We are interested in organizing a consortium of adolescent and young adult studies (up to age 24) to carry out a meta-analysis of genetic factors for nicotine dependence and cigarette smoking in adolescence. We are aware of several adolescent studies that have genetic and phenotypic data. However, each study is individually underpowered for genetic analysis. Were we able to accumulate a large enough number of such studies, we might be able to implement a meta-analysis similar to that carried out for adults by Saccone and her collaborators (PLoS Genetics 2010) or Ware and colleagues (SRNT 2011).

We are at an early stage of development - several of the relevant studies have extracted DNA but not conducted genotyping, while others have not even collected material for DNA extraction. An analytical plan has also not yet been developed. Nevertheless, we will follow established protocols (e.g., Saccone et al., 2010) for the meta-analysis of data from multiple cohorts. A protocol and statistical analysis code will be developed and implemented by each cohort. Raw data would not be required - coefficients generated by the analysis code would be sufficient.

The primary aim of this consortium is to elucidate genetic influences on cigarette smoking phenotypes in adolescence and young adulthood, specifically: 1) smoking initiation, and 2) subsequent progression to regular use.