Project description:<p>This study contains whole genome sequence data and harmonized phenotype variables produced as part of NHLBI's <i>Trans-Omics for Precision Medicine</i> (TOPMed) <i>Whole Genome Sequencing</i> (WGS) project.</p> <p>The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) <i>Trans-Omics for Precision Medicine</i> (TOPMed) program is designed to generate scientific resources to enhance understanding of fundamental biological processes that underlie heart, lung, blood and sleep disorders (HLBS). It is part of a broader <i>Precision Medicine Initiative</i> which aims to provide disease treatments that are tailored to an individual's unique genes and environment. TOPMed will contribute to this initiative through the integration of whole-genome sequencing (WGS) and other -omics (e.g., metabolic profiles, protein and RNA expression patterns) data with molecular, behavioral, imaging, environmental, and clinical data. In doing so this program seeks to uncover factors that increase or decrease the risk of disease, identify subtypes of disease, and develop more targeted and personalized treatments. The <i>Whole Genome Sequencing</i> (WGS) project is part of NHLBI's TOPMed program and serves as an initial step for the larger initiative.</p> <p>Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the fourth leading cause of death in the United States and the only leading cause of death that is steadily increasing in frequency. This project established a racially diverse cohort that is sufficiently large and appropriately designed for genome-wide association analysis of COPD. A total of 10,720 subjects were recruited, including control smokers and nonsmokers, definite COPD cases (GOLD Stage 2 to 4), and subjects not included in either group (GOLD 1 and PRISm). This cohort is being used for cross-sectional analysis, and long-term longitudinal follow-up visits after five years and after ten years are also being performed. The primary focus of the study is to identify the genetic risk factors that determine susceptibility for COPD and COPD-related phenotypes. Detailed phenotyping of both cases and controls, including chest CT scan assessment of emphysema and airway disease, will allow identification of genetic determinants for the heterogeneous components of the COPD syndrome. <b>The hypotheses to be studied are: 1) Precise phenotypic characterization of COPD subjects using computed tomography, as well as clinical and physiological measures, will provide data that will enable the broad COPD syndrome to be decomposed into clinically significant subtypes. 2) Genome-wide association studies will identify genetic determinants for COPD susceptibility that will provide insight into clinically relevant COPD subtypes. 3) Distinct genetic determinants influence the development of emphysema and airway disease.</b> The TOPMed analysis will include approximately 10,500 subjects with whole genome sequencing after quality control is completed.</p> <p>Comprehensive phenotypic data for COPDGene subjects is available through dbGaP entry <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/projects/gap/cgi-bin/study.cgi?study_id=phs000179.v5.p2">phs179.v5.p2</a>.</p>