Next-generation Sequencing (NGS) of Peripheral Blood Immune Repertoire in Graves' Disease
Next-generation Sequencing (NGS) of Peripheral Blood Immune Repertoire in Graves' Disease
Graves' disease (MIM 27500) is the leading cause of hyperthyroidism worldwide. The prevalence
 of Graves' disease is quite high (2.7% in women), and there is solid evidence of genetic
 predisposition. Despite its clinical and scientific significance, Graves' disease is still
 mysterious in terms of its susceptibility genes or pathophysiological mechanisms. The immune
 repertoire, being the sum of T and B lymphocytes in a body at any given time, is both a
 snapshot and a historical record of a person's immune function. Thanks to the power of
 next-generation sequencing (NGS), massively parallel sequencing of the B cell and T cell
 receptors suddenly becomes plausible, and opens a door for many creative approaches to study
 immune related diseases. The ultimate goal of this project is to use both the NGS deep
 sequencing and immune repertoire experiment to perform Graves' disease sub-group genetic fine
 mapping, and to identify Graves' disease-specific T cell and B cell receptors. Furthermore,
 using the immune repertoire approach, investigators want to study the critical epitopes of
 thyroid auto-antigens, and to delineate the pathophysiological steps in various disease
 stages and in various sub-groups. Investigators expect to solve the immune repertoire of
 Graves' disease of different sub-group presentations and at various disease activity stages.
Patients with Graves disease