DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The African Ancestry-Genomic Psychiatry Cohort (AA-GPC), will support a large expansion of the Genomic Psychiatry Cohort (GPC) (current n=33,000) that expands the collection and genomic analysis of patients suffering with schizophrenia and controls with African ancestry (AA). The GPC is a large clinical cohort of patients with schizophrenia (n=10,000), patients with bipolar disorder (n=5,000), family members (n=3,000), and control participants with no history or family history of schizophrenia or bipolar disorder (n=15,000) (Pato, 2013). The GPC's successful enrollment of nearly 6,000 AA research participants (3,000 suffering from schizophrenia and 3,000 controls) supports the enrollment capacity of the GPC network in African American communities. Our objective through this project is to increase AA schizophrenia cohorts to 22,000 research participants (11,000 AA patients suffering from schizophrenia and 11,000 AA controls), and to draw upon the genomes of these individuals to increase our understanding of genetic influences on schizophrenia. More specifically: 1) We will create an overall GPC cohort for the field of 18,525 AA participants - 8,817 suffering from schizophrenia and 9,708 controls - by enrolling an additional 5,817 patients and 6,708 control participants. Existing NIMH AA samples (2,183 cases and 1,292 controls) will be added to the extent allowed under existing consents and availability of bio-samples. In total, the maximum number of AA samples to be genomically characterized is 22,000. 2) We will study genome variation in this large African-ancestry schizophrenia cohort - using a strategic combination of exome sequencing, custom array analysis, and whole genome sequencing - to both broaden and deepen our understanding of genetic variation that influences risk of schizophrenia. As with our current efforts in this area, NIMH investment will be amplified by a contribution of philanthropic funds from the Broad Institute's Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research.

PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: The "African Ancestry-Genomic Psychiatry Cohort" (AA-GPC), supports a large expansion of the Genomic Psychiatry Cohort (GPC) (current n=33,000) that expands the collection and genomic analysis of patients suffering with schizophrenia and controls with African ancestry (AA). Our objective for the coming years is to increase the GPC AA cohort to 18,525 research participants (8,817 AA patients suffering from schizophrenia and 9,708 AA controls). Additionally, we will include existing NIMH AA samples (2,183 cases and 1,292 controls) to the extent allowed under existing consents and availability of bio-samples to reach a maximum total of 22,000 AA cases and controls. Through extensive sequencing and other genomic characterizations of these samples, we will enhance the understanding of genetic influences on schizophrenia. Genetic analyses will be complemented by the GPC's standardized phenotypic characterization of participants and by long-term follow-up of these subjects.