测序和功能研究，方法是：(1)开发、协调和提供这一倡议所包括研究的表型数据文件，并根据需要在国家生物技术中心和研究地点之间提供所有数据集的存储和传输；(2)通过为复制和后续研究的建模和选择选项、选择测序和功能研究的目标提供统计支持，促进这些战略的制定；制定统计方法，统一应用于表型组合的数据，根据选定的平台确定用于基因分型的样本；为进一步开发分析方法提供统计支持；支持研究人员对组合数据集的数据分析；(3)通过开发和使用旨在允许和鼓励信息交流的工具，促进所有地点的研究交流，从而对所有活动进行管理和协调；协调指导委员会和工作组的所有会议和电话会议，以包括分发相关材料，并为指导委员会、项目办公室和工作组编写所有中期和最后报告；(4)管理制定政策、记录和共享数据所需的所有任务；以及(5)支持指导委员会或项目办公室为成功协调全球环境倡议研究报告所需的所有其他工作。将本着合作精神，利用创造性和灵活的办法协调全球环境倡议研究，同时在统计方法和项目管理办法方面发挥领导作用。这项提议汇集了一支强大的统计遗传学家、生物统计学家、流行病学家、程序员、分析员和项目管理人员组成的团队，他们具有多年的相关经验，以成功实现GEI-GWA的目标。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The NIH-wide Genes and Environment Initiative (GEI), developed to support efforts for identification of major genetic susceptibility factors for high impact diseases and potential causative environmental exposures, recently launched the Genome-Wide Associations (GWA) component to support genome-wide association studies in both the initial discovery or replication phases. To support the complexities of such an ambitious effort, the Department of Biostatistics at the University of Washington has convened a team of experts to serve as the Coordinating Center (GWA CC) to provide the necessary organizational and statistical expertise for integration of data, development of methodologies and tools for both data harmonization and analyses, and for the administration of those tasks needed for a large multi-site scientific study of this nature. Specifically, the GWA CC will serve as a centralized resource to facilitate and support the activities of the GEI-GWA program and for GEI-supported replication and fine mapping activities, sequencing, and functional studies by (1) developing, harmonizing and providing documentation of phenotypic data from studies included in this initiative and to provide the storage and transfer of all datasets between the National Center for Biotechnology and study sites as needed; (2) contributing to the development of these strategies by providing statistical support for modeling and selecting options for replication and follow-up studies, selecting targets for sequencing and functional studies; developing statistical methodology for harmonization of data to be applied to the combined set of phenotypes, identifying samples for genotyping according to selected platforms; providing statistical support for further development of analytic methods; and supporting data analyses of the combined dataset to study investigators; (3) providing administration and coordination of all activities by facilitating study communications across all sites by developing and using tools designed to allow and encourage information exchange; coordinating all Steering Committee and working group meetings and conference calls to include distribution of pertinent materials and production of all interim and final reports for the Steering Committee, Project Office, and working groups, (4) administering all tasks necessary for development of policies, documentation of and sharing of data, and (5) supporting all other efforts requested by the Steering Committee or Project Office as needed for successful coordination of the GEI-GWA Study. Coordination of the GEI-GWA Study will be done in a spirit of collaboration using creative and flexible approaches while providing leadership in statistical methodology and approaches to project management. This proposal brings together a strong team of statistical geneticists, biostatisticians, epidemiologists, programmers, analysts and project management staff with many years of related experience to successfully accomplish the goals of the GEI-GWA.