Two researchers at the Feinstein Institute in Manhasset were awarded a $3 million grant for an autism study, Northwell Health announced last Wednesday.
Drs. Betty Diamond and Peter Gregersen are heading the project, which aims to study any link between a high count of antibodies in pregnant women and cases of autism, the health network said. The grant was given by the National Institutes of Health.
“We are extremely grateful for the NIH’s support of this project,” Diamond said. “If we do discover this correlation, we have the potential in the future to block or remove antibodies that produce autism spectrum disorders in utero, thereby preventing the child from living with the condition once born.”
The study will look at 4,500 pregnant women who give birth at Northwell hospitals.
Before the women give birth, researchers will take a blood sample to measure their antibody levels, and monitor the mothers and their children for two years to check for signs of a disorder, the release said.
Autism spectrum disorders affect 1 in 68 children, Northwell said. The disorders affect a person’s ability to interact socially, and typically show signs in the first two years of life.
“Autism spectrum disorders are partly influenced by genetic factors, but relatively little attention has been paid to the role of environment, and particularly the intrauterine environment,” Gregersen said. “Clearly, the increasing incidence of autism in recent decades cannot be ascribed to genetics, and we believe that autoimmunity and inflammation play a major role here. If we can understand these relationships, it will have important practical applications in terms of preventing the development of autism spectrum disorders by reducing these intrauterine risk factors.”
