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Danos, Arpad

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9815-2288

Mayo Clinic

Washington University in St. Louis

Citations 12

Abstract 6569: ClinGen Somatic and CIViC collaborate to comprehensively evaluate somatic variants in cancer
Danos, Arpad , Krysiak, Kilannin, McMichael, Joshua F. , Xu, Xinjie , Kanagal‐Shamanna, Rashmi , Satgunaseelan, Laveniya , Akkari, Yassmine, Raca, Gordana , Roy, Angshumoy , Kanagal-Shamanna, Rashmi , Satgunaseelan, Laveniya , Saliba, Jason , Coffman, Adam , Kiwala, Susanna , Grisdale, Cameron J. , King, Ian F. G. , Selvarajah, Shamini , Meredith, David M. , Evans, Mark G. , Mullighan, Charles G. , Wagner, Alex H. , Govindan, Ramaswamy , Griffith, Obi L. , Griffith, Malachi

Cancer Research | April 4, 2023 | Volume: 83 | Issue: 7_Supplement | Pages: 6569-6569

10.1158/1538-7445.am2023-6569 Get It

Abstract The comprehensive evaluation of somatic variants in cancer requires consensus interpretation of their potential clinical significance (diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment response) and oncogenicity. To aid precision medicine through public interpretations, a multifaceted collaborative effort is required to bring together a community, structured guidance, and a public platform. The over 200 multi-disciplinary experts in the Clinical Genome Resource (ClinGen) Somatic Cancer Clinical Domain Working Group (CDWG) provide a community that develops data curation guidelines and standards and curates evidence to determine the clinical significance and oncogenicity of somatic alterations in cancer. The Somatic CDWG established the Pediatric Cancer, Hematological Cancer, and Solid Tumor Taskforces to facilitate membership growth and targeted curation projects. Within these Taskforces, Somatic Cancer Variant Curation Expert Panels (SC-VCEPs) are developed through a 4-step approval process adapted from ClinGen germline VCEP procedures. Five SC-VCEPs (NTRK-fusions, FGFR variants, FLT3 variants, Histone H3 variants, and BCR::ABL1-like B-ALL alterations) are working through the approval process and one (Established Significance) is in the planning stage. SC-VCEPs tailor AMP/ASCO/CAP [PMID:27993330] and ClinGen/CGC/VICC Oncogenicity [PMID:35101336] guidelines, or create new classification guidance to aid granular assessment of their genomic alterations of interest. The Clinical Interpretations of Variants in Cancer (CIViC) knowledgebase provides the public platform for the Taskforces and SC-VCEPs to display their high-quality somatic cancer variant interpretations. These groups curate evidence from published literature and create Assertions summarizing evidence collected. These Assertions are further disseminated through other resources like ClinVar and the Variant Interpretation for Cancer Consortium (VICC) MetaKB. CIViC supports the application of AMP/ASCO/CAP tiering and levels for clinical significance Assertions. CIViC recently created Oncogenic Assertions, which supports the application of ClinGen/CGC/VICC codes. Three SC-VCEPs (FGFR, FLT3, and Histone H3) are tailoring the ClinGen/CGC/VICC Oncogenicity guidelines to their specific genes and CIViC will enable their ClinGen-approved, modified codes to be applied directly to their Oncogenic Assertions. Also, two SC-VCEPs (NTRK and BCR::ABL1-like) are developing fusion specific oncogenicity classification guidelines, which will be applied to their fusion specific CIViC Oncogenic Assertions. ClinGen Somatic groups have generated 695 CIViC Evidence Items and 33 Assertions from over 400 published papers. These numbers will continue to grow along with the development of more SC-VCEPs. ClinGen Somatic and CIViC foster collaboration, innovation, and most importantly the advancement of precision medicine. Citation Format: Jason Saliba, Arpad Danos, Kilannin Krysiak, Adam Coffman, Susanna Kiwala, Joshua McMichael, Cameron J. Grisdale, Ian King, Shamini Selvarajah, Xinjie Xu, Rashmi Kanagal-Shamanna, Laveniya Satgunaseelan, David Meredith, Mark Evans, Charles G. Mullighan, Yassmine Akkari, Gordana Raca, Angshumoy Roy, Alex H. Wagner, Ramaswamy Govindan, Obi L. Griffith, Malachi Griffith, on behalf of the ClinGen Somatic Clinical Domain Working Group. ClinGen Somatic and CIViC collaborate to comprehensively evaluate somatic variants in cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2023; Part 1 (Regular and Invited Abstracts); 2023 Apr 14-19; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2023;83(7_Suppl):Abstract nr 6569.
CIViCdb 2022: evolution of an open-access cancer variant interpretation knowledgebase
Krysiak, Kilannin , Danos, Arpad , McMichael, Joshua F. , Coffman, Adam , Kiwala, Susanna , Sheta, Lana , Kujan, Lynzey , Pema, Shahil , Ridd, Sarah , Spies, Nicholas C. , Andric, Veronica , Chiorean, Andreea , Rieke, Damian , Clark, Kaitlin A., Reisle, Caralyn , Venigalla, Ajay C, Jani, Payal , Takahashi, Hideaki , Suda, Avila, Horak, Peter , Ritter, Deborah , DeLong, Sean , Lamping, Mario , Shen, Haolin , Marr, Alexander , Hoang, My , Singhal, Kartik , Khanfar, Mariam , Li, Brian V , Lin, Wan‐Hsin , Terraf, Panieh, Corson, Laura , Salama, Yasser, Farncombe, Kirsten M. , Ji, Jianling , Zhao, Xiaonan, Xu, Xinjie , Kanagal‐Shamanna, Rashmi , Walker, Jason , Zhang, Jinghui , Patel, Ronak Y. , Kim, Raymond H. , Jones, Steven J.M. , Raca, Gordana , Madhavan, Subha , Griffith, Malachi , Griffith, Obi L. , Coffman, Adam C , Kiwala, Susanna , Zhou, Xin , Campbell, Katie M , Ji, Jianling , Cotto, Kelsy C , Schriml, Lynn M , Wagner, Alex H , Griffith, Malachi , Griffith, Obi L , Krysiak, Kilannin , Kanagal-Shamanna, Rashmi , Kim, Raymond H , Saliba, Jason , Barnell, Erica K. , Grisdale, Cameron J. , Lever, Jake , Venigalla, Ajay , Evans, Mark G. , Ainscough, Benjamin J. , Kesserwan, Chimene A. , Zhao, Xiaonan, King, Ian F. G. , Skidmore, Zachary L. , Milosavljevic, Aleksandar , Giles, Rachel H. , Mardis, Elaine R. , Rao, Shruti , Wagner, Alex H. , Khanfar, Mariam

