U. joins global autism study

University of Utah medical researchers are joining a worldwide effort to find the genes associated with autism.

The National Alliance for Autism Research announced Monday it is conducting the largest study ever to find the cause of the complex brain disorder that often inhibits a person's ability to communicate, respond to surroundings or form relationships with others.

Over the next six months, about 170 of the world's leading genetics researchers will pool their resources and use a new technology, the DNA microarray, to scan the human genome in the search for the genetic causes of autism.

Dr. William M. McMahon has headed the University of Utah's autism research program that has been funded the past eight years by the National Institutes of Health. He said several Utah families with autistic children will be involved in the research, and more are needed.

Of particular interest are biological parents of autistic children who can provide blood samples for DNA scanning. The telephone number for the program is 585-9098.

The university's autism program has eight faculty members and 30 technicians and research assistants working on the project, he said.

"Autism is one of the hardest things a parent can face because their child doesn't give the normal affectionate behavior that is so satisfying for a parent," McMahon said.

The microarray technology will be used to scan the human genome in the public/private research partnership involving 50 institutions that have pooled their DNA samples in a collaborative effort. The project is designed to enable doctors to biologically diagnose autism and allow researchers to develop universal medical treatments and a cure.

The NAAR expects initial results from the DNA array scan by early 2005.

More than 1 million Americans are living with some form of autism. Most people with autism require lifelong supervision and care. The most severely affected will never be able to speak. Autism is largely considered the most heritable of neuropsychiatric disorders, but its causes are not known, and there is no way to biologically diagnose it.

Recent studies by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show the prevalence of autism disorders has risen significantly to as many as one in every 166 births. Some studies, according to NAAR, place the prevalence even higher.