Autism Genetic Study

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While environmental factors likely play an important role in the development and evolution of autism, their specific mechanism and, most importantly, their gene targets are unknown. We intend to study mechanisms by which the environment influences autism by studies in the exciting new field of epigenetics that links genes, environment, and disease.  We hypothesize that epigenetic abnormalities contribute to the etiology of autism. To test our hypothesis, we will study identical (monozygotic) twins concordant or discordant for autism spectrum disorder.

Please contact:
Marie Andachter at 443-923-7716, or
Andachter@KennedyKrieger.org,
Partnering P.I.'s Dr. Walter Kaufmann, Kennedy Krieger Institute and Dr. Andrew Feinberg, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

This study has been approved by the Johns Hopkins Institutional Review Board (NA_00025760) and is sponsored by the Department of Defense, Autism Research Program.


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Last revised 31-Aug-2009 by Steven Leber