Autism Centers of Excellence and Autism Speaks Announce Comprehensive Study of Early Risk Factors for Autism
June 12, 2009
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A network of leading autism researchers from three regions across the country today launched one of the largest research studies of its kind to investigate early risk factors for Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). The network, called the Early Autism Risk Longitudinal Investigation (EARLI), will follow a cohort of up to 1,200 pregnant women who already have a child with autism. The study is considered one of the best-equipped to discover biological markers and environmental risk factors for autism due to its elevated autism risk pregnancy cohort, wide ranging data collection with extensive bio-sampling, length of time it follows pregnant women and their babies, and multi-disciplinary team of expert investigators.
Under the study, researchers at four network field sites in three regions across the nation will study possible environmental risk factors and their interplay with genetic susceptibility during the prenatal, neonatal and early postnatal periods. The project will also investigate early biological indicators of autism. The EARLI Study is one of eleven National Institutes of Health Autism Centers of Excellence projects nationwide.
The Drexel University School of Public Health in Philadelphia is the national coordinator of the EARLI Study network. The local research sites for the study include: Drexel University School of Public Health/Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP); University of California at Davis/MIND Institute; Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health/Kennedy Krieger Institute; and the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research in Oakland, CA.
