Kids First: The Intersection of Childhood Cancer and Birth Defects

The Gabriella Miller Kids First Pediatric Research Program (Kids First) is a trans-NIH effort initiated in response to the 2014 Gabriella Miller Kids First Research Act and supported by the NIH Common Fund. This program focuses on gene discovery in pediatric cancers and structural birth defects and the development of the Gabriella Miller Kids First Pediatric Data Resource (Kids First Data Resource). All of the WGS and phenotypic data from this study are accessible through dbGaP and kidsfirstdrc.org, where other Kids First datasets can also be accessed. Birth defects and childhood cancer share biological pathways that are important for cell growth and division. We propose that sequencing pediatric patients suffering both conditions will allow us to discover the underlying genes and in turn advance our understanding of the causes of these devastating diseases.]]>
1806 samples were selected for whole genome sequencing as part of the Gabriella Miller Kids First project, including 1464 cases and 342 parents. All samples were recruited into the Center for Applied Genomics (CAG) biobank from patient visits to the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). We selected all cases that been diagnosed with a childhood onset cancer as well as a congenital anomaly.]]>