The principal concern of the UC Davis Center for Children's Environmental Health and Disease Prevention (CCEH) is to identify and understand environmental, immunologic, and genetic risk factors contributing to the incidence and severity of childhood autism. The UC Davis CCEH has a 12-year history of groundbreaking work in many of the above areas. In the coming 5 years, we will: (1) Leverage our existing studies and biobanks for specimens to expand our research and capitalize upon the Center's research findings to date. Through Project 1, we will take advantage of our numerous resources from the CHARGE study, as well as the epidemiological and clinical studies involving prospective parents, pregnant women, and children from the ongoing MARBLES study — both of which grew out of previous years of CCEH funding; (2) Through Projects 2-4, we will build upon our novel findings of calcium dysregulation in cultured neurons and immune cells in the context of understanding the epigenetic effects and ramifications of toxicant exposure on gene pathways and immune function; (3) Develop and apply new biomarkers of autism risk, through analysis of gestational immune dysfunction (Project 3), genetic susceptibility (Projects1-4), epigenetics (Project 2), and environmental exposures (Projects 1-4, Core C), to best characterize the potential health effects at various life stages and predict longer-term clinical and behavioral consequences; (4) With oversight by our Administration Core (A) we will train new investigators, including pre- and post-doctoral fellows and junior faculty, to address emerging issues in children's environmental health with cross-cutting technologies and integrated multidisciplinary approach; and (5) Expand the successful Community Outreach and Translation Core (Core B) to continue the active engagement of our ASD families, as well as the California Department of Health Services and the broader cross-cultural community in the research process, and the translation and application of our research findings. We have proven ourselves to be a highly productive and collaborative Center for the past 12 years, and will we continue to bring our collective successes to bear as we go forward in the next 5 years.
Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC)
Autism Research Database (AFD)