Nucleic Acids Research | October 15, 2022 | Volume: 51 | Issue: D1 | Pages: D1230-D1241

10.1093/nar/gkac979 Get It

Abstract CIViC (Clinical Interpretation of Variants in Cancer; civicdb.org) is a crowd-sourced, public domain knowledgebase composed of literature-derived evidence characterizing the clinical utility of cancer variants. As clinical sequencing becomes more prevalent in cancer management, the need for cancer variant interpretation has grown beyond the capability of any single institution. CIViC contains peer-reviewed, published literature curated and expertly-moderated into structured data units (Evidence Items) that can be accessed globally and in real time, reducing barriers to clinical variant knowledge sharing. We have extended CIViC’s functionality to support emergent variant interpretation guidelines, increase interoperability with other variant resources, and promote widespread dissemination of structured curated data. To support the full breadth of variant interpretation from basic to translational, including integration of somatic and germline variant knowledge and inference of drug response, we have enabled curation of three new Evidence Types (Predisposing, Oncogenic and Functional). The growing CIViC knowledgebase has over 300 contributors and distributes clinically-relevant cancer variant data currently representing >3200 variants in >470 genes from >3100 publications.
Abstract 1192: The Clinical Genome Resource (ClinGen) somatic cancer clinical domain working group
Raca, Gordana , Roy, Angshumoy , Xu, Xinjie , Satgunaseelan, Laveniya , Church, Alanna J. , Terraf, Panieh, Akkari, Yassmine, Williams, Heather , Lin, Wan‐Hsin , Ritter, Deborah , Krysiak, Kilannin, Danos, Arpad , Kulkarni, Shashikant , CDWG, on behalf of the ClinGen Somatic, Satgunaseelan, Laveniya , Saliba, Jason , King, Ian F. G. , Selvarajah, Shamini , Kanagal‐Shamanna, Rashmi , Meredith, David M. , Evans, Mark G. , Williams, Heather E., Kesserwan, Chimene A. , Wagner, Alex H. , Li, Marilyn M , Sonkin, Dmitriy , Berg, Jonathan S. , Plon, Sharon E. , Rehm, Heidi L. , Govindan, Ramaswamy , Griffith, Obi L. , Griffith, Malachi , CDWG, on behalf of the ClinGen Somatic

Cancer Research | June 15, 2022 | Volume: 82 | Issue: 12_Supplement | Pages: 1192-1192

