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ARI Sponsors Specimen Bank
In order to figure out the underlying cause(s) of autism, the
study of
tissue is
essential.
A couple of years ago the Autism Research
Institute (ARI) partnered with the Brain and Tissue Bank for
Developmental Disorders at the University of Maryland, under contract
to the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
(NICHD). In addition, last year ARI began to sponsor the Digestive
Function Laboratory Repository for tissues from patients with and
without autism at Mass General.
We are pleased to announce that ARI will be working in collaboration
with The Health Research Center/Pfeiffer Treatment Center to sponsor a
blood serum/plasma, blood cell, and urine bank of non-autistic healthy
control specimens. A.J. Russo, Ph.D., the Research Director, will
oversee the specimen bank. The aim is to establish a center for control
samples accessible to ARI collaborators at minimal cost. The center
will collect, transport and house plasma/serum, red blood cells, buffy
coat, and urine from age-appropriate non-autistic/neurotypical
children.
We need the help of
general practitioners, pediatricians, and
researchers who work with healthy, 3-12 year old children to
solicit samples from them. We will provide you with a
release/permission form for your patients to sign. We will also arrange
for transport, and process, freeze, and store of the samples at our
facility at the Pfeiffer Treatment Center.
If you are willing to help or have questions, please contact Dr. Russo
at:
A.J. Russo, Ph.D.
Research Director
Health Research Institute/Pfeiffer Treatment Center
4575 Weaver Parkway
Warrenville, IL 60555
Phone: 630-505-0300 X207
Fax: 630-836-0667
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Translated
Versions of GI Disorders in ASD Patients Consensus Report Summary
Posted to ARI’s website
In
January 2010, the journal
Pediatrics published a consensus report titled
Evaluation,
Diagnosis, and Treatment of Gastrointestinal Disorders in Individuals
with ASDs: A Consensus Report. The report was sponsored by the
Autism Research Institute, the Northwest Autism Foundation, Easter
Seals, and the Autism Society. Twenty-six scientists reviewed the
state-of-the-art research on gastrointestinal problems associated with
autism, and they concluded that pediatricians need to be aware of and
should treat such problems. In addition, the report urged that more
research be conducted in order to determine prevalence, cause and
treatment.
ARI recently translated and uploaded to its website a summary version
of the paper into four languages, including
Chinese,
German,
Japanese,
and
Spanish.
French, Italian, Russian, and several more languages are currently
being translated and will be posted to ARI’s website soon.
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Spotlight on Staff 
Curtis Jensen joins ARI in a research capacity, exploring ARI’s
databases for subtypes of autism in order to better identify which
groups respond best to different types of treatments. Using data from
ARI’s E-2 Diagnostic checklist submitted by parents, his research
involves the identification of certain groups for whom specific
treatments (e.g. diet, supplements, other therapies, behavior
modification, and social skills training) have greater efficacy. While
looking at treatment efficacy across the entire ASD population is
useful, this targeted research should prove to have greater clinical
significance for practitioners and parents. Curtis recently completed
his Master’s Degree in computer science at Cal State University/San
Marcos. ARI allowed him to use the E-2 survey data for his thesis
(“Using Mining and Machine Learning to Identify Subtypes of Autism.”)
After completion of the thesis, Director
Dr. Steve Edelson arranged for
Mr. Jensen to continue his research at ARI. Curtis also has a
Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Engineering from the University of
California/San Diego, and has worked in software engineering for 11
years in the medical research and defense industries. He and his wife
Alaina live in San Diego, and are the parents of four-year old twins
(Levi and Georgia), both on the autism spectrum.
Lenny Schafer editor@sarnet.org
The Schafer Autism Report is a non-profit
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