The Bay Area is a hotbed of innovative autism research in many realms: genetics and causation, neuroscience, diagnostics, and treatment. In a few months we'll unveil the Bay Area Autism Research Challenge to encourage Bay Area autism families to participate in some of these studies. In the meantime, here are some you may wish to enroll in. Spread the word!
Biomarkers and brain imaging at UCSF
Dr. Elliott Sherr's lab at UCSF is currently recruiting subjects for two studies:
BIOMARKERS: The Brain Development Research Program is recruiting children ages 1-5 who have been diagnosed with autism, children who are considered at-risk for ASD (either a younger sibling of a child with ASD or a toddler suspected of developmental delay), and typically developing volunteers to serve as control participants.
The study looks at biochemical changes in the blood that may help diagnose and treat ASD at a younger age. Study participation will include a visit to UCSF for a blood draw, cognitive testing, and completion of neuropsychological surveys. Visits will range from 2-4 hours with some time completing surveys at home. All participants will be compensated $60 for completing the questionnaires and in-person cognitive testing, $20 for the blood draw, and parking at the UCSF campus will be covered by the study.
BRAIN IMAGING: The lab is also seeking children 6-18 to participate in a research study on brain imaging. We are recruiting both controls without autism and those with a diagnosis of autism to participate in a brain scan in an MRI machine in order to better understand the connection between certain protein pathways and ASD.
The study looks at protein pathways that may regulate ASD in connection to head size. It involves three visits to UCSF campuses. To participate, your child must have a head in the 90th percentile and above, or 10th percentile and below. Participation includes a blood draw, in-person testing, completion of neuropsychological surveys, a one- hour brain scan in an MRI machine, and an MEG scan.
Visits will range from 4-8 hours with some time completing surveys at home. All participants will be compensated $20 for the blood draw, $30 for in person testing and assessments, $30 for completion of neuropsychological surveys, and $60 for brain imaging. Parking at the UCSF campuses will be covered by the study.
Learn more:
Website: https://brain.ucsf.edu/research-studies
Research coordinator: Talia.Berson@ucsf.edu
BIOMARKERS: The Brain Development Research Program is recruiting children ages 1-5 who have been diagnosed with autism, children who are considered at-risk for ASD (either a younger sibling of a child with ASD or a toddler suspected of developmental delay), and typically developing volunteers to serve as control participants.
The study looks at biochemical changes in the blood that may help diagnose and treat ASD at a younger age. Study participation will include a visit to UCSF for a blood draw, cognitive testing, and completion of neuropsychological surveys. Visits will range from 2-4 hours with some time completing surveys at home. All participants will be compensated $60 for completing the questionnaires and in-person cognitive testing, $20 for the blood draw, and parking at the UCSF campus will be covered by the study.
BRAIN IMAGING: The lab is also seeking children 6-18 to participate in a research study on brain imaging. We are recruiting both controls without autism and those with a diagnosis of autism to participate in a brain scan in an MRI machine in order to better understand the connection between certain protein pathways and ASD.
The study looks at protein pathways that may regulate ASD in connection to head size. It involves three visits to UCSF campuses. To participate, your child must have a head in the 90th percentile and above, or 10th percentile and below. Participation includes a blood draw, in-person testing, completion of neuropsychological surveys, a one- hour brain scan in an MRI machine, and an MEG scan.
Visits will range from 4-8 hours with some time completing surveys at home. All participants will be compensated $20 for the blood draw, $30 for in person testing and assessments, $30 for completion of neuropsychological surveys, and $60 for brain imaging. Parking at the UCSF campuses will be covered by the study.
Learn more:
Website: https://brain.ucsf.edu/research-studies
Research coordinator: Talia.Berson@ucsf.edu
Innovative way to study autism neurons at Stanford
Dr. Joachim Hallmayer's lab at Stanford is recruiting participants with autism spectrum disorder, ages 4 through adulthood, for an innovative study of autism. His team needs about 30 more participants. Deadline to sign up is end of August.
Their study turns blood cells into neurons. They do this magic via a technique called human induced pluripotent stem cells (hIPSCs). It's an innovative way to learn more about how the brain works in ASD.
Participation entails a blood draw, a cognitive test, some standardized observation and a diagnostic interview with a parent. It takes 1 to 2 hours.
They will reimburse you $85 to cover travel expenses, lunch etc, associated with your participation. If you are interested, please contact research coordinator Deanna Shinksy at 650-704-3387, or dshinsky@stanford.edu
Also, you can contact Dr. Hallmayer at 650-724-6593 (or email joachimh@stanford.edu) or Dr. Ruth O'Hara at 650-796-2720 (or email roh@stanford.edu) if you have any questions you would like to discuss with them.
Their study turns blood cells into neurons. They do this magic via a technique called human induced pluripotent stem cells (hIPSCs). It's an innovative way to learn more about how the brain works in ASD.
Participation entails a blood draw, a cognitive test, some standardized observation and a diagnostic interview with a parent. It takes 1 to 2 hours.
They will reimburse you $85 to cover travel expenses, lunch etc, associated with your participation. If you are interested, please contact research coordinator Deanna Shinksy at 650-704-3387, or dshinsky@stanford.edu
Also, you can contact Dr. Hallmayer at 650-724-6593 (or email joachimh@stanford.edu) or Dr. Ruth O'Hara at 650-796-2720 (or email roh@stanford.edu) if you have any questions you would like to discuss with them.
World's largest autism genomic database
Here's a research project you can participate in wearing your pajamas. SPARK for Autism, sponsored by the Simons Foundation, aims to gather family and genetic data from 50,000 autism families. It asks you to answer questions online and mail in some saliva samples for genetic analysis. The project aims to speed up research and advance the understanding of autism.
Learn more: https://sparkforautism.org/
Learn more: https://sparkforautism.org/
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