German Brain Disease Center to Sequence 25K Genomes

DZNE will spend €6 million to sequence samples and build a database of genome features that may influence neurodegenerative diseases.

German neurodegenerative disease research center DZNE will spend approximately €6 million ($6.9 million) to build a database of genomic features influencing Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, Huntington’s and other neurodegenerative diseases.

The project, announced June 19, aims to sequence genomes of approximately 25,000 people over the next two years, using samples collected through ongoing DZNE studies, including clinical trials and the Rhineland Study, a large population genomics study.

Researchers hope to identify features that influence disease risk and progression, with the goal of opening new avenues in diagnostics, prevention, and therapy.

“In recent years, it has become increasingly clear that genetic factors play a key role in many neurodegenerative diseases. This data base is therefore intended to help identify features in the genome that influence disease risk and disease progression,” Joachim Schultze, scientific director of DZNE, said in a statement. These data could help “pave the way for new approaches in diagnostics, prevention, and therapy,” he added.

A technical focus of the project is to detect abnormal repeat sequences in the genome. DZNE said it will use long-read sequencing technologies to capture these repetitions more reliably than short-read methods. The database will also incorporate DNA methylation data.

Whether they will use sequencing from Pacific Biosciences or Oxford Nanopore Technologies, the two established long-read sequencing technology providers, isn’t yet clear.