IACC Strategic Plan Update Question 3 (Risk Factors) Planning Group Conference Call Announcement - November 12, 2013
Announcement
| Topic | Topic Description |
|---|---|
| Date: | Tuesday, November 12, 2013 |
| Time: | 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Eastern |
| Agenda: | The planning group for Question 3 (Risk Factors) will discuss updates for the IACC Strategic Plan. |
| Place: | No in-person meeting; conference call only |
| Conference Call: | Dial: (888) 456-0320 Access code: 2674894 |
| Materials: | Meeting materials |
| Contact Person: | Ms. Lina Perez Office of Autism Research Coordination National Institute of Mental Health, NIH 6001 Executive Boulevard, NSC, Room 6182A Rockville, Maryland 20852 Phone: (301) 443-6040 E-mail: IACCPublicInquiries@mail.nih.gov |
| Please Note: | The conference call will be open to the public in listen-only mode. Members of the public who participate using the conference call phone number will be able to listen to the meeting but will not be heard. If you experience any technical problems with the conference call, please e-mail HelpDeskIACC@gmail.com or call the IACC Technical Support Help Line at 415-652-8023. Accommodations Statement: The meeting will be open to the public via conference call. Individuals who participate by using this electronic service and who need special assistance such as captioning or other reasonable accommodations should submit a request to the Contact Person listed on this notice at least 3 days prior to the meeting. Schedule subject to change. |
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Agenda
No in-person meeting; conference call only. The materials for the meeting can be found here.
| Time | Event |
|---|---|
| 10:00 a.m. | Roll Call and Opening Remarks Susan Daniels, Ph.D. Acting Director, Office of Autism Research Coordination, National Institute of Mental Health Executive Secretary, IACC |
| 10:10 a.m. | Discussion of Progress Toward Meeting Strategic Plan Question 3 Objectives – "What Caused This to Happen and Can It Be Prevented?" (Risk Factors) |
| 11:25 a.m. | Discussion of Progress Toward Meeting Question 3 Aspirational Goal: "Causes Of ASD Will Be Discovered That Inform Prognosis And Treatments And Lead To Prevention/Preemption Of The Challenges And Disabilities Of ASD." |
| 11:55 a.m. | Wrap-up and Next Steps |
| 12:00 p.m. | Adjournment |
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Minutes
- Roll Call and Opening Remarks
- Discussion of Question 3 IACC Portfolio Analysis Documents and Strategic Plan Progress
The Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) Subcommittee for Basic and Translational Research Strategic Plan Question 3 Planning Group convened a conference call on Tuesday, November 12, 2013 from 10:07 a.m. to 12:20 p.m.
In accordance with Public Law 92-463, the meeting was open to the public. Susan Daniels, Ph.D., Executive Secretary, IACC, presided.
Participants:
Susan Daniels, Ph.D., Executive Secretary, IACC, Office of Autism Research Coordination (OARC), (NIMH); Joseph Buxbaum, Ph.D., Icahn School of Medicine at Mt. Sinai; Julie Daniels, Ph.D., University of North; Irva Hertz-Picciotto, Ph.D., University of California at Davis; Cindy Lawler, Ph.D., National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) (representing Linda Birnbaum, Ph.D.); Thomas Lehner, Ph.D., NIMH; Craig Newschaffer, Ph.D., Drexler University; Lyn Redwood, R.N., M.S.N., Coalition for SafeMinds
Roll Call and Opening Remarks
Dr. Susan Daniels welcomed the Planning Group and members of the public, and called roll. She said that this Group was charged with the update for Question 3 (What Caused This to Happen and Can It Be Prevented?) of the IACC Strategic Plan. She noted that the goal of this call of the Planning Group was to qualitatively evaluate the scientific progress made on the Question 3 objectives, and to identify any gaps with the help of external experts. In addition, the Group was to discuss progress made toward the aspirational goals of Questions 3.
Discussion of Question 3 IACC Portfolio Analysis Documents and Strategic Plan Progress
Dr. Susan Daniels reviewed meeting materials prepared by the Office of Autism Research Coordination (OARC) to provide funding and project information for Planning Group reference. All of the materials are available online. The materials include: a Compiled Objectives (cumulative funding) Table, a Project Data Table (2008-2010), and a Conclusions Table. The Compiled Objectives (cumulative funding) Table showed the alignment of funding across years (2008-2012) for each objective in Question 3. The Project Data Table (made available for the previous conference call) was provided to the Committee members, and is available online. These Tables include some live links for 2008-2010 projects. The Conclusions Table is a compilation of initial determinations about the funding progress on Question 3 objectives made by Question 3 Planning Group members during the previous conference call. These tables provide brief summaries of the discussion of each objective.
Dr. Susan Daniels guided the Group through discussions of research progress, gaps, and barriers for each of the objectives. She began each discussion by reviewing the overall conclusions from the previous Planning Group call regarding funding, projects, and conclusions.