10.1158/1538-7445.am2022-1192 Get It

Abstract Interpretation of the clinical significance of somatic gene variants in cancer remains a major challenge in cancer diagnosis, prognosis and treatment response prediction. We will report on progress and plans of the Clinical Genome Resource (ClinGen) Somatic Cancer Clinical Domain Working Group (CDWG). The CDWG membership consists of over 150 multi-disciplinary experts in cancer biology, oncology, pathology, genetics, genomics and informatics. The mission of the ClinGen Somatic Cancer CDWG is to facilitate the development of data curation guidelines and standards to determine the clinical significance of somatic alterations in cancer, thereby enhancing the usability, dissemination and implementation of cancer somatic changes in the ClinGen resource and other knowledgebases including CIViC, ClinVar, and the Variant Interpretation for Cancer Consortium (VICC) MetaKB. Our goal is to create high-quality assertions of the clinical significance of specific somatic variants in cancer by leveraging the CIViC curation interface, adapting the germline procedures of ClinGen to somatic variant interpretation, and implementing the interoperability standards of the Global Alliance for Genomics and Health (GA4GH). The ClinGen Somatic effort is overseen by the Somatic CDWG and reports progress to the overall ClinGen consortium. There are Somatic Cancer subdomains focused on particular clinically important domains of cancer variant interpretation including three Task Forces (covering Pediatric Cancer, Hematologic Cancer, and Solid Tumors) and a growing number of Somatic Cancer Variant Curation Expert Panels (SC-VCEPs). To improve quality and consistency of clinical interpretations, each candidate somatic cancer VCEP must complete a four step approval process adapted from ClinGen’s work in Germline disease domains. The Somatic CDWG works to ensure that each group is aware of available training materials and detailed standard operating procedures. Each SC-VCEP also coordinates with the ClinGen Cancer Variant Interpretation Committee (CVI) whose goal is to support development of granular specifications for the AMP/ASCO/CAP guidelines for somatic variant interpretation. New SC-VCEPs are anticipated to focus on specific clinically relevant genes, pathways, disease entities, variant classes or treatment modalities. Currently, three SC-VCEPs have begun to work through the four step process (focused on FGFR mutations, NTRK fusions, and FLT3 mutations respectively), and two more SC-VCEPs are in the planning stage (Histone H3 and Ph-like ALL). To date, ClinGen Somatic groups have contributed 619 evidence lines into CIViC from 353 published papers and 21 assertions of clinical significance. Input from the AACR community is critical for the establishment of new SC-VCEPs that address areas of variant interpretation with the greatest need. Citation Format: Jason Saliba, Gordana Raca, Angshumoy Roy, Ian King, Shamini Selvarajah, Xinjie Xu, Rashmi Kanagal-Shamanna, Laveniya Satgunaseelan, David Meredith, Mark Evans, Alanna Church, Panieh Terraf, Yassmine Akkari, Heather E. Williams, Wan-Hsin Lin, Chimene Kesserwan, Deborah I. Ritter, Kilannin Krysiak, Arpad Danos, Alex Wagner, Marilyn M. Li, Dmitriy Sonkin, Jonathan S. Berg, Sharon E. Plon, Heidi L. Rehm, Shashikant Kulkarni, Ramaswamy Govindan, Obi L. Griffith, Malachi Griffith, on behalf of the ClinGen Somatic CDWG. The Clinical Genome Resource (ClinGen) somatic cancer clinical domain working group [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2022; 2022 Apr 8-13. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2022;82(12_Suppl):Abstract nr 1192.
Expert Curation of Somatic FLT3 Variants By the Clingen Somatic Hematologic Cancer Taskforce (ClinGen HCT)
Shao, Xiangqiang , Mani, Coumarane, He, Rong , Danos, Arpad , Sheta, Lana , Terraf, Panieh, Raca, Gordana , Williams, Heather , Blombery, Piers , Viswanatha, David S., Jiang, Nan , Vavra, Kevin C., Zhang, Liying , Li, Yuwen , Zhong, Yiming , Matthew, Mariam T, Deeb, Kristin K. , Zhang, Fengli , Liu, Jie , Zhao, Xiaonan, Kopp, Nathan , Pondugula, Santhi , Fakim, Yasmina Jaufeerally , Wu, David , Pullarkat, Sheeja T. , Kulkarni, Shashikant , Madhavan, Subha , Kanagal‐Shamanna, Rashmi , Xu, Xinjie , Kanagal-Shamanna, Rashmi , Rao, Shruti , Saliba, Jason , Kesserwan, Chimene A. , Eno, Celeste , Jiang, Nan, Shi, Zonggao , Li, Peng , Ouseph, Madhu M. , Thompson, Ella R. , Krysiak, Kilannin , Wagner, Alex H. , McCoy, Matthew , Zhao, Xiaonan, Ferrer, Alejandro , Zhang, Wenying , Griffith, Obi L. , Griffith, Malachi

