Biomedical subjects

Cornelius F Boerkoel

Publications and source records attributed to Cornelius F Boerkoel.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2026

Pilot Evaluation of a Digital Pretest Education Platform for Genomic Counseling: Perspectives of Health Care Providers and Patients.

Traditional in-person consultations for genetic services create access barriers. We hypothesized that the Genetics Adviser platform-a web-based digital platform delivering clinical genomic services-could reduce these barriers. Focusing on pretest education and counseling, we tested a pilot version of the platform in medical genetics and pediatric endocrinology group practices. The multimethod design consisted of quantitative patient and caregiver surveys, Google Analytics data, and qualitative healthcare provider interviews. Surveys included validated measures of acceptability and empowerment. Transcribed interviews were thematically coded and analyzed using NVivo. Of the 102 patients and caregivers targeted for this study, 85/102 (83%) accessed the platform, 71/102 (70%) proceeded beyond the landing page, and 60/102 (59%) completed the post-module survey. Users expressed high confidence in genetic understanding and empowerment (Genomics Outcome Scale [GOS]: 77/100), and providers noted potential benefits and highlighted technological and content-related limitations. Further research is needed to validate effectiveness across diverse populations and to evaluate long-term impacts on patient outcomes and healthcare efficiency.

Humans↗

PubMed2025

Tandem splice acceptor sites: Profiling their relevance to human disease.

PURPOSE: Interpretation of variation, particularly the creation or disruption of tandem splice acceptor sites (NAGNnAG variants), challenges genomic medicine practice. METHODS: We analyzed the creation and disruption of dinucleotide AG sites within ±30 bases of natural splice-acceptor sites in the GRCh37 human reference genome. These results were compared with variant data from the ClinVar and gnomAD databases, as well as with data from 779 National Institutes of Health Undiagnosed Diseases Program study participants. Using RNA sequencing, we assessed the splicing at NAGNnAG variants for 107 of the Undiagnosed Diseases Program participants and compared the empirical data with SpliceAI predictions. RESULTS: Creation or disruption of NAGNnAG sites within 30 bases of the natural splice acceptor are enriched in ClinVar compared with gnomAD; however, such variants in the 2 databases are rarely differentiated by SpliceAI scores. Empirical evaluation via RNA sequencing analysis supported novel acceptor site usage from -21 to +30; splice-altering variants did not predominate in a specific region or have SpliceAI scores invariantly, suggesting increased spliceogenicity. CONCLUSION: NAGNnAG variants within 30 bp of the natural splice acceptor have a high probability of clinical relevance and are poorly contextualized for clinical utility. Their interpretation benefits from empirical evaluation via RNA analysis.

Humans↗

PubMed2023

Bi-allelic ATG4D variants are associated with a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by speech and motor impairment.

Autophagy regulates the degradation of damaged organelles and protein aggregates, and is critical for neuronal development, homeostasis, and maintenance, yet few neurodevelopmental disorders have been associated with pathogenic variants in genes encoding autophagy-related proteins. We report three individuals from two unrelated families with a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by speech and motor impairment, and similar facial characteristics. Rare, conserved, bi-allelic variants were identified in ATG4D, encoding one of four ATG4 cysteine proteases important for autophagosome biogenesis, a hallmark of autophagy. Autophagosome biogenesis and induction of autophagy were intact in cells from affected individuals. However, studies evaluating the predominant substrate of ATG4D, GABARAPL1, demonstrated that three of the four ATG4D patient variants functionally impair ATG4D activity. GABARAPL1 is cleaved or "primed" by ATG4D and an in vitro GABARAPL1 priming assay revealed decreased priming activity for three of the four ATG4D variants. Furthermore, a rescue experiment performed in an ATG4 tetra knockout cell line, in which all four ATG4 isoforms were knocked out by gene editing, showed decreased GABARAPL1 priming activity for the two ATG4D missense variants located in the cysteine protease domain required for priming, suggesting that these variants impair the function of ATG4D. The clinical, bioinformatic, and functional data suggest that bi-allelic loss-of-function variants in ATG4D contribute to the pathogenesis of this syndromic neurodevelopmental disorder.

Journal Article↗