Michigan State University (MSU) has received a three year, $2.1 million federal grant to serve as the data-coordinating center for the largest epidemiological study on autism ever conducted.
MSU’s Biomedical Research Informatics Core (BRIC)—established in 2001 and now part of the university’s Clinical and Translational Science Institute—will collect and create a web-based repository for data from nearly 3,000 families as part of the congressionally mandated Study to Explore Early Development.
“Autism is a serious, disabling condition that has been estimated to occur in one in 150 children in the United States,” says Phil Reed, director of MSU’s BRIC and the principal investigator for the project. “Our work with the Centers for Disease Control supports the largest study ever conducted [that is] designed to help identify factors that may put children at risk for the disease."
The 10-year study will help identify what might put children at risk for autism spectrum disorders and other developmental disabilities.
The causes of autism, a brain development disorder that often affects children before their third birthday, are not known. A large study such as this will give doctors and researchers a base of knowledge to draw on as they seeks ways to prevent and treat the condition, says Nigel Paneth, an MSU epidemiologist and co-investigator in the study.
Source: MSU
Gretchen Cochran, Innovation & Jobs editor, may be reached here.
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