Blood | November 23, 2021 | Volume: 138 | Issue: Supplement 1 | Pages: 4387-4387

10.1182/blood-2021-153546 Get It

Abstract Clinical significance of somatic gene variants needs to be comprehensively characterized for their diagnostic, prognostic and/or therapeutic actionability in patient management. However, challenges remain due to discrepancies in interpretation and reporting of these somatic variants among different testing labs. Therefore, standardized curation, clinical interpretation and reporting of somatic variants in hematologic cancers is critical. To address this issue, the Hematologic Cancer Taskforce (HCT), composed of 52 multi-disciplinary experts including oncologists, molecular pathologists, lab directors, genomic scientists and biocurators, was formed in January 2020 within the ClinGen Somatic Cancer Clinical Domain Working Group (CDWG) with a goal to undertake systematic curation and evidence-based clinical interpretation of genes/somatic variants associated with hematologic malignancies. In collaboration with the Clinical Interpretation of Variants in Cancer (CIViC) (civicdb.org) knowledgebase, HCT members curate, edit, and verify Evidence Items for each variant extracted from peer-reviewed publications. Monthly discussions based on these Evidence Items lead to the preparation of variant Assertions, which summarize the state of the field consensus variant interpretation and include tiering based on the AMP/ASCO/CAP guidelines (PMID: 27993330). FMS-like tyrosine kinase 3 (FLT3) encodes a class III receptor tyrosine kinase expressed in hematopoietic cells. FLT3 mutations, including both internal tandem duplication (ITD) and mutations in the tyrosine kinase domain (TKD), are the most common mutations in acute myeloid leukemia (AML), occurring in approximately 30% of all AML cases. Implementing FLT3 tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) in different treatment regimens for FLT3 mutated AML patients has led to significantly improved overall survival. Type I FLT3 inhibitors, including midostaurin, gilteritinib, sunitinib, lestaurtinib, and crenolanib, bind to the ATP-binding site when the receptor is in active conformation. Type II FLT3 inhibitors, including sorafenib, ponatinib, and quizartinib, interact with a hydrophobic region directly adjacent to the ATP-binding domain that is only accessible when the receptor is inactive, which prevents receptor activation. Generally in AML cells, type I FLT3 inhibitors prevent activity for both ITD and TKD mutations, while Type II inhibitors target ITD but lack efficiency against TKD mutations. The development of TKD mutations in AML cells with ITD have proved to be a mechanism of acquired, or secondary resistance to Type II FLT3 inhibitors. The HCT is piloting curation assessments of FLT3 alterations, including ITD, TKD and non-TKD variants, in AML. So far, the HCT has curated 75 evidence items for FLT3 somatic variants. FLT3-ITD, as well as D835 and I836 were asserted as tier 1 level A variants based on the prediction of response to gilteritinib in relapsed/refractory AML (PMIDs: 27993330, 31665578, 28645776, 28516360, 27908881). Recent curation activities are focused on FLT3 D839G and N676K, as clinical trials using large AML patient cohorts are lacking in their ability to validate drug response/resistance associations of these two TKD variants due to their low frequency. Functional studies showed both variants result in increased proliferation and protection from apoptosis, supporting the oncogenic potential of these two variants (PMIDs: 26891877, 2468088). FLT3 D839G combined with ITD confers resistance to pexidartinib and ponatinib, both Type II FLT3 inhibitors (PMIDs: 25847190, 23430109). FLT3 N676K predicts response to the Type I FLT3 inhibitor, gilteritinib, when N676K is present alone or in combination with ITD. Interestingly, FLT3 N676K in the absence of ITD predicts response to sorafenib, a Type II FLT3 inhibitor (PMIDs: 32040554, 32984009). However, these results are mostly derived from in vitro studies. Two separate Tier II, Level D Assertions have been submitted for FLT3-ITD&D839G for its response to pexidartinib and ponatinib, and more evidence is being collected to form an Assertion for FLT3 N676K. The complexity of the prediction of response/resistance associated with FLT3 D839G and N676K supports the importance of evidence-based curation and collection for these variants in the context of the overall mutation profile, disease context and specific FLT3 TKIs to clearly define their clinical impact. Disclosures Pullarkat: Stemline Therapeutics: Honoraria.
Abstract 449: A standard operating procedure for the curation of gene fusions
Terraf, Panieh, Coard, Thomas, Ritter, Deborah , Tańska, Anna , Berlin, Aaron M., Lu, Anna, Williams, Heather , Lin, Wan‐Hsin , Danos, Arpad , Xu, Huiling , Xu, Xinjie , Ryland, Georgina L., Zhang, Liying , Rapisardo, Sarah, Rehder, Catherine , Pallavajjala, Aparna, Park, Nicole, Satgunaseelan, Laveniya , Liu, Jie , Stenzinger, Albrecht , Lee, Jennifer, Roy, Angshumoy , Raca, Gordana , Satgunaseelan, Laveniya , Wagner, Alex H. , Vlachos, Ioannis S. , Sonkin, Dmitriy , Kesserwan, Chimene A. , Sboner, Andrea , Reich, Christian , Horak, Peter , Zou, Ying , Cameron, Daniel , Törüner, Gökçe , Saliba, Jason , Ceccarelli, Michele , Liu, Xuelu, Lee, Kristy , Griffith, Obi L. , Freimuth, Robert R. , Baughn, Linda B. , Baudis, Michael , Li, Marilyn M

