Breast cancer imposes a significant burden globally. While the survival rate is steadily improving, much remains to be elucidated. This observational, single time point, multiomic study utilizing genomics, proteomics, targeted and untargeted metabolomics, and metagenomics in a breast cancer survivor (BCS) and age-matched healthy control cohort (N = 100) provides deep molecular phenotyping of breast cancer survivors. In this study, the BCS cohort had significantly higher polygenic risk scores for breast cancer than the control group. Carnitine and hexanoyl carnitine were significantly different. Several bile acid and fatty acid metabolites were significantly dissimilar, most notably the Omega-3 Index (O3I) (significantly lower in BCS). Proteomic and metagenomic analyses identified group and pathway differences, which warrant further investigation. The database built from this study contributes a wealth of data on breast cancer survivorship where there has been a paucity, affording the ability to identify patterns and novel insights that can drive new hypotheses and inform future research. Expansion of this database in the treatment-naïve, newly diagnosed, controlling for treatment confounders, and through the disease progression, can be leveraged to profile and contextualize breast cancer and breast cancer survivorship, potentially leading to the development of new strategies to combat this disease and improve the quality of life for its victims.
Multiomic profiling can reveal population heterogeneity for both health and disease states. Obesity drives a myriad of metabolic perturbations and is a risk factor for multiple chronic diseases. Here we report an atlas of cross-sectional and longitudinal changes in 1,111 blood analytes associated with variation in body mass index (BMI), as well as multiomic associations with host polygenic risk scores and gut microbiome composition, from a cohort of 1,277 individuals enrolled in a wellness program (Arivale). Machine learning model predictions of BMI from blood multiomics captured heterogeneous phenotypic states of host metabolism and gut microbiome composition better than BMI, which was also validated in an external cohort (TwinsUK). Moreover, longitudinal analyses identified variable BMI trajectories for different omics measures in response to a healthy lifestyle intervention; metabolomics-inferred BMI decreased to a greater extent than actual BMI, whereas proteomics-inferred BMI exhibited greater resistance to change. Our analyses further identified blood analyte-analyte associations that were modified by metabolomics-inferred BMI and partially reversed in individuals with metabolic obesity during the intervention. Taken together, our findings provide a blood atlas of the molecular perturbations associated with changes in obesity status, serving as a resource to quantify metabolic health for predictive and preventive medicine.
Background Genetics play an important role in late-onset Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) etiology and dozens of genetic variants have been implicated in AD risk through large-scale GWAS meta-analyses. However, the precise mechanistic effects of most of these variants have yet to be determined. Deeply phenotyped cohort data can reveal physiological changes associated with genetic risk for AD across an age spectrum that may provide clues to the biology of the disease. Methods We utilized over 2000 high-quality quantitative measurements obtained from blood of 2831 cognitively normal adult clients of a consumer-based scientific wellness company, each with CLIA-certified whole-genome sequencing data. Measurements included: clinical laboratory blood tests, targeted chip-based proteomics, and metabolomics. We performed a phenome-wide association study utilizing this diverse blood marker data and 25 known AD genetic variants, adjusting for sex, age, vendor (for clinical labs), and the first four genetic principal components; sex-SNP interactions were also assessed. Results We observed statistically significant SNP-analyte associations for five genetic variants after correction for multiple testing (for SNPs in or near NYAP1 , ABCA7 , INPP5D , and APOE ), with effects detectable from early adulthood. The ABCA7 SNP and the APOE2 and APOE4 encoding alleles were associated with lipid variability, as seen in previous studies; in addition, six novel proteins were associated with the e2 allele. The most statistically significant finding was between the NYAP1 variant and PILRA and PILRB protein levels, supporting previous functional genomic studies in the identification of a putative causal variant within the PILRA gene. Sex modified the effects of four genetic variants, with multiple interrelated immune-modulating effects associated with the PICALM variant. In post-hoc analysis, sex-stratified GWAS results from an independent AD case-control meta-analysis supported sex-specific disease effects of the PICALM variant, highlighting the importance of sex as a biological variable. Conclusions Known AD genetic variation influenced lipid metabolism and immune response systems in a population of non-AD individuals, with associations observed from early adulthood onward. Further research is needed to determine whether and how these effects are implicated in early-stage biological pathways to AD. These analyses aim to complement ongoing work on the functional interpretation of AD-associated genetic variants.
