Our second installment of our Ask the Researchers series is up on the blog and features Dr. James Adams and Dr. Rosa Krajmalnik-Brown, from Arizona State University answering questions on their Autism research.
Q. Can interested patients still apply to be on the waiting list for a clinical trial?
A. Our adult study and child study are full, but people can sign up for our contact list for future studies at http://autism.asu.edu
Q. How soon do you feel this treatment could be realistically available to all children with Autism?
A. It will require approval by the FDA. We need to first complete the current studies, and then the FDA typically asks for a larger, multi-site study with about 500 participants – so it could take 3-5 years.
Q. In cases where autism follows prematurity, has any research been conducted or considered into whether the prematurity and hospitalization from birth has caused an altered gut microbiome?
A. To our knowledge such study has not been conducted. In our research, we identified several possible risk factors, including C-section birth, short duration of breastfeeding, lower fiber consumption, and increased use of antibiotics. Premature birth is a risk factor for many developmental disorders including autism, but we did not have any participants who were in that category in our studies so we can’t answer it yet.
Q. Does the clinical trial show any breakthrough in treatment of non verbal children?
A. Some of the participants in the clinical study had limited language, and there were improvements in receptive and expressive language in those children. However, non-verbal children were excluded because they were not able to consent.