Cancer Research | July 1, 2021 | Volume: 81 | Issue: 13_Supplement | Pages: 449-449

10.1158/1538-7445.am2021-449 Get It

Abstract Despite the well-established role of recurrent gene fusions as oncogenic drivers, current practices for characterizing and interpreting gene fusion events in clinical testing and in biomedical literature are inconsistent. From the conceptual definition of gene fusions to the salient elements that characterize these alterations, a lack of community-driven standards for the curation of gene fusions has resulted in a disparate landscape of fusion representations and supporting tools. Consequently, the evidence-based clinical evaluation of gene fusions requires extensive expert review for accurate interpretation of observed gene fusions with respect to putative evidence from biomedical literature. Furthermore, the lack of these standards inhibits the interoperability of tools, resources, and pipelines - impeding data sharing and downstream utility.To address these challenges, a cross-consortia initiative between the Variant Interpretation for Cancer Consortium and ClinGen was formed to develop a standard operating procedure (SOP) for the curation of gene fusions. The SOP is under development by an international and diverse set of experts in the representation, detection, and clinical interpretation of gene fusions. Participating stakeholders across academic, government, and industry sectors showcased challenges and solutions, and participated in community surveys and discussions to define and develop the SOP for this diverse class of alterations.An initial result of this effort was the precise molecular definition of genomic events and features constituting gene fusions. We distinguish these from similar but distinct classes of structural alterations through clinically-relevant examples. Next, we discuss our findings on community practices around the description and evaluation of gene fusions. We provide our recommendations for characterization and representation of gene fusions from these practices, and compare these recommendations to existing variant representation standards and formats (e.g. HGVS variant nomenclature). We also discuss the concurrent application of formats for standardized human- and machine-readable representations of gene fusion events.We conclude with discussion of the salient elements to enable rapid, scalable, and consistent evaluation of fusions curated from the biomedical literature. Recommendations are provided for the standardized capture of these elements to enable both intuitive and precise characterization of this diverse class of alterations in clinical reporting and literature. In summary, we provide a clinical-practice driven framework and nomenclature for gene fusions, including recommendations for human readability, computational precision, and data integrity within the SOP. This work is a substantial advancement towards standardized communication, investigation, and sharing of gene fusion data across clinical and research domains and specialties. Citation Format: Alex H. Wagner, Ioannis S. Vlachos, Dmitriy Sonkin, Panieh Terraf, Chimene Kesserwan, Andrea Sboner, Thomas Coard, Christian Reich, Deborah I. Ritter, Peter Horak, Ying S. Zou, Anna Tanska, Aaron M. Berlin, Anna Lu, Daniel Cameron, Heather E. Williams, Wan-Hsin Lin, Gokce Toruner, Arpad Danos, Jason Saliba, Huiling Xu, Xinjie Xu, Georgina Ryland, Michele Ceccarelli, Liying Zhang, Sarah Rapisardo, Catherine Rehder, Xuelu Liu, Aparna Pallavajjala, Nicole Park, Laveniya Satgunaseelan, Kristy Lee, Jie Liu, Obi Griffith, Robert R. Freimuth, Albrecht Stenzinger, Linda B. Baughn, Michael Baudis, Jennifer Lee, Marilyn Li, Angshumoy Roy, Gordana Raca. A standard operating procedure for the curation of gene fusions [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2021; 2021 Apr 10-15 and May 17-21. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2021;81(13_Suppl):Abstract nr 449.
Abstract 210: Advancing knowledgebase representation of pediatric cancer variants through ClinGen/CIViC collaboration
Danos, Arpad , Lin, Wan‐Hsin , Roy, Angshumoy , Church, Alanna J. , Ritter, Deborah , Sheta, Lana , McMichael, Joshua F. , Williams, Heather , Hiemenz, Matthew , Janeway, Katherine A. , Ji, Jianling , Chimene, Kesserwan A., Fuqua, Laura, Dyer, Lisa , Xu, Huiling , Jean, Jeffrey, Satgunaseelan, Laveniya , Zhang, Liying , Laetsch, Ted, Parsons, Donald W., Schmidt, Ryan J. , Sund, Kristen L. , Kulkarni, Shashikant , Madhavan, Subha , Xu, Xinjie , Kanagal-Shamana, Rashmi, Harris, Marian H. , Akkari, Yasmine, Yacov, Nurit Paz, Terraf, Panieh, Raca, Gordana , Satgunaseelan, Laveniya , Saliba, Jason , Rao, Shruti , Krysiak, Kilannin , Wagner, Alex H. , Barnell, Erica K. , Coffman, Adam , Kiwala, Susanna , Corson, Laura , Fisher, Kevin E. , Fuqua, Laura, Schriml, Lynn M , Griffith, Malachi , Griffith, Obi L.

