Abstract

Cerebral small vessel disease (SVD) is the most common form of stroke and vascular dementia. CADASIL (notch3 mutations) is most frequent but other monogenic causes more recently identified include CARASIL (HTRA1 gene), RVCL (TREX1 gene) and COL4A1 and 2. Diagnostic tests for these are often inaccessible and expensive and there are families with clinical monogenic SVD in whom no known variants are detected.

Next generation sequencing offers the potential to screen for these diseases, which present with similar phenotypes, more cost-effectively and rapidly in a single test. It could also identify novel genes underlying SVD. As part of the NHS GEL and NIHR BRIDGE projects, whole genome sequencing is being applied to SVD. Individuals with younger onset SVD and a family history, with negative notch3 screening, are being recruited from centres throughout England.

Data (blood sample and phenotypic information) can be collected by phone and blood sent through the post, or participants seen at a research clinic in one of the seven recruitment sites. Testing is provided free of charge. Any SVD causative mutations are fed back to the patient via the referring clinician. We are interested in receiving potential recruits who can be referred to Rhea Tan yyrt2@medschl.cam.ac.uk.