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Science in Your Area

Autism Speaks Funded Science in Massachusetts

Since 1998, Autism Speaks has funded over $9,318,184 in research grants in the state of Massachusetts. Funded studies include work done at:

  • Massachusetts General Hospital
  • Massachusetts General Hospital, Director, Lab of Cognitive Neuroscience
  • Beth Israel Deconess Medical Center
  • Beth Israel Deconess Medical Center and Harvard University Medical School
  • Boston University
  • Boston University School of Medicine
  • Boston University and University of Haifa
  • Harvard University
  • Harvard University, Medical School
  • Harvard University, Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital
  • Harvard University, Medical School and Mclean Hospital
  • Harvard University, Medical School  and Children's Hospital Boston
  • Harvard University School of Public Health
  • University of Massachusetts, Amherst
  • University of Massachusetts, Boston
  • University of Massachusetts, Brudnick Neuropsychiatric Institute
  • TuftsUniversity and New England Medical Center
  • Northeastern University
  • Seaside Therapeutics, LLC
  • Brandeis University
  • Children's Hospital Boston

Autism Treatment Network Site:  Massachusetts General Hospital/LADDERS (Boston, MA)  Joyce Suh Phone:  781-449-6074 Ext. 1245

Clinical Trials Network:Clinical Trials Network: Harvard University/Cambridge Health Alliance(Boston, MA) - Participating site.

To learn more about the network or ongoing trials:  www.autismspeaks.org/ctn and www.clinicaltrials.gov


Spotlight on Pilot Awards:

Susan Santangelo, Ph.D.
Massachusetts Genral Hospital
$120,000 for 2 years

Investigation of genes involved in synaptic plasticity in Iranian families with ASD

In this study, six genes involved in NMDA receptor-dependent synaptic plasticity will be examined in a study of Iranian families with ASD. The sequence of these genes will be examined in DNA from related individuals, both typical and with ASD, to determine whether sequence variations in any of these genes are associated with ASD.

Determining whether genes involved in synaptic plasticity play a role in ASD may identify new gene variants conferring a risk of autism, as well as further our understanding of synaptic dysfunction in autism.

Click here for a full listing of Pilot Awards

Spotlight on Basic and Clinical Grants:

Helen Tager-Flusberg, Ph.D.
Boston University
$450,000 for 3 years

This project will investigate the use of eye movements as a sensitive measure of language processing in young children with autism. Tracking eye movements is routinely used to measure comprehension in normally developing preverbal infants. The feasibility of using this method with preschool-aged autistic children will be evaluated using a series of experimental tasks to test the children's comprehension of various language structures (nouns, verbs, relational language, noun phrases, verb phrases, and word order). Performance on eye-tracking measures will be compared to standardized test scores to test the hypothesis that children with autism will show significantly greater comprehension of spoken language when tested using eye-movement measures than when evaluated on standard tests. Children will be invited to return six months after their initial testing to repeat the experiments and test the sensitivity of eye-tracking measures to developmental changes in language knowledge.

This research will pave the way for developing new approaches to evaluating the comprehension skills of children with autism that can be used in research and applied clinical settings.

Click here to for a full listing of Basic and Clinical Awards.

Did you Know....Autism Speaks sponsored the first of its kind Immunology Workshop which evaluated the current of knowledge about the potential role of immunological factors in the pathogenesis of autism, and to outlined critical areas of future research to clarify the relationship of such factors to autism and investigate their potential relevance for therapeutic interventions.

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