Cancer Research | July 1, 2021 | Volume: 81 | Issue: 13_Supplement | Pages: 210-210

10.1158/1538-7445.am2021-210 Get It

Abstract Childhood cancers are driven by unique profiles of somatic genetic alterations, with a significant contribution from predisposing germline variants. Understanding the genomic landscape of pediatric cancers is complicated by their rarity, the heterogeneity of variation within a given disease, and the complex forms of structural variation they contain. Variants in childhood disease may differ from those in adult versions of the same cancer type, or may have different clinical significance. Currently, pediatric variants are underrepresented in cancer variant databases, and an urgent need exists for their publicly available expert curation. To address this, the Pediatric Cancer Taskforce (PCT) was formed within the Clinical Genome Resource (ClinGen) Somatic Cancer Clinical Domain Working Group (CDWG) (https://www.clinicalgenome.org/working-groups/somatic/). The PCT is a multi-institutional group of 39 members with broad experience in childhood cancer and variant curation, whose work consists of standardization and classification of genetic variants in pediatric cancers. The CIViC knowledgebase (www.civicdb.org) is a freely available resource for Clinical Interpretation of Variants in Cancer, which leverages public curation and expert moderation to address the problem of annotating the large volume of clinically actionable cancer variants. PCT curators work together with PCT expert members and the CIViC team on variant curation, and have submitted over 230 Evidence Items and over 10 Assertions to CIViC. To further address issues specific to pediatric curation, the PCT is working with CIViC to develop new pediatric-specific CIViC features and modifications of the data model that will aid in pediatric curation. A pediatric user interface, as well as representation of large scale structural and copy number variation are being developed for version two of CIViC, expected to be released in 1-2 years, which will enable curation of a new class of structural variants often encountered in pediatric cancer. A novel standard operating procedure for childhood cancer curation in CIViC is being developed by PCT experts, curators and the CIViC team. This SOP will cover topics including curation of structural variants, as well as pediatric-specific variant tiering guidelines which take into account the sparse nature of evidence in pediatric cases. A companion resource, CIViCmine (http://bionlp.bcgsc.ca/civicmine/), will be further developed to incorporate pediatric data. These and other joint efforts of the PCT and CIViC will significantly enhance pediatric variant representation for public use, to support the care of children with cancer. Citation Format: Arpad Danos, Wan-Hsin Lin, Jason Saliba, Angshumoy Roy, Alanna J. Church, Shruti Rao, Deborah Ritter, Kilannin Krysiak, Alex Wagner, Erica Barnell, Lana Sheta, Adam Coffman, Susanna Kiwala, Joshua F. McMichael, Laura Corson, Kevin Fisher, Heather E. Williams, Matthew Hiemenz, Katherine A. Janeway, Jianling Ji, Kesserwan A. Chimene, Laura Fuqua, Lisa Dyer, Huiling Xu, Jeffrey Jean, Laveniya Satgunaseelan, Liying Zhang, Ted W. Laetsch, Donald W. Parsons, Ryan Schmidt, Lynn M. Schriml, Kristen L. Sund, Shashikant Kulkarni, Subha Madhavan, Xinjie Xu, Rashmi Kanagal-Shamana, Marian Harris, Yasmine Akkari, Nurit Paz Yacov, Panieh Terraf, Malachi Griffith, Obi L. Griffith, Gordana Raca. Advancing knowledgebase representation of pediatric cancer variants through ClinGen/CIViC collaboration [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2021; 2021 Apr 10-15 and May 17-21. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2021;81(13_Suppl):Abstract nr 210.
Abstract 208: Development of Evidence Statement curation algorithms to aid cancer variant interpretation
Sheta, Lana , Danos, Arpad , Marr, Alexander , Pema, Shahil , Lin, Wan‐Hsin , Terraf, Panieh, McMichael, Joshua F. , Saliba, Jason , Krysiak, Kilannin , Barnell, Erica K. , Grisdale, Cameron J. , Rao, Shruti , Kiwala, Susanna , Coffman, Adam , Wagner, Alex H. , Griffith, Obi L. , Griffith, Malachi

Cancer Research | July 1, 2021 | Volume: 81 | Issue: 13_Supplement | Pages: 208-208

