Courtesy of OC Kids
UC Irvine recently received $14.8 million in funding to create a center dedicated to finding a treatment for autism.
With $14.8 million of financial support from private donors of the William & Nancy Thompson Family Foundation and the Children & Families Commission of Orange County (CFCOC), UC Irvine hopes to bring a viable treatment to children in the U.S. afflicted by autism, a condition that affects one out of every 88 children.
UCI recently announced at a launch in mid-December the creation of the Center for Autism & Neurodevelopmental Disorders of Southern California, which will combine both clinical and research aspects of treating the disorder.
This new center is really amazing in what it can accomplish for families living with ASD and researchers, clinicians and educators working in this area, Gillian Hayes, the director of technology research for the center, said. This is one of only a handful of places that supports integrated care across a variety of disorders from birth through adulthood.
Originally intended to be one entity, the center will exist as a two-pronged force with both clinical aspects and translational research approaches to try and remedy autism from the genetic level all the way to the behavioral components.
The vast majority of the funds go to support the clinical enterprise taking care of the kids. But, a very substantial portion goes to support the research done here at UCI, Dr. J. Jay Gargus, the lead director of research for the center, said.
Our whole goal in the research center CART (Center for Autism Research and Treatment) is drug discovery for autism, Gargus said. Its meant to take very basic research that is being done here at UCI and take it out to make a small-molecule therapeutic that we can put into kids.
Bringing together over 40 faculty researchers from across multiple disciplines at UCI, Gargus has created a team under a common goal: making a platform to treat autism.
The excellent professional staff, clinicians and researchers will all work together cohesively to support quality health and educational outcomes for all the patients and families they serve, Hayes said.
Originally posted here:
Centered Around Autism