1:1

publication

A multi-omics approach combining proteomics, transcriptomics, and exome reanalysis improved diagnosis of neurodevelopmental disorders, resolving uncertain variants and increasing diagnostic yield.

Neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) often have unknown genetic causes. Current efforts in identifying disease-related genetic variants using exome or genome sequencing still lead to an excessive number of variants of uncertain significance (VUS). There is an increasing interest in transcriptomics and, more recently, proteomics for variant detection and interpretation. In this study, we integrated quantitative liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry proteomics, RNA sequencing, and exome reanalysis to resolve VUS and detect novel causal variants in 34 patients with undiagnosed NDDs, using the software PROTRIDER and DROP to detect protein outliers and RNA outliers, respectively. We obtained a diagnosis in 11 cases (32%) resulting from the increased amount of information provided by the two additional levels of omics (n = 5) and the updated literature evidence (n = 6). Our experience suggests the potential of this outlier-detection multi-omics workflow for improving diagnostic yield in NDDs and other rare disorders.

Year of publication

2025

Source

npj Genomic Medicine

Link to cite

Acces to Link >

Author

Martin Man-Chun Chui, Anna Ka-Yee Kwong, Hiu Yu Cherie Leung, Chingyiu Pang, Ines F. Scheller, Sheila Suet-Na Wong, Cheuk-Wing Fung, Vicente A. Yépez, Julien Gagneur, Christopher Chun-Yu Mak & Brian Hon-Yin Chung

You might also be interested in

This study investigates possible measures that could be taken at EU level to address these challenges. It finds significant European added value in harmonising coordination and access across the 27 Member States, mainly in terms of improved diagnostic tools and availability of medical treatment, better health outcomes, particularly lower infant mortality, and improved well-being of family members and caregivers.
28 February, across Europe and beyond: one year into delivery, ERDERA is advancing towards shorten diagnostic journeys and improved therapies for people living with a rare disease.
This meeting will focus on practical approaches to phenotyping and diagnosis in undiagnosed conditions, including how to define next steps when a diagnosis remains uncertain, and how to strengthen pathways and collaboration around undiagnosed care.
In its first year, ERDERA has brought together 10 000 harmonised genomic and phenotypic datasets from unsolved rare disease cases across Europe, creating a secure, standardised and scalable resource.