3.S.A Coordinate and implement the inclusion of approximately 20,000 subjects for genome-wide association studies, as well as a sample of 1,200 for sequencing studies to examine more than 50 candidate genes by 2011. Studies should investigate factors contributing to phenotypic variation across individuals who share an identified genetic variant and stratify subjects according to behavioral, cognitive, and clinical features. The Group previously agreed that the recommended budget had been partially met. Dr. Joseph Buxbaum summarized progress and next steps in genetic/genomic research. There were currently about 6,000 unrelated individuals for genome-wide association studies (GWAS). In terms of sequencing more than 1,200 cases had whole exome sequencing. In the next year, he expected 5,000-6,000 probands would be sequenced, along with controls. Also, 7-10 ASD genes had been identified already.
Dr. Buxbaum suggested that the next step should be stratifying individuals in advance by behavior and cognitive and clinical features. He also said that copy number variations (CNVs), could be included in this objective, especially with a transition to collecting clinical samples. Individuals with a known CNV could be identified very early in life, and the natural history could be followed. Ms. Lyn Redwood asked if this early genetic information was available, and if these children were followed, whether this type of study could be used to identify acquired CNVs over time. Dr. Buxbaum said that so far the identified CNVs had been found in the germline only. However, CNVs identified early could mean early treatments.
3.S.B Within the highest-priority categories of exposures for ASD, identify and standardize at least three measures for identifying markers of environmental exposure in biospecimens by 2011. On the last call, the Group agreed that the recommended budget had been partially met. Also they concluded that progress had been made through projects funded by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), but those projects weren't captured under this objective because they covered a broad range of disorders that included but was not specific to autism. Dr. Buxbaum agreed that the area was underfunded, but mentioned a research consortium which was studying environmental and familial risk factors (Multigenerational Familial and Environmental Risk for Autism [MINERvA]). He added that there were a few grants for research on merging genetics and epidemiology. There was more research than perhaps was captured in the information provided to the Group.
Dr. Irva Hertz-Picciotto used recent findings on newborn blood spots as an example of identifying biomarkers in the relevant time period. This biomarker information could be useful for studies of older age groups. There was a lot of opportunity in this area. Ms. Redwood asked if this objective had been intended to address gaps in standardized measures for biologic specimens and environmental contaminants. Dr. Cindy Lawler said that the objective was intended to address issues related to the development of better analytic tools, and the dissemination of those tools. Ideally, those tools should be embedded within existing epidemiology studies in ways that would lend themselves to pooling efforts. She added that technology should be pushed to more accurately measure a wider variety of potential exposures. Dr. Craig Newschaffer said that one aspect of the objective was the need to standardize self-report measures of exposures, so that these could be integrated into large studies. The other would be to develop technologies that could aid in the development of biomarkers of exposures.
3.S.C Initiate efforts to expand existing large case-control and other studies to enhance capabilities for targeted gene-environment research by 2011. The Group previously agreed that the recommended budget was nearly met, but more work was needed. Dr. Julie Daniels said that these large studies were always evolving – increasing in size and adding topics. She said that it might be more cost efficient to provide expanded support to some of these existing studies, rather than starting new projects. In addition, there was the potential for pooling and collaboration. She noted that it required substantial resources to create the infrastructure for these studies. Researchers should continue to tap into the existing work – data and samples – and perhaps expand upon them.
3.S.D Enhance existing case-control studies to enroll racially and ethnically diverse populations affected by ASD by 2011. On the last call, the Group decided that the recommended budget had not been met. Dr. Susan Daniels noted that it was possible that there might have been studies included elsewhere (such as in 3.L.B) that could also reflect some progress on this objective. There was a brief discussion about the feasibility of identifying the numbers of individuals in various ethnic groups in NIH projects for the 5-year period, which was considered by some to be a large undertaking. Dr. Susan Daniels and Dr. Lawler said that they would discuss this matter with the internal NIH Autism Coordinating Committee (ACC).
Dr. Lawler said that data about these diverse populations in future studies would be useful. She agreed with Dr. Buxbaum that very little had been accomplished in this area. Dr. Buxbaum suggested taking advantage of completed studies, which focused on children of low socioeconomic status and higher environmental exposures. Children with autism could be identified as subgroups in these studies. Dr. Julie Daniels asked whether the intent of the objective was race/ethnicity or socioeconomics. Dr. Lawler suggested that clarification of this objective was needed from the Committee. Ms. Redwood said that the IACC's focus was on diverse racial/ethnic populations, not socioeconomic groups (though low economic status populations are often more racially and ethnically diverse).
