MedPath

Clinical and Genetic Evaluation of Individuals With Undiagnosed Disorders Through the Undiagnosed Diseases Network

Recruiting
Conditions
Genetic Disease
Registration Number
NCT02450851
Lead Sponsor
National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI)
Brief Summary

Without an explanation for severe and sometimes life-threatening symptoms, patients and their families are left in a state of unknown. Many individuals find themselves being passed from physician to physician, undergoing countless and often repetitive tests in the hopes of finding answers and insight about what the future may hold. This long and arduous journey to find a diagnosis does not end for many patients- the Office of Rare Diseases Research (ORDR) notes that 6% of individuals seeking their assistance have an undiagnosed disorder. In 2008, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Undiagnosed Diseases Program (UDP) was established with the goal of providing care and answers for these individuals with mysterious conditions who have long eluded diagnosis. The NIH UDP is a joint venture of the NIH ORDR, the National Human Genome Research Institute Intramural Research Program (NHGRI-IRP), and the NIH Clinical Research Center (CRC) (1-3). The goals of the NIH UDP are to: (1) provide answers for patients with undiagnosed diseases; (2) generate new knowledge about disease mechanisms; (3) assess the application of new approaches to phenotyping and the use of genomic technologies; and (4) identify potential therapeutic targets, if possible. To date, the UDP has evaluated 3300 medical records and admitted 750 individuals with rare and undiagnosed conditions to the NIH Clinical Center. The NIH UDP has identified more than 70 rare disease diagnoses and several new conditions. The success of the NIH UDP prompted the NIH Common Fund to support the establishment of a network of medical research centers, the Undiagnosed Diseases Network (UDN), for fiscal years 2013-2020. The clinical sites will perform extensive phenotyping, genetic analyses, and functional studies of potential disease-causing variants. The testing performed on patients involves medically indicated studies intended to help reach a diagnosis, as well as research investigations that include a skin biopsy, blood draws, and DNA analysis. In addition, the UDN will further the goals of the UDP by permitting the sharing of personally identifiable phenotypic and genotypic information within the network. By sharing participant information and encouraging collaboration, the UDN hopes to improve the understanding of rare conditions and advance the diagnostic process and care for individuals with undiagnosed diseases.

Detailed Description

Without an explanation for severe and sometimes life-threatening symptoms, patients and their families are left in a state of unknown. Many individuals find themselves being passed from physician to physician, undergoing countless and often repetitive tests in the hopes of finding answers and insight about what the future may hold. This long and arduous journey to find a diagnosis does not end for many patients- the Office of Rare Diseases Research (ORDR) notes that 6% of individuals seeking their assistance have an undiagnosed disorder. In 2008, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Undiagnosed Diseases Program (UDP) was established with the goal of providing care and answers for these individuals with mysterious conditions who have long eluded diagnosis. The NIH UDP is a joint venture of the NIH ORDR, the National Human Genome Research Institute Intramural Research Program (NHGRI-IRP), and the NIH Clinical Research Center (CRC) (1-3). The goals of the NIH UDP are to: (1) provide answers for patients with undiagnosed diseases; (2) generate new knowledge about disease mechanisms; (3) assess the application of new approaches to phenotyping and the use of genomic technologies; and (4) identify potential therapeutic targets, if possible.1-3 Prior to formation of the Undiagnosed Diseases Network (UDN), the UDP had evaluated 3300 medical records, admitted 750 individuals with rare and undiagnosed conditions to the NIH, and identified more than 70 rare disease diagnoses and several new conditions. The success of the NIH UDP prompted the NIH Common Fund to support the establishment of a network of medical research centers, the UDN, for fiscal years 2013-2022. The clinical sites perform extensive phenotyping, genetic analyses, and functional studies of potential disease-causing variants. The testing performed on patients involves medically indicated studies intended to help reach a diagnosis, as well as research investigations that include a skin biopsy, blood draws, and DNA analysis. In addition, the UDN is furthering the goals of the UDP by permitting the sharing of personally identifiable phenotypic and genotypic information within the network. By sharing participant information and encouraging collaboration, the UDN hopes to improve the understanding of rare conditions and advance the diagnostic process and care for individuals with undiagnosed diseases.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
RECRUITING
Sex
All
Target Recruitment
20000
Inclusion Criteria

