Families needed to gather, bank DNA for autism study

Children with autism and their families are needed to establish a genetic database that will foster research into the disorder.

Thirteen institutions, including Baylor College of Medicine, are contributing to the database called the Simons Simplex Collection, which will help scientists looking for the cause of the disorder. Simplex refers to families with only one child affected with autism.

Important resource

"This study will be a very important resource for treating autism in the future, and assessing the disorder, both from the standpoint of genetics and observed symptoms," said Diane Treadwell-Deering, M.D., assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at BCM and co-chief of the Clinic for Autistic Spectrum Disorders at Texas Children's Hospital. Treadwell-Deering will co-direct the local part of the study with Arthur Beaudet, M.D., chair and professor of molecular and human genetics at BCM.

"This is an important extension of recent discoveries about genetic causes of autism," said Beaudet.

Eligibility

To be eligible families must have:

• Only one child with an autism spectrum disorder between the ages of 4 and 18 years.
• One or more other children at least 4 years old who does not have an autism spectrum disorder.
• Both biological parents who are willing to participate.

Researchers will assess the behavior and symptoms of children in the study and ask members of their families for blood samples.

"This is a wonderful opportunity for families to contribute to research that will have a profound impact on our ability to study autism," said Goin-Kochel, Ph.D., assistant professor of molecular and human genetics at BCM and co-investigator on the project.

Families interested in enrolling in this study can contact Robin Goin-Kochel at 832-822-4299 or kochel@bcm.edu.

Autism statistics

Federal statistics from the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicate that as many as one in 150 children have some form of autism, a developmental disability that causes substantial impairments in social interaction and communication and the presence of unusual behaviors and interests.

Funding for this study comes from the Simons Foundation, a philanthropic organization based in New York City, which seeks to advance the frontiers of research in the basic sciences and mathematics. For more information about the Simons Foundation, visit http://www.simonsfoundation.org/.