Background: Genetics play an important role in late-onset Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) etiology and dozens of genetic variants have been implicated in AD risk through large-scale GWAS meta-analyses. However, the precise mechanistic effects of most of these variants have yet to be determined. Deeply phenotyped cohort data can reveal physiological changes associated with genetic risk for AD across an age spectrum that may provide clues to the biology of the disease.Methods: We utilized over 2000 high-quality quantitative measurements obtained from blood of 2831 cognitively normal adult clients of a consumer-based scientific wellness company, each with CLIA-certified whole-genome sequencing data. Measurements included: clinical laboratory blood tests, targeted chip-based proteomics, and metabolomics. We performed a phenome-wide association study utilizing this diverse blood marker data and 25 known AD genetic variants, adjusting for sex, age, vendor (for clinical labs), and the first four genetic principal components; sex-SNP interactions were also assessed.Results: We observed statistically significant SNP-analyte associations for five genetic variants after correction for multiple testing (for SNPs in or near NYAP1, ABCA7, INPP5D, and APOE), with effects detectable from early adulthood. The ABCA7 SNP and the APOE2 and APOE4 encoding alleles were associated with lipid variability, as seen in previous studies; in addition, six novel proteins were associated with the e2 allele. The most statistically significant finding was between the NYAP1 variant and PILRA and PILRB protein levels, supporting previous functional genomic studies in the identification of a putative causal variant within the PILRA gene. Sex modified the effects of four genetic variants, with multiple interrelated immune-modulating effects associated with the PICALM variant. In post-hoc analysis, sex-stratified GWAS results from an independent AD case-control meta-analysis supported sex-specific disease effects of the PICALM variant, highlighting the importance of sex as a biological variable.Conclusions: Known AD genetic variation influenced lipid metabolism and immune response systems in a population of non-AD individuals, with associations observed from early adulthood onward. Further research is needed to determine whether and how these effects are implicated in early-stage biological pathways to AD. These analyses aim to complement ongoing work on the functional interpretation of AD-associated genetic variants.
Cancer cells are adept at reprogramming energy metabolism, and the precise manifestation of this metabolic reprogramming exhibits heterogeneity across individuals (and from cell to cell). In this study, we analyzed the metabolic differences between interpersonal heterogeneous cancer phenotypes. We used divergence analysis on gene expression data of 1156 breast normal and tumor samples from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and integrated this information with a genome-scale reconstruction of human metabolism to generate personalized, context-specific metabolic networks. Using this approach, we classified the samples into four distinct groups based on their metabolic profiles. Enrichment analysis of the subsystems indicated that amino acid metabolism, fatty acid oxidation, citric acid cycle, androgen and estrogen metabolism, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) detoxification distinguished these four groups. Additionally, we developed a workflow to identify potential drugs that can selectively target genes associated with the reactions of interest. MG-132 (a proteasome inhibitor) and OSU-03012 (a celecoxib derivative) were the top-ranking drugs identified from our analysis and known to have anti-tumor activity. Our approach has the potential to provide mechanistic insights into cancer-specific metabolic dependencies, ultimately enabling the identification of potential drug targets for each patient independently, contributing to a rational personalized medicine approach.
Deeply phenotyped cohort data can elucidate differences associated with genetic risk for common complex diseases across an age spectrum. Previous work has identified genetic variants associated with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) risk from large-scale genome-wide association study meta-analyses. To explore effects of known AD-risk variants, we performed a phenome-wide association study on ~2000 clinical, proteomic, and metabolic blood-based analytes obtained from 2,831 cognitively normal adult clients of a consumer-based scientific wellness company. Results uncovered statistically significant SNP-analyte associations for five genetic variants after correction for multiple testing (for SNPs in or near NYAP1, ABCA7, INPP5D , and APOE ). These effects were detectable from early adulthood. Sex modified the effects of four genetic variants, with multiple interrelated immune-modulating effects associated with the PICALM variant. Sex-stratified GWAS results from an independent AD case-control meta-analysis supported sexspecific disease effects of the PICALM variant, highlighting the importance of sex as a biological variable. These analyses support evidence from previous functional genomics studies in the identification of a causal variant within the PILRA gene. Taken together, this study highlights clues to the earliest effects of AD genetic risk variants in individuals where disease symptoms have not (yet) arisen.
A Correction to this paper has been published: https://doi.org/10.1038/s42255-021-00377-9.
