Autism & Saliva Diagnostics

John Macey


Autism2

Researchers may develop saliva test to diagnose autism
Date: February 16, 2015
Source: Clarkson University
Summary:
A spit test may one day be able to diagnose autism according to new research. Scientists have published the first study showing that children with autism spectrum disorder have differences in protein levels in their saliva when compared to typically developing children.

AutismSpectrum

A spit test may one day be able to diagnose autism according to researchers at Clarkson University and the State University of New York at Plattsburgh.

Scientists at the universities have published the first study showing that children with autism spectrum disorder have differences in protein levels in their saliva when compared to typically developing children. The study appeared in the Jan. 27 issue of the journal Autism Research.

Autism spectrum disorder currently affects one in 68 children in the United States, and the number of people diagnosed with autism continues to rise. Diagnosis is currently made based on behavioral observations, and no biological test for autism exists. A biological test could aid in earlier diagnosis, helping to direct people with autism to interventions.

The researchers, led by Clarkson University doctoral candidate Armand Gatien Ngounou Wetie, studied saliva from six children diagnosed with autism, ages 6 to 16, compared to six typically developing children in the same age range. They used a technique known as mass spectrometry to measure protein differences in saliva taken from the two groups.

“We found nine proteins that were significantly elevated in the saliva of the people with autism and three that were lower or even absent,” said Alisa G. Woods, a researcher at both Clarkson University and the SUNY Plattsburgh Center for Neurobehavioral Health who is one of the researchers leading the study. “This is the first study to identify these changes in saliva, which is a relatively easy biofluid to obtain for clinical use or research.”

AutismStats

Please Note: The Centers For Disease Control (CDC) now notes about 1 in 68 children has been identified with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) according to estimates from CDC’s Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network. [Read article]

The proteins identified primarily have functions in immune system responses or are elevated in people with gastrointestinal problems. The scientists also reported that several of the identified proteins interact with one another.

“We are the first in the world who proposed a protein complex as a potential biomarker signature, which gives us information not only about the proteins, their relative quantities and their modifications, but also about their interactions with other proteins,” said Clarkson Assistant Professor of Chemistry and Biomolecular Science Costel C. Darie, a co-lead author and proteomics expert.

The work is promising for the eventual development of an autism diagnostic test, but more subjects need to be studied to confirm the markers are consistently different in people with autism.

“We have found some interesting proteins that are different from children with autism compared with controls, and I think the next stage would be to increase the pool of samples to confirm those findings,” Ngounou said.

The group plans to further study these protein differences in larger groups of children with autism and also in specific subtypes of autism.

Reference: Researchers may develop saliva test to diagnose autism can be found here.


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John Macey

I was born, and principally educated, in the fields of biochemistry, and business management in the northeastern USA. However, my world-wide professional career has greatly expanded upon that US base to involve the many different segments of the Biotech / Life Science fields globally. – I have been dressed as a surgeon to view many, many surgical proceedures - The major players in the health care fields that I have worked for include: Johnson & Johnson, DuPont, Abbott Laboratories, and F. Hoffmann-La Roche. – Positions have included selling nuclear materials for both in-vivo & in-vitro (radio-pharmaceutical & radio-immunoassay) medical diagnostic purposes, in the four countries in Scandinavia, based south of Stockholm, to managing Ph. Ds at a global Swiss headquarters location. – At one time I held a position of Strategy Manager for Europe, Middle-East & Africa (EME&A) for a Chicago based company, but living in Germany. – I do speak fluent colloquial German. – In addition to having lived in multiple European countries, my professional career took me to Asia for well over a decade. There I had management control of Oceania, the Pacific Rim, Northern Asia, Japan, out to India. – Occasionally, management assignments have taken me to all of Latin America, and most of South America. – I am extremely culturally aware, a skilled negotiator, and a seasoned manager of men and science. – My one abiding passion has always been computing, data, and analysis. As such, my main computer operating system is Linux, and open-source computer applications. – I do also run Microsoft 7, and Mac OS X (all 3 operating systems on the same H-P Ultrabook). I hope you enjoy your time on the Blog, and should you have any comments / feedback please feel free to email me @ jjmacey@jjmacey.net, or visit my Linux Web Site @ www.jjmacey.net (always evolving) – John J. Macey – AKA Adler, which in German means Eagle – Wildwood, New Jersey - Together, we can expand your global markets - with our partnerships. The partnerships are global utlizing multiple Law, Regulatory, Seasoned Management, Employment, M&A and buidlers of Business. Contact use.

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