USA Today Examines ‘New Push’ in Genetic Research Into Autism
USA Today on Monday examined the "new push for autism answers, fueled by new technology, new funding and, perhaps most important, a heightened public awareness" about the disease. According to USA Today, researchers have "known for some time" that autism -- a developmental disorder characterized by behavioral and speech problems -- can "run in families," and as a result of projects such as a partnership between NIH, the Autism Research Alliance and the Autism Genetic Resource Exchange, they are "poised to learn which genes are involved in autism." Researchers are "fairly confident" that with adequate funds and staff, they will find the genes involved in autism within "the next few years," and some "envision a day when fetuses or babies could be tested for autism risks and treated before the damage was done," USA Today reports (Painter, USA Today, 1/12).
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