Not provided

Exclusion Criteria

Not provided

Study & Design

Study Type
OBSERVATIONAL
Study Design
Not specified
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Improve the level of diagnosis and care for patients with undiagnosed diseases through the development of common and site-specific protocols designed by an enlarged community of investigatorsDay 1-5 and followup

Improve the level of diagnosis and care for patients with undiagnosed diseases through the development of common and site-specific protocols designed by an enlarged community of investigators.

Facilitate research into the etiology of undiagnosed diseases, by collecting and sharing standardized, high-quality clinical and laboratory data including genotyping, phenotyping, and documentation of environmental exposuresDay 1-5 and followup

Facilitate research into the etiology of undiagnosed diseases, by collecting and sharing standardized, high-quality clinical and laboratory data including genotyping, phenotyping, and documentation of environmental exposures.

Create an integrated and collaborative research community across multiple clinical sites and between laboratory and clinical investigators prepared to investigate the pathophysiology of these new and rare diseases, the impact of the diagnostic p...Day 1-5 and followup

Create an integrated and collaborative research community across multiple clinical sites and between laboratory and clinical investigators prepared to investigate the pathophysiology of these new and rare diseases, the impact of the diagnostic process on patients and families, and share this understanding to identify improved options for optimal patient management.

Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod

Trial Locations

Locations (33)

Lurie Children s Hospital

🇺🇸

Chicago, Illinois, United States

Indiana University

🇺🇸

Indianapolis, Indiana, United States

University of Alabama at Birmingham

🇺🇸

Birmingham, Alabama, United States

HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, Inc.

🇺🇸

Huntsville, Alabama, United States

University of California, Los Angeles

🇺🇸

Los Angeles, California, United States

University of California, Irvine Medical Center

🇺🇸

Orange, California, United States

Lucile Salter Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford

🇺🇸

Stanford, California, United States

Stanford University

🇺🇸

Stanford, California, United States

Leland Stanford Junior University

🇺🇸

Stanford, California, United States

Stanford Hospital and Clinics

🇺🇸

Stanford, California, United States

Childrens National Medical Center

🇺🇸

Washington, District of Columbia, United States

University of Miami Miller School of Medicine

🇺🇸

Miami, Florida, United States

National Institutes of Health Clinical Center

🇺🇸

Bethesda, Maryland, United States

Massachusetts General Hospital

🇺🇸

Boston, Massachusetts, United States

Boston Children s Hospital

🇺🇸

Boston, Massachusetts, United States

Brigham and Women's Hospital

🇺🇸

Boston, Massachusetts, United States

Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

🇺🇸

Boston, Massachusetts, United States

Harvard U Faculty of Medicine

🇺🇸

Boston, Massachusetts, United States

Mayo Clinic

🇺🇸

Rochester, Minnesota, United States

Washington University in St. Louis

🇺🇸

Saint Louis, Missouri, United States

Columbia University Medical Center

🇺🇸

New York, New York, United States

Duke University Health System

🇺🇸

Durham, North Carolina, United States

University of Oregon

🇺🇸

Eugene, Oregon, United States

Oregon Health Sciences University

🇺🇸

Portland, Oregon, United States

University of Pennsylvania

🇺🇸

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States

Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

🇺🇸

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States

Vanderbilt University Medical Center

🇺🇸

Nashville, Tennessee, United States

Baylor College of Medicine

🇺🇸

Houston, Texas, United States

University of Utah

🇺🇸

Salt Lake City, Utah, United States

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

🇺🇸

Richland, Washington, United States

Seattle Children's Hospital

🇺🇸

Seattle, Washington, United States

University of Washington

🇺🇸

Seattle, Washington, United States

Medical College of Wisconsin

🇺🇸

Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States

© Copyright 2025. All Rights Reserved by MedPath