10.1158/1538-7445.am2021-208 Get It

Abstract The Clinical Interpretation of Variants in Cancer (CIViC) knowledgebase (civicdb.org) is an open access, centralized hub for structured, community curated and expertly moderated relationships between genomic variants and cancer. Evidence is curated from peer-reviewed, published literature and is classified into one of five Types: Predisposing, Diagnostic, Prognostic, Predictive (therapeutic), or Functional. The robustness of the Evidence is conveyed through the assignment of Levels with the first three derived from patient studies (Validated, Clinical, Case Study), Preclinical, generated from in vivo or in vitro data, and Inferential, which describes indirect associations. Each Evidence Item requires an Evidence Statement written in the curator's own words summarizing the source's results regarding the variant's clinical impact. Collaborations with groups like ClinGen have generated a significant influx of new curators, increasing the demand for detailed principles regarding data prioritization in the Evidence Statement in order to streamline the curation process. The curation community would benefit from simpler, visual guides through the complex decisions needed to appropriately and consistently curate Evidence Items. We are devoting significant effort to continue the development of straightforward Evidence curation algorithms (decision trees) similar to those used in clinical molecular testing labs to aid CIViC curators. Previously published guidelines on development of these statements are the basis of our Evidence algorithms. Obvious inflection points for curators are clearly identified with specific details noted for each to optimize decision efficiency. As the predominant Evidence Type comprising 57% of all CIViC submissions, 58% of referenced patient trials, and 92% of Preclinical submissions, Predictive Evidence is the initial focus of our pilot guidelines with Diagnostic and Prognostic to follow. Within the Predictive Evidence Type, clinical trials, case studies, and preclinical Levels each require vastly different Evidence Statement details and ultimately the creation of three separate, uniquely modeled algorithms. The implementation of these algorithms will assist in streamlining both curation and the expert review process. Notably, a template is not being created, as the preservation of curator style and voice is important to maintain the community feel of the database. To ensure the highest level of clarity, our team is utilizing specific novice and experienced curators to assist with the development process. As these algorithms pass the pilot phase, they are being tested as curator training tools. Ultimately, these guidelines will be used to encourage independence in curators and to enhance the Evidence already contained in CIViC. Citation Format: Jason Saliba, Lana Sheta, Kilannin Krysiak, Arpad Danos, Alex Marr, Erica Barnell, Shahil Pema, Wan-Hsin Lin, Panieh Terraf, Joshua F. McMichael, Cameron J. Grisdale, Shruti Rao, Susanna Kiwala, Adam Coffman, Alex Wagner, Obi L. Griffith, Malachi Griffith. Development of Evidence Statement curation algorithms to aid cancer variant interpretation [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2021; 2021 Apr 10-15 and May 17-21. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2021;81(13_Suppl):Abstract nr 208.
Expert Curation of Somatic Variants in Hematological Malignancies By the Clingen Somatic Hematological Cancer Taskforce (ClinGen HCT)
Kanagal‐Shamanna, Rashmi , Terraf, Panieh, Raca, Gordana , Danos, Arpad , Mani, Coumarane, Williams, Heather , Jiang, Nan , Vavra, Kevin C., Zhang, Liying , Li, Peng , Li, Yuwen , Ouseph, Madhu M. , Zhong, Yiming , Hinceman, Nicole, He, Rong , Matthew, Mariam T, Deeb, Kristin K. , Zhang, Fengli , Liu, Jie , Viswanatha, David S., Blombery, Piers , Wu, David , Kulkarni, Shashikant , Madhavan, Subha , Xu, Xinjie , Kanagal-Shamanna, Rashmi , Rao, Shruti , Saliba, Jason , Shi, Zonggao , Thompson, Ella R. , Krysiak, Kilannin , Wagner, Alex H. , McCoy, Matthew

