Researchers in Oregon identify autism-risk genesReuters
By Courtney Sherwood 14 minutes ago
PORTLAND Ore. (Reuters) - Researchers in Oregon say they have identified 27 genes that may cause autism, according to a study published this week in the journal Nature.
The research at Oregon Health and Science University has the potential to create a screening tool for parents of autistic children, by helping them to determine if future offspring are likely also to develop the disorder, said co-author Brian O'Roak, assistant professor of molecular and medical genetics at OHSU's medical school.
The genes identified by O'Roak's team are the result of mutations not inherited from either parent, and they appear to contribute to about one in four male autism diagnoses and just under half of all female diagnoses, he said on Friday.
About one U.S. child is diagnosed with autism out of every 70 born. When parents already have one autistic child, however, there is an approximately one-in-20 chance that their next baby will also be diagnosed with the disorder, according to the National Institutes of Health.
These 27 genes do not appear to cause autism in everyone with the mutation, O'Roak said, cautioning against the use of the research in pre-natal screening.
But over time, he added, the genes the team of researchers identified could allow for earlier diagnoses in some children, and they could ultimately guide targeted genetic treatment of autism.
The study of 2,500 families was not large enough to identify every gene that may contribute to autism, however, O'Roak said.
"We believe there are 400 genes involved in the disorder," he said. "We need to get 10,000 to 20,000 kids into a study to validate that."
(Reporting by Courtney Sherwood; Editing by Daniel Wallis and Eric Beech)
http://news.yahoo.com/researchers-oregon-identify-autism-risk-genes-202858950.html
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