Ms. Redwood continued, asking how the Strategic Plan had shaped funding of Requests for Applications (RFAs), and how much funding had been used. Dr. Susan Daniels said that if the IACC felt that it would be useful to provide lists of NIH RFAs, the Autism Coordinating Committee (ACC) could provide this information. However, similar lists would need to be provided for the other agencies as well. Ms. Redwood said that this information would be very useful in order to determine whether an objective had been over- or underfunded. She also felt that lists of RFAs would be useful when discussing gap areas.
3.S.E Support at least two studies to determine if there are subpopulations that are more susceptible to environmental exposures (e.g., immune challenges related to infections, vaccinations, or underlying autoimmune problems) by 2012. The Group previously agreed that the recommended budget had been partially met. Despite the progress, this area required more attention. Dr. Buxbaum said that without well-defined subpopulations, it was difficult to test whether one subgroup is more susceptible than another to environmental exposures. Dr. Julie Daniels said that the quality of the identification of subpopulations important. She added that for the CDC's Study to Explore Early Development (SEED)1 study and the Childhood Autism Risk from Genetics and the Environment (CHARGE) study,2 data had been collected about maternal health. This information could be used indirectly to identify subgroups of mothers pre-existing conditions, which might have made their children more susceptible. Similarly health history data – medical records and self-report – might provide information about environmental exposures for classifying subgroups. Biomarkers could potentially be used as well. Dr. Hertz-Picciotto noted that for the CHARGE study, immunologists characterized children and mothers, which provided a great deal of information on immune aberrations. However, it was not clear whether this information would prove useful.
3.S.F Initiate studies on at least 10 environmental factors identified in the recommendations from the 2007 IOM report "Autism and the Environment: Challenges and Opportunities for Research" as potential causes of ASD by 2012. On the last call, the Group agreed that the recommended budget had not been met. In addition, there appeared to be a significant decrease in the number of projects. Dr. Buxbaum said that the question of directionality needed to be addressed. When an association had been identified between an environmental factor and any disorder, it was necessary to establish the direction—if the association was causal, reactive, or independent. There were now epidemiological and genetic methodologies to determine the direction of the association. He suggested that the Strategic Plan address this issue. For those reliable associations that had already been identified, additional studies were needed to determine the direction of the association. Ms. Redwood agreed that this was an important point because it could lead to treatments and prevention.
3.S.G Convene a workshop that explores the usefulness of bioinformatics approaches to identify environmental risks for ASD by 2011. The recommended budget for this objective was met. Dr. Susan Daniels said that this workshop was held in 2011, and was sponsored by NIEHS. The workshop report (PDF – 189 KB) was available online. The Group agreed that though the objective had been completed, there was still much work to be done in this area.
3.S.H Support at least three studies of special populations or use existing databases to inform our understanding of environmental risk factors for ASD in pregnancy and the early postnatal period by 2012. Such studies could include: comparisons of populations differing in geography, gender, ethnic background, exposure history (e.g., prematurity, maternal infection, nutritional deficiencies, toxins), and migration patterns; and comparisons of phenotype (e.g., cytokine profiles), in children with and without a history of autistic regression, adverse events following immunization (such as fever and seizures), and mitochondrial impairment. These studies may also include comparisons of phenotype between children with regressive ASD and their siblings. Emphasis on environmental factors that influence prenatal and early postnatal development is particularly of high priority. Epidemiological studies should pay special attention to include racially and ethnically diverse populations. On the last call, the Group felt that the recommended budget had been partially met, but work needed to continue. Dr. Newschaffer noted that there were a few preterm cohort projects underway. He said that databases had definitely been the dominant research approach, with special populations lagging behind. Projects such as International Collaboration for Autism Registry Epidemiology (iCARE)3 and the MINERvA network would capitalize on large databases even further. Dr. Hertz-Picciotto noted that work on environmental factors – such as maternal infections, nutrition, and air pollution – had burgeoned. However, there was not enough focus on pregnancy and the early postnatal period work.
3.S.I Support at least two studies that examine potential differences in the microbiome of individuals with ASD versus comparison groups by 2012. The Group agreed that the recommended budget had been partially met. They noted that there were six projects in 2012, but the projects appeared to be very small, and were likely insufficient to meet the intent of the objective. Dr. Newschaffer said that while there was a great deal of technology in this area, the number of experts with deep knowledge of that technology and microbiomics, who could analyze the data properly, was fairly small. It was important to involve these experts from outside of autism field, use the newest technologies, and ensure that future projects were adequately powered. Dr. Buxbaum said that it would be relatively easy to collect samples and build repositories. Dr. Hertz-Picciotto suggested linking the microbiome with the metabolome.