Blood | February 8, 2021 | Volume: 136 | Issue: Supplement 1 | Pages: 23-23

10.1182/blood-2020-143028 Get It

Hematological malignancies comprise a genetically heterogeneous spectrum of diseases caused by abnormal proliferation or maturation of a variety of hematological cell lineages. Genomic abnormalities including chromosomal translocations, copy number variations and sequence level gene mutations underlie the pathogenesis of these disorders and frequently serve as important diagnostic, prognostic and/or therapeutic markers. However, the substantial discrepancy in interpretation and reporting of these genomic abnormalities among testing labs creates challenges for patient management. Therefore, standardizing the curation, clinical interpretation and reporting of somatic alterations within the context of their diagnostic, prognostic and therapeutic significance in hematological cancers is critical. In January 2020, the ClinGen Somatic Cancer Clinical Domain working group formed the Hematological Cancer Taskforce (HCT) with a goal to undertake systematic curation and evidence-based clinical interpretation of genes/somatic variants associated with hematological malignancies. The HCT has recruited 32 multi-disciplinary experts including oncologists, molecular pathologists, clinical lab directors, genomic scientists and biocurators with expertise in hematological malignancies. In collaboration with the Clinical Interpretation of Variants in Cancer (CIViC) (civicdb.org) knowledgebase, variants from peer-reviewed publications are curated with editor review for clinical utility as evidence items. Monthly discussions based on these evidence items lead to the creation of summary variant assertions using the AMP/ASCO/CAP guidelines (Li M, et al., Journal of Molecular Diagnostics, 2017). The HCT is currently focused on expert curation and clinical interpretation of somatic variants in FLT3 (internal tandem duplication, tyrosine kinase domain and non tyrosine kinase domain variants) in acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Expert curation of gene fusions in Philadelphia chromosome-like acute lymphoblastic leukemia (Ph-like ALL) in collaboration with the ClinGen somatic pediatric cancer taskforce is currently underway. To date, the HCT has curated 45 evidence items from clinical and pre-clinical studies on the aforementioned genes/variants. In addition, three AMP Tier I, level A variant assertions of FLT3-ITD, D835 and I836, which predict response to Gilteritinib, an FDA-approved drug for relapsed or refractory AML, have been curated. In the future, the HCT plans to extend its focus on curation of BCR-ABL1 kinase domain mutations in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). Based on the initial pilot curation phase, the HCT will develop gene-specific recommendations to standardize the reporting and interpretation of somatic variants to better assist clinical decisions and apply to become official ClinGen Somatic Expert Panels in each of these gene-disease domains. Disclosures Blombery: Novartis: Consultancy; Invivoscribe: Honoraria; Amgen: Consultancy; Janssen: Honoraria.
Abstract 5707: A standard operating procedure for the interpretation of oncogenicity/pathogenicity of somatic mutations
Danos, Arpad , Madhavan, Subha , Lee, Jennifer , Raca, Gordana , Kulkarni, Shashikant , Griffith, Obi L., Horak, Peter , Griffith, Malachi , Pitel, Beth A. , Liu, Xuelu, Li, Shirley, Wagner, Alex H. , Griffith, Obi L. , Chakravarty, Debyani , Sonkin, Dmitriy

Cancer Research | September 4, 2020 | Volume: 80 | Issue: 16_Supplement | Pages: 5707-5707

10.1158/1538-7445.am2020-5707 Get It

Abstract Somatic variants in cancer-relevant genes are interpreted from multiple partially overlapping perspectives. When considered in discovery and translational research endeavors, it is important to determine if a particular variant observed in a gene of interest is oncogenic/pathogenic or not, as such knowledge provides the foundation on which targeted cancer treatment research is based. In contrast, clinical applications are dominated by diagnostic, prognostic, or therapeutic interpretations which in part also depends on underlying variant oncogenicity/pathogenicity. The Association for Molecular Pathology, the American Society of Clinical Oncology, and the College of American Pathologists (AMP/ASCO/CAP) have published structured somatic variant clinical interpretation guidelines which specifically address diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic implications. These guidelines have been well-received by the oncology community. Many variant knowledgebases, clinical laboratories/centers have adopted or are in the process of adopting these guidelines. The AMP/ASCO/CAP guidelines also describe different data types which are used to determine oncogenicity/pathogenicity of a variant, such as: population frequency, functional data, computational predictions, segregation, and somatic frequency. A second collaborative effort created the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Scale for Clinical Actionability of molecular Targets to provide a harmonized vocabulary that provides an evidence-based ranking system of molecular targets that supports their value as clinical targets. However, neither of these clinical guideline systems provide systematic and comprehensive procedures for aggregating population frequency, functional data, computational predictions, segregation, and somatic frequency to consistently interpret variant oncogenicity/pathogenicity, as has been published in the ACMG/AMP guidelines for interpretation of pathogenicity of germline variants. In order to address this unmet need for somatic variant oncogenicity/pathogenicity interpretation procedures, the Variant Interpretation for Cancer Consortium (VICC, a GA4GH driver project) Knowledge Curation and Interpretation Standards (KCIS) working group (WG) has developed a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) with contributions from members of ClinGen Somatic Clinical Domain WG, and ClinGen Somatic/Germline variant curation WG using an approach similar to the ACMG/AMP germline pathogenicity guidelines to categorize evidence of oncogenicity/pathogenicity as very strong, strong, moderate or supporting. This SOP enables consistent and comprehensive assessment of oncogenicity/pathogenicity of somatic variants and latest version of an SOP can be found at https://cancervariants.org/wg/kcis/. Citation Format: Peter Horak, Malachi Griffith, Arpad Danos, Beth A. Pitel, Subha Madhavan, Xuelu Liu, Jennifer Lee, Gordana Raca, Shirley Li, Alex H. Wagner, Shashikant Kulkarni, Obi L. Griffith, Debyani Chakravarty, Dmitriy Sonkin. A standard operating procedure for the interpretation of oncogenicity/pathogenicity of somatic mutations [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research 2020; 2020 Apr 27-28 and Jun 22-24. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(16 Suppl):Abstract nr 5707.