The Goals and Objectives of The Autism Genome Project


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The Autism Genome Project, or AGP, was originally launched in the year 2004 as the largest ever study into discovering the precise genes which were associated with an inherited risk of developing Autism. Utilising the technology of a DNA Micro array, over one hundred and twenty genetics researchers from fifty academic and Research Institutes from nineteen countries around the world have joined forces and pooled together their DNA samples to collaborate on scanning the human genome in order to try to discover if there are genetic causes of Autism. The express purpose, besides discovering the genetic background to Autism, is to allow the possibility for doctors to biologically diagnose Autism to identify those most at risk and provide a new direction for research into a possible cure or prevention of the disorder.

During the first phase of this project scans analyzed samples of DNA from about one thousand two hundred families with Autism; the second phase is an investigation into these results in order to identify the role of genes in harbouring or allowing a susceptibility to Autism Disorders. The methods that have been used in this research involved the study of both the entire genome of twenty three pairs of chromosomes, in addition to certain areas or regions of specific interest within these chromosomes. The current research findings of the Autism Genome Project seem to support the theory of a genetic influence upon Autism Spectrum Disorders and the possibility that certain genetic inheritances cause some individuals to be more prone to the disorders than others. If this proves to be the case then the next question is to ask whether a specific genetic make up is necessary or sufficient alone for an Autism Disorder to occur or whether environmental factors have a greater or lesser effect upon the susceptibility.

This research will likely lay a foundation for further investigations into the role of the environment and its impact upon a genetic susceptibility and, it is hoped, advance the possibility of a biological diagnosis and better treatment for sufferers. The Autism Genome Project may still have a way to go but it seems to provide a source of hope for future generations.
Autism News and Events

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Mon, 06 Sep 2010 13:16:56 -0700

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