{"title":"Lessons and pitfalls of whole genome sequencing.","authors":"Christopher J Record, Mary M Reilly","doi":"10.1136/pn-2023-004083","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) has recently become the first-line genetic investigation for many suspected genetic neurological disorders. While its diagnostic capabilities are innumerable, as with any test, it has its limitations. Clinicians should be aware of where WGS is extremely reliable (detecting single-nucleotide variants), where its reliability is much improved (detecting copy number variants and small repeat expansions) and where it may miss/misinterpret a variant (large repeat expansions, balanced structural variants or low heteroplasmy mitochondrial DNA variants). Bioinformatic technology and virtual gene panels are constantly evolving, and it is important to know what genes and what types of variant are being tested; the current National Health Service Genomic Medicine Service WGS offers more than early iterations of the 100 000 Genomes Project analysis. Close communication between clinician and laboratory, ideally through a multidisciplinary team meeting, is encouraged where there is diagnostic uncertainty.</p>","PeriodicalId":39343,"journal":{"name":"PRACTICAL NEUROLOGY","volume":" ","pages":"263-274"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4000,"publicationDate":"2024-07-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"PRACTICAL NEUROLOGY","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1136/pn-2023-004083","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"CLINICAL NEUROLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) has recently become the first-line genetic investigation for many suspected genetic neurological disorders. While its diagnostic capabilities are innumerable, as with any test, it has its limitations. Clinicians should be aware of where WGS is extremely reliable (detecting single-nucleotide variants), where its reliability is much improved (detecting copy number variants and small repeat expansions) and where it may miss/misinterpret a variant (large repeat expansions, balanced structural variants or low heteroplasmy mitochondrial DNA variants). Bioinformatic technology and virtual gene panels are constantly evolving, and it is important to know what genes and what types of variant are being tested; the current National Health Service Genomic Medicine Service WGS offers more than early iterations of the 100 000 Genomes Project analysis. Close communication between clinician and laboratory, ideally through a multidisciplinary team meeting, is encouraged where there is diagnostic uncertainty.
期刊介绍:
The essential point of Practical Neurology is that it is practical in the sense of being useful for everyone who sees neurological patients and who wants to keep up to date, and safe, in managing them. In other words this is a journal for jobbing neurologists - which most of us are for at least part of our time - who plough through the tension headaches and funny turns week in and week out. Primary research literature potentially relevant to routine clinical practice is far too much for any neurologist to read, let alone understand, critically appraise and assimilate. Therefore, if research is to influence clinical practice appropriately and quickly it has to be digested and provided to neurologists in an informative and convenient way.