ATLANTA — Atlanta’s Marcus Autism Center and Emory University School of Medicine have been awarded up to $17.25 million to join a new international network focused on developing treatments for autism and related neurodevelopmental disorders.
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The funding comes from Aligning Research to Impact Autism, or ARIA, which is creating the Innovative Medicine and Precision Approaches to Clinical Trials, or IMPACT, Network.
Marcus Autism Center is one of 12 initial sites selected from the U.S. and Europe. The center and Emory received full funding, the most possible among the awards distributed in the first round.
The network will initially focus on genetic discovery for profound autism and related genetically based neurodevelopmental disorders.
Researchers at Marcus Autism Center will study children with profound autism and genetically based neurodevelopmental disorders, including through experimental trials involving approaches such as gene therapy and direct brain stimulation.
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The network’s first study will track the natural history of profound autism and related neurodevelopmental conditions, following how the conditions progress over time and affect daily life. Researchers say the findings will help guide future clinical trials.
The new award brings Marcus Autism Center’s total funding this year to nearly $40 million. Earlier this year, the center received $21.9 million from The Marcus Foundation for what it described as the largest-ever study of behavior, brain and genomic biomarkers in children across the autism spectrum and associated genetic neurodevelopmental conditions.
“We’re very proud to be a part of one of the most advanced clinical trials networks ever in the history of autism research,” said Dr. Ami Klin, principal investigator and director of Marcus Autism Center.
Klin said the network will bring together research sites in the U.S. and abroad to advance research and potential treatments for profound autism and related neurological conditions.
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