# Deciphering Germline and Somatic Genomic Landscape of Gliomas in Black  and Hispanic Minority Groups

> **NIH NIH P50** · UNIVERSITY OF TX MD ANDERSON CAN CTR · 2021 · $378,098

## Abstract

SUMMARY: PROJECT 3
Recent genomic profiling, including that of the Cancer Genome Atlas, has greatly clarified the molecular
foundations of malignant glioma. However, most of the sample sets employed in these groundbreaking studies
were derived from White or East Asian patients. Very little is currently known about the somatic and germline
landscapes of gliomas in Black or Hispanic populations. Moreover, significant differences in the annual incidence
and clinical performance of gliomas in these minorities relative to those of Whites strongly suggests that
fundamental and clinically-relevant genetic distinctions exist between the groups. Consistent with this conjecture,
we recently found that patterns of germline single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) differentially associated
with glioma by ethnic group and that Blacks and Hispanics with a higher level of White ancestry had a greater
risk for glioma development than those with lower levels. We also identified a unique set of SNPs, distinct from
glioma-associated SNPs in Whites, that appear to confer glioma susceptibility in Blacks and Hispanics. These
findings indicate that a larger study, probing both somatic and germline molecular profiles exclusively in Black
and Hispanic patients, would bridge crucial knowledge gaps, setting the stage for more optimized, individualized
patient management. The central hypothesis of this proposal is that distinct genetic features, germline and
somatic, in Blacks and Hispanics influence risk and clinical prognosis in IDH-mutant and IDH-wild type glioma
subgroups. We will combine germline SNP data with extensive genomic profiling in case-matched tumors from
the largest, clinically-annotated minority patient cohort assembled to date. Our specific aims will 1) characterize
the genomic landscape of glioma in Black and Hispanic patients, 2) determine the extent to which ethnic
composition in Blacks and Hispanics correlates with disease-defining molecular alterations, and 3) evaluate the
extent to which germline and somatic variation in Blacks and Hispanics impacts clinical outcome. Our work will
clarify the somatic and germline genetics of glioma in Black and Hispanic populations and in doing so, address
a major knowledge gap in the field. We will also establish robust correlations between ancestry-associated
germline genetics, molecularly-specified glioma subclasses, and clinical outcome, providing insights into the
mechanisms by which gliomas arise and behave in patient populations of differing ethnicity. These findings
should both inform therapeutic development and facilitate the design of optimized patient management.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10246334
- **Project number:** 5P50CA127001-13
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF TX MD ANDERSON CAN CTR
- **Principal Investigator:** Jason Huse
- **Activity code:** P50 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $378,098
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2008-09-01 → 2024-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10246334

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10246334, Deciphering Germline and Somatic Genomic Landscape of Gliomas in Black  and Hispanic Minority Groups (5P50CA127001-13). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10246334. Licensed CC0.

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