Schizophrenia is a highly heritable psychiatric disorder that affects 1% of the population. Genome-wide association studies have identified common variants in candidate genes associated with schizophrenia, but the genetics mechanisms of this disorder have not yet been elucidated. The discovery of rare genetic variants that contribute to schizophrenia symptoms promises to help explain the missing heritability of the disease. Next generation sequencing techniques are revolutionizing the field of psychiatric genetics. Various statistical approaches have been developed for rare variant association testing in case-control and family studies. Targeted resequencing, whole exome sequencing and whole genome sequencing combined with these computational tools are used for the discovery of rare genetic variations in schizophrenia. The findings provide useful information for characterizing the rare mutations and elucidating the genetic mechanisms by which the variants cause schizophrenia.

Asthma is a heterogenic disease affecting over 300 million people of all ages and socioeconomic status worldwide. The disease is characterized by chronic airway inflammation, reversible airflow obstruction, wheeze, cough and shortness of breath. Although asthma has been traditionally described by phenotypes such as immune cell type or allergy, it is clear that a variety of subtypes have emerged, adding further complexity to the disease. microRNAs are small, non-coding RNAs that act as regulatory molecules, binding to one or several target mRNAs, often resulting in translational silencing. In recent years, microRNAs have been the subject of many studies in order to better understand the mechanisms driving asthma development as well as discovery of potential biomarkers for asthma. In this review, we focus on the emerging role of microRNAs in asthma, from animal models to human cohorts.

Genomic medicine, that is to say, using genomic information about a patient in order to set the diagnostic path and to tailor therapy to his/her specific characteristics, is one of the cornerstones of modern precision medicine and forms an integral part of several fields, oncology first of all. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer mortality, causing more than 1.6 million deaths worldwide per year and non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) accounts for approximately 85% of lung cancers. In a small subset of NSCLC (5%-8%), we can detect a genomic rearrangement on chromosome 2, between the Echinoderm microtubule-associated protein-like 4 (EML4) gene and the anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) gene, resulting in the chimeric protein EML4-ALK, that acts as an oncogene and that can be specifically targeted by an ALK-tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) therapy. However, a major clinical challenge is represented by the fact that, after a first line ALK-TKI treatment, patients eventually develop acquired resistance to these agents, opening new scenarios for the right second-line drug choice.

With the prevalence of end stage renal disease steadily increasing, chronic kidney disease (CKD) represents an impending public healthcare challenge. Classical diagnostic biomarkers of CKD, including creatinine, have low sensitivity and specificity. Thus, novel diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers for patients at high risk of early-stage progression are urgently needed. Personalized medicine approaches generally stratify patients according to their biological or genomic make-up. Targeted clinical trials require more precise identification of these subgroups. The use of new biomarkers obtained via high-throughput technologies is expected in future, accompanied by vast improvements in computational power applied in genomics, proteomics, and metabolomics studies using biological fluids and renal biopsy tissue. Genomic biomarkers may not only provide additional information regarding the etiology and mechanisms underlying CKD progression, but may also enable early diagnosis and the selection of appropriate drugs, thereby personalizing therapy. This review discusses commonly used research methods in genomic medicine and summarizes currently available genomic biomarkers in inherited and acquired CKD.

The clinical behavior of prostate cancer is highly heterogeneous, with most patients diagnosed with localized disease that successfully responds to surgery or radiotherapy or that can be followed by active surveillance. However, a fraction of men will relapse after initial treatment and eventually progress to an aggressive resistant form with metastasis spreading and high mortality, a state referred to as castration resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). The technological advances in next generation sequencing have enabled the deep genomic and epigenomic characterization of both the hormone naïve and CRPC states, leading to the definition of molecular subclasses of prostate cancer that could inform the clinicians on therapeutic strategies. These studies also shed light on the mechanisms driving resistance to therapy. CRPCs adapt to androgen receptor (AR) signaling impairment - which follows first-line therapies as androgen deprivation or AR targeting - by restoring the nuclear receptor signaling by means of multiple mechanisms. Alternatively, tumor cells might become resistant to targeted therapies by exploiting lineage plasticity and activating alternative pathways. This review will discuss the main mechanisms leading to the emergence of resistance to therapy in prostate cancer patients in the context of genomic and molecular features of CRPC and on their causal role in the development of resistance.

Cutaneous melanoma is caused by the uncontrolled growth of epidermal melanocytes. Melanoma continues to be a rare form of skin cancer but causes the majority of skin cancer related deaths. For many years the scientific community has focused on the investigation of the pathogenesis leading to melanoma, with the aim of better understanding its complexity and the potential advancement of therapeutic strategies. In this paper, the genomic features characterising the development of cutaneous melanoma are reviewed. Next-generation sequencing technologies and bioinformatics tools are currently state-of-the-art approaches in basic, applied and clinical cancer research. In this review, most of the available tools for revealing the mutational landscape are outlined.

Liposarcoma (LPS) is among the most common soft tissue sarcoma affecting adults. LPS is divided into three biologic subtypes characterized by specific genetic alterations. The most common LPS subtypes, well-differentiated and dedifferentiated LPS, are nearly uniformly characterized by ring chromosomes and giant markers with chromosomal amplification of 12q13-15 and resulting amplification of oncogenes MDM2, CDK4, and HMGA2. Myxoid/round cell LPS commonly exhibits a distinctive (12; 16) translocation resulting in the FUS-DDIT3 fusion gene. Finally, pleomorphic LPS harbors diverse complex genomic changes and chromosomal rearrangements and frequent mutations in TP53, RB1, and NF1 leading to dysregulation of tumor suppressor pathways. In this review, we summarize the currently available knowledge on the genomics and genetics of LPS subtypes as well as recent advances in the multimodality management of LPS.

Multiple factors involve speech and language. Investigating animal models, mainly through songbirds, has allowed a better understanding of the verbal communication process. Speech disorders, such as childhood apraxia of speech, dysarthria or stuttering, along with language disorders, like aphasia, dyslexia or developmental language disorder are the main examples. More complex syndromes such as Autism-spectrum disorders, Down’s syndrome or Fragile X syndrome have more variable features. Genetic factors, such as hereditary or de novo mutations may influence the development of all of these conditions. Besides, most of speech and language disorders are implicated in neurodevelopment with molecular mechanisms and pathways that interact with each other, and there may be co-morbidity with other communication disorders or phenotypes unrelated to communication. Genes with heterogeneous functions in speech and language such as FOXP1, FOXP2, KIAA0319, ROBO1, APOE or CNTNAP2 are some examples. Epigenetic factors, especially microRNAs, influence the expressiveness. The genomics of these disorders allows us to understand language acquisition, carry out early detection strategies, genetic counseling and optimize future treatments, not only in communication disorders but also the neurological alterations that incorporate these mutations.