3.S.J. Support at least three studies that focus on the role of epigenetics in the etiology of ASD, including studies that include assays to measure DNA methylations and histone modifications and those exploring how exposures may act on maternal or paternal genomes via epigenetic mechanisms to alter expression, by 2012. The Group previously agreed that the recommended budget had been partially met. They had felt that good progress had been made, and it needed to be maintained. Dr. Buxbaum said that the concern in this area was the availability of samples. Large-scale research interest was generated by the availability of samples. Dr. Susan Daniels said that this concern had been raised during other discussions as well. It was an important topic for discussion at the Workshop. The Group then briefly discussed research on epigenetic markers. Dr. Buxbaum noted that there were blood spot repositories, but the amount of sample was limited. Dr. Newschaffer said that while some DNA work had been done in autism, it was a very small amount of research compared with genomics research. Epigenetics was in its infancy.
Ms. Redwood asked if any DNA methylation findings could have implications for treatment. Dr. Buxbaum said that mediators of methylation identified so far were very nonspecific. He added that methylation was a mediator between upstream environmental phenomena with downstream epigenetic change. However, this would not translate immediately to treatment. Dr. Hertz-Picciotto noted that studies had shown that folic acid supplementation was associated with reduced risk of autism – especially for mothers/children with genetic polymorphisms associated with less efficient folate metabolism, who had an associated greater risk of autism.4 Low folate concentrations led to decreased methylation. Epigenetics might be a mechanism explaining these epidemiologic findings for protection, when mothers took prenatal supplements prior to conception.
3.S.K Support two studies and a workshop that facilitate the development of vertebrate and invertebrate model systems for the exploration of environmental risks and their interaction with gender and genetic susceptibilities for ASD by 2012. The Group previously agreed that the recommended budget had been partially met. However, there appeared to be a downward trend in funding. There also might be overlap with projects from objective 2.S.B. Dr. Lawler said that NIEHS had not held a workshop specific to this topic. NIEHS had held a workshop in 2010 on a broader range of topics, which included this area. However, the intent of the workshop was to bring together scientists from other complex diseases to discuss different approaches for addressing environmental risks. Dr. Hertz-Picciotto said that animal models had advanced in the last few years, but not with the intent to assess environmental risk factors. There was interest in this area now. Dr. Susan Daniels noted that many studies for developing animal models were included under an objective in Question 4.
3.L.A Conduct a multi-site study of the subsequent pregnancies of 1,000 women with a child with ASD to assess the impact of environmental factors in a period most relevant to the progression of ASD by 2014. On the last call, the Group found that the recommended budget for this objective had been met, but that emphasis should continue to be placed on this objective. They were particularly concerned about the lack of continued funding for the Early Autism Risk Longitudinal Investigation (EARLI)5 study. Dr. Buxbaum pointed out that the Markers of Autism Risk in Babies – Learning Early Signs (MARBLES)6 study was ongoing. Also, though funding for EARLI had not been continued and enrollment had stopped, small grants were allowing some analysis work to continue. Dr. Julie Daniels stressed that both MARBLES and EARLI were important efforts to continue.
Dr. Hertz-Picciotto added that both MARBLES and EARLI had intensive specimen collection components during relevant time periods prior to diagnosis. The Group agreed that large amounts of money were required to get results, but the investment would pay off in a number of ways. They also agreed that it was not generally well understood how difficult and costly it was to develop these types of cohorts and infrastructure.
3.L.B Identify genetic risk factors in at least 50% of people with ASD by 2014. The Group previously had agreed that the recommended budget had been more than met, but additional work was needed. Dr. Buxbaum said that with recent whole-exome data, there was potential to make a genetic finding in 20 percent of children. However, it was unclear whether any specific genetic finding contributed to risk, and if so, how much. Adding in CNVs raised the proportion to closer to 30 percent, he said. The next step would be to study a sample large enough that loci could accurately be identified as contributing to risk.
Ms. Redwood said that the IACC had greatly underestimated the cost of this objective, given that $169 million had been spent to identify only 20-30 percent. Dr. Buxbaum explained that originally scientists had anticipated that genome-wide association studies (GWAS) would be the best approach for answering these questions, but as research progressed, it had turned out that sequencing was a more powerful approach – and it was much more costly, resulting in a higher expenditure than originally anticipated. Dr. Buxbaum and Dr. Hertz-Picciotto agreed that 50 percent was a good target but it was also necessary to understand the risk.
3.L.C Determine the effect of at least five environmental factors on the risk for subtypes of ASD in the prenatal and early postnatal period of development by 2015. The Group previously agreed that the recommended budget was partially met, but there appeared to be a downward trend. Dr. Newschaffer said that there had been some studies of risk factors, which had been aided by the availability of existing exposure data. These could be replicated easily. However, subtyping variables linked to environmental exposures were not available in large datasets.
Ms. Redwood suggested that subtypes could be interpreted more broadly than those in DSM-IV7 or DSM-5,8 such as gender, regression, comorbidities, etc. Dr. Susan Daniels suggested asking the IACC to clarify the term "subtypes."
3.L.D