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“This database will link state-of-the-art
genetic analysis to very detailed behavioral assessments. This is an
unprecedented project that could greatly enhance our understanding of underlying
biological processes,” explains Dr. Fombonne. “This is an important step
towards the unraveling of genetic mechanisms and understanding the
pathophysiology of this disorder of brain development.”
Families are currently being recruited to participate in an initial assessment
and then may be invited to participate in other research projects as work
continues. Those eligible to participate are families with only one child with
an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) who is four years of age or older; with one or
more siblings without an ASD, age four or older; and biological parents without
an ASD and who are willing to participate. Eligible children with an ASD will
receive a behavioral assessment and all family members will donate blood, a
source of DNA. A small number of families with no siblings or siblings under the
age of four may be eligible to participate in the study.
“The MUHC is committed to recruiting 200 families by the end of 2009. This
represents an important challenge, but being the only centre in Canada we hope
to be able to attract the required number of English speaking patients,” says
Dr. Fombonne.
In addition to the Research Institute of the MUHC, the SSC will be conducted at
Baylor University, Columbia University, Emory University, Harvard University,
the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), the University of
Illinois-Chicago, the University of Michigan, the University of Missouri, the
University of Washington, Vanderbilt University, Washington University, and Yale
University.
Dr. Eric Fombonne is the recipient of the Canada Research Chair in Child
Psychiatry. He is the Director of the Department of Psychiatry at The Montreal
Children's Hospital and Head of the Division of Child Psychiatry at McGill
University. He is also co-leader of the “Mental illness and addiction” axis of
the Research Institute of the MUHC.
The McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) is a comprehensive academic health
institution with an international reputation for excellence in clinical
programs, research and teaching. Its partner hospitals are the Montreal
Children's Hospital, the Montreal General Hospital, the Royal Victoria Hospital,
the Montreal Neurological Hospital, the Montreal Chest Institute and the Lachine
Hospital. The goal of the MUHC is to provide patient care based on the most
advanced knowledge in the health care field and to contribute to the development
of new knowledge.
The Montreal Children’s Hospital is the pediatric teaching hospital of the
McGill University Health Centre (MUHC). The institution is a leader in the care
and treatment of sick infants, children, and adolescents from across Quebec. The
Montreal Children’s Hospital provides a high level and broad scope of health
care services, and provides ultra specialized care in many fields including:
cardiology and cardiac surgery; neurology and neurosurgery, traumatology;
genetic research; psychiatry and child development and musculoskeletal
conditions, including orthopedics and rheumatology. Fully bilingual and
multicultural, the institution respectfully serves an increasingly diverse
community in more than 50 languages.
The Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI MUHC) is a
world-renowned biomedical and health-care hospital research centre. Located in
Montreal, Quebec, the institute is the research arm of the MUHC, the university
health center affiliated with the Faculty of Medicine at McGill University. The
institute supports over 600 researchers, nearly 1200 graduate and post-doctoral
students and operates more than 300 laboratories devoted to a broad spectrum of
fundamental and clinical research. The Research Institute operates at the
forefront of knowledge, innovation and technology and is inextricably linked to
the clinical programs of the MUHC, ensuring that patients benefit directly from
the latest research-based knowledge.
The Research Institute of the MUHC is supported in part by the Fonds de la
recherche en santé du Québec.
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