SchaferAutismReport: ARI Sponsors Specimen Bank: SAR Supplement

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Supplement

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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 land, 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: X207

Fax:

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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.â€)

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@...

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