title: Bio-repository of DNA in stroke: a study protocol of three ancestral populations.
abstract: Stroke is a leading cause of death and disability in the world. Identifying the genes underlying stroke risk may help us to improve our understanding of the mechanisms that cause stroke and also identify novel therapeutic targets. To have sufficient power to disentangle the genetic component of stroke, large-scale highly phenotyped DNA repositories are necessary. The BRAINS (Bio-repository of DNA in stroke) study aims to recruit subjects with all subtypes of stroke as well as controls from UK, India, Sri Lanka and Qatar. BRAINS-UK will include 1500 stroke patients of European ancestry as well as British South Asians. BRAINS-South Asia aims to recruit 3000 stroke subjects and 3000 controls from across India and Sri Lanka. BRAINS-Middle East aims to enrol 1500 stroke patients from Qatar. The controls for BRAINS-Middle East will be recruited from a population-based Qatari Biobank. With the addition of new recruitment centres in India and Qatar, we present an updated version of the BRAINS study protocol. This is the first international DNA biobank for stroke patients and controls from the Middle East. By investigating the influence of genetic factors on stroke risk in European, South Asian and Middle Eastern populations, BRAINS has the potential to improve our understanding of genetic differences between these groups and may lead to new population-specific therapeutic targets.
authors.affiliation: Imperial College Cerebrovascular Research Unit (ICCRU) , Imperial College London , London , UK.
authors.forename: Ioana
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Cotlarciuc
authors.forename: Muhammad Saleem
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Khan
authors.forename: Ankita
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Maheshwari
authors.forename: Sunaina
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yadav
authors.forename: Fahmi Yousif
authors.initials: FY
authors.lastname: Khan
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Al-Hail
authors.forename: Ranil
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: de Silva
authors.forename: S P
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Gorthi
authors.forename: Salil
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gupta
authors.forename: Shri Ram
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Sharma
authors.forename: P N
authors.initials: PN
authors.lastname: Sylaja
authors.forename: Kameshwar
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Prasad
authors.forename: Pankaj
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sharma