The Pioneer 100 Wellness Project involved quantitatively profiling 108 participants ? molecular physiology over time, including genomes, gut microbiomes, blood metabolomes, blood proteomes, clinical chemistries, and data from wearable devices. Here, we present a longitudinal analysis focused specifically around the Pioneer 100 gut microbiomes. We distinguished a subpopulation of individuals with reduced gut diversity, elevated relative abundance of the genus Prevotella , and reduced levels of the genus Bacteroides . We found that the relative abundances of Bacteroides and Prevotella were significantly correlated with certain serum metabolites, including omega -6 fatty acids. Primary dimensions in distance -based redun- dancy analysis of clinical chemistries explained 18.5% of the variance in bacterial community composition, and revealed a Bacteroides/ Prevotella dichotomy aligned with inflammation and dietary markers. Finally, longitudinal analysis of gut microbiome dynamics within individuals showed that direct transitions between Bacteroides - dominated and Prevotella -dominated communities were rare, sug- gesting the presence of a barrier between these states. One implication is that interventions seeking to transition between Bacteroides - and Prevotella -dominated communities will need to identify permissible paths through ecological state -space that circumvent this apparent barrier.
Many studies have demonstrated that biological age (BA) varies significantly among individuals of similar chronological age. A recent study by Ahadi et al. used longitudinal and deep multi-omic profiling to identify individuals with distinct BA phenotypes or 'ageotypes'. These ageotypes open new avenues to creating diagnostic and treatment strategies that may slow the aging process based on the unique biochemistry of each individual.
We present an integrated analysis of the clinical measurements, immune cells, and plasma multi-omics of 139 COVID-19 patients representing all levels of disease severity, from serial blood draws collected during the first week of infection following diagnosis. We identify a major shift between mild and moderate disease, at which point elevated inflammatory signaling is accompanied by the loss of specific classes of metabolites and metabolic processes. Within this stressed plasma environment at moderate disease, multiple unusual immune cell phenotypes emerge and amplify with increasing disease severity. We condensed over 120,000 immune features into a single axis to capture how different immune cell classes coordinate in response to SARS-CoV-2. This immune-response axis independently aligns with the major plasma composition changes, with clinical metrics of blood clotting, and with the sharp transition between mild and moderate disease. This study suggests that moderate disease may provide the most effective setting for therapeutic intervention.
Significance Most diseases do not develop suddenly, but rather involve the gradual malfunction of physiological processes due to genetic and environmental influences. Here, we study blood measurements from 4,905 individuals and find that people at elevated genetic risk for various diseases have hundreds of detectable changes in blood protein and metabolite levels as well as clinical laboratory tests. These changes tend to also be present in people with the disease, suggesting that they represent early signs of physiological dysfunction occurring before the onset of disease symptoms.
Genetics play an important role in late-onset Alzheimer's Disease (AD) etiology. As AD develops over decades, elucidating the biological effects of AD-associated genetic variation across the adult lifespan may illuminate underlying processes in the causal pathway for AD, and potentially provide novel mid-life targets for behavioral and drug intervention. The Institute for Systems Biology (ISB), in partnership with a commercial scientific wellness company, Arivale, utilized over 1000 high-quality quantitative measurements obtained from blood of 2832 participants aged 18 to 89+ (mean age: 48±12 years), each with CLIA-certified whole-genome sequencing data. Measurements included: clinical laboratory tests (63 standard measurements); targeted chip-based proteomics (274 proteins associated with cardiovascular disease and inflammation); and Metabolon metabolomics (753 metabolites). We performed a phenome-wide association study utilizing this diverse blood marker data and 29 known AD genetic variants previously identified in multiple GWAS, adjusting for sex, age, vendor (for clinical labs), and the first four genetic principal components. After adjustment for multiple comparisons (FDR-adjusted p-value<0.05), APOE4 carrier status was significantly associated with increased levels of LDL cholesterol markers compared to non-carriers, while APOE2 carrier status was associated with lower levels of LDL cholesterol markers. APOE4 was also associated with decreased high-sensitivity CRP compared to non-carriers. APOE2 was associated with changes in multiple lipid metabolites (arachidonoyl glycerols, mono- and diacylglycerols, sphingolipids, and the bile acid glycodeoxycholate), and increased expression of two proteins: LDLR and HMOX2. The ABCA7 variant (rs4147929) was associated with lower levels of two sphingolipids, while the CD33-associated variant (rs3865444) was associated with lower levels of a lysolipid. The HLA-DRB5/HLA-DRB1 variant (rs9271192) was associated with higher expression of two inflammatory proteins, CCL19 and IL10. These associations (ABCA7, HLA-DRB5/DRB1, and CC33) were observed across all age groups when stratified by decade. Known AD genetic variation influences lipid metabolism and immune response systems in a population of non-AD individuals, with associations observed from early adulthood onward. Further research is needed to determine whether and how these effects are implicated in early-stage biological pathways to AD. These analyses aim to complement ongoing work on the functional interpretation of AD-associated genetic variants.
Abstract Biological age (BA) has been shown to be a better predictor of mortality and disease than chronological age (CA). Aging’s diverse effects are visible across many data types. We investigated BA from deep phenotyping of 3558 wellness program participants and controls. The Klemera-Doubal BA estimation algorithm was applied to genetic and longitudinal clinical laboratory, metabolomic, and proteomic assay data. BA trajectories were calculated using Generalized Estimating Equations. BA of individuals with Type-2 Diabetes averaged 6+ years greater than CA. Wellness program participation decreased individuals’ rate of aging (coefficient: -0.16, 95% CI: -0.45, 0.19), with effects dependent on sex, initial BA, and CA. Measures of metabolic health, inflammation, and toxin bioaccumulation were strong predictors across data types and sex. Deep phenotyping enabled calculation of a BA measure and a wellness program improved BA, either in absolute terms or relative to CA, showing it is modifiable.
Biological age (BA), derived from molecular and physiological measurements, has been proposed to better predict mortality and disease than chronological age (CA). In the present study, a computed estimate of BA was investigated longitudinally in 3,558 individuals using deep phenotyping, which encompassed a broad range of biological processes. The Klemera-Doubal algorithm was applied to longitudinal data consisting of genetic, clinical laboratory, metabolomic, and proteomic assays from individuals undergoing a wellness program. BA was elevated relative to CA in the presence of chronic diseases. We observed a significantly lower rate of change than the expected similar to 1 year/year (to which the estimation algorithm was constrained) in BA for individuals participating in a wellness program. This observation suggests that BA is modifiable and suggests that a lower BA relative to CA may be a sign of healthy aging. Measures of metabolic health, inflammation, and toxin bioaccumulation were strong predictors of BA. BA estimation from deep phenotyping was seen to change in the direction expected for both positive and negative health conditions. We believe BA represents a general and interpretable "metric for wellness" that may aid in monitoring aging over time.
Depleted gut microbiome α-diversity is associated with several human diseases, but the extent to which this is reflected in the host molecular phenotype is poorly understood. We attempted to predict gut microbiome α-diversity from ~1,000 blood analytes (laboratory tests, proteomics and metabolomics) in a cohort enrolled in a consumer wellness program (N = 399). Although 77 standard clinical laboratory tests and 263 plasma proteins could not accurately predict gut α-diversity, we found that 45% of the variance in α-diversity was explained by a subset of 40 plasma metabolites (13 of the 40 of microbial origin). The prediction capacity of these 40 metabolites was confirmed in a separate validation cohort (N = 540) and across disease states, showing that our findings are robust. Several of the metabolite biomarkers that are reported here are linked with cardiovascular disease, diabetes and kidney function. Associations between host metabolites and gut microbiome α-diversity were modified in those with extreme obesity (body mass index ≥ 35), suggesting metabolic perturbation. The ability of the blood metabolome to predict gut microbiome α-diversity could pave the way to the development of clinical tests for monitoring gut microbial health. Multiomics reveals that almost half of gut microbiome diversity in humans can be explained by 40 blood metabolites.
Defining a ‘healthy’ gut microbiome has been a challenge in the absence of detailed information on both host health and microbiome composition. Here, we analyzed a multi-omics dataset from hundreds of individuals (discovery n=399, validation n=540) enrolled in a consumer scientific wellness program to identify robust associations between host physiology and gut microbiome structure. We attempted to predict gut microbiome α-diversity from nearly 1000 analytes measured from blood, including clinical laboratory tests, proteomics and metabolomics. While a broad panel of 77 standard clinical laboratory tests and a set of 263 proteins from blood could not accurately predict gut microbial α-diversity, we found that 45% of the variance in microbial community diversity was explained by a subset of 40 blood metabolites, many of microbial origin. This relationship between the host metabolome and gut microbiome α-diversity was very robust, persisting across disease conditions and antibiotics use. Several of these novel metabolic biomarkers of gut microbial diversity were previously associated with host health (e.g. cardiovascular disease risk, diabetes, and kidney function). A subset of 11 metabolites classified participants with potentially problematic low α-diversity (ROC AUC=0.88, Precision-Recall AUC=0.76). Relationships between host metabolites and α-diversity remained consistent across most of the Body Mass Index (BMI) spectrum, but were modified in extreme obesity (class II/III, but not class I), suggesting a significant metabolic shift. Out-of-sample prediction accuracy of α-diversity from the 40 identified blood metabolites in a validation cohort, whose microbiome samples were analyzed by a different vendor, confirmed the robust correspondence between gut microbiome structure and host physiology. Collectively, our results reveal a strong coupling between the human blood metabolome and gut microbial diversity, with implications for human health.