Studying early biological markers, or biomarkers, has the potential to help doctors follow the development of autism and related disorders in newborn infants.
St. Peters University Hospital will use biomarkers starting this month to examine nearly 220 babies in the hope their research will lead to effective treatments for autism.
The hospital received a grant of $399,846 from the Governors Council for Medical Research and Treatment of Autism in August to conduct a two-year study for the identification of any early signs of autism in preterm or low-birth-weight babies.
Rutgers, The Institute for Basic Research and The MIND Institute are the hospitals partners in the study to identify and analyze the potential causes of disorders that have eluded scientists, said Barbie Zimmerman-Bier, chief of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics at the hospital.
Zimmerman-Bier said doctors and researchers would observe early placental changes, the developing babys immune system and behavioral and neurological markers preceding the diagnosis of autism.
We have a whole team, she said. The pathology department will be doing the placental stuff, neurology will do neurological motor assessment and myself and others will be doing developmental assessment and behavioral tests.
The young patients will be admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit after the hospital gets parental consent, said Phil Hartman, chief communications officer at the St. Peters Health Care System.
He said these babies could stay in the hospital from several days to months, depending on the severity of their illnesses.
Zimmerman-Bier said the project is in its recruitment stage, looking for families eligible for such a study and then getting their consent. The research team has also started examining specimens from mothers as a part of its research on early placental changes.
The project involves extensive training, Zimmerman-Bier said.
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St. Peter’s University Hospital gets grant for autism study