Boston University recently received an $8.4 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to establish a new Autism Research Center, one of eight centers opening across the nation.
The Autism Research Center of Excellence will serve as a major part of the Studies to Advance Autism Research and Treatment program.
The center, located at the Boston University School of Medicine, is a collaborative project between BU, Tufts/New England Medical Center, the Dartmouth Medical School and the Waisman Center at the University of Wisconsin.
Helen Tager-Flusberg, the autism center’s co-director, said BU will control the studies run at the center.
‘We control the science that will be conducted as part of this center, but we will also be involved in multi-site studies that will be designed and implemented by the scientists from our own and some or all of the other centers,’ said Tager-Flusberg, a MED professor of anatomy and neurobiology.
Both Susan Folstein, co-director of the center and a professor in psychiatry and genetics at Tufts University, and Tager-Flusberg have conducted research on autism for the last 25 years.
Tager-Flusberg is an expert in the field of language, communication and theory of mind impairments in autism while Folstein is best known for her work on the genetic basis of autism.
Tager-Flusberg said the process before BU officially won the grant on May 13 was extensive.
‘We submitted a proposal at the end of last August and took part in a national competition,’ she said.
The applications then underwent a peer review, completed by scientists and doctors specializing the field of autism, she said.
According the National Institutes of Health website, each STAART center will contribute to understanding the underlying brain abnormalities, causes, diagnosis, early detection, prevention and treatment of autism.
In the past, the study of autism was more complicated, as many scientists worked separately on various aspects of the disease. However, the National Institutes of Health has recognized that collaboration on studying autism proves to be the most effective way to study the disease.
Several members of BU’s faculty have been studying autism, including Thomas Kemper, a professor of anatomy and neurobiology, pathology and neurology, and adjunct professors of anatomy and neurobiology Margaret Bauman and Gene Blatt. The center will also be staffed by researchers from other participating colleges.
While the program received funding a few months ago, two major projects are already underway at the center, including one spearheaded by Blatt that examines brain systems and brain pathology.
‘We will be looking at the neuroanotomical basis for socioemotional processing in the brain,’ Blatt said. ‘We’re looking at this in post-mortem human tissue from people with autism. It is done with control tissue from normal brain cells.’
The other project will study 300 toddlers diagnosed with autism for 5 years and examine several neuropsychological, language, temperament and other family factors.
Researchers at the center also plan to conduct a study observing how autistic children affect their families, specifically dealing with social adaptation and the emotional well-being of the children and family members. The studies aim to improve help and support programs for families engaged in the early years of raising children with autism.
A multi-site clinical drug trial is also being held at the University of Wisconsin, Madison and Dartmouth Medical School to determine the effectiveness of treating children with autism.
While a faculty members are already greatly involved in the center, BU students will also play a vital role, Tager-Flusberg said.
‘We already have students from BU involved in some of the center’s projects, and we welcome others once we get underway,’ she said.
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