Tony Lambert delphine1939@videotron.ca
11 Janvier 2007
Universities to create DNA databank for autism research
Associated Press
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Researchers at 11 universities will create a databank of DNA samples from 3,000 autism patients in an effort to identify different kinds of autism and develop treatments.
The University of Michigan will lead the three-year, $10 million effort funded by the Simons Foundation, the school announced this week.
The New York-based philanthropic group aims to spend $100 million long-term to find a cure for the developmental disorder that affects one in 200 children.
Adults and children with autism lack normal brain development in areas linked to social interaction and communication, but scientists don't know how many subtypes may exist. The gene data could help identify those types and treat newborns, said Catherine Lord, director of the Ann Arbor university's Autism and Communication Disorders Center.
