MoGen Research Team Discovers Novel Genetic Contributors To Autism
Research Highlights
A research team led by Dr. Ryan Yuen at SickKids has discovered that expansion of tandem DNA repeats in human genomes is more prevalent among individuals with autism than those who are unaffected, suggesting that repeat expansions are a risk factor for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and contribute to its complexity. The Scherer and Pearson labs also participated in the research. The study, published in Nature, examined tandem repeats throughout the entire human genome, and also found, for example, that there is wider sequence variability among repeat expansions than had been previously thought. The team's genome-wide experimental approach is a model that could also be applied to the understanding of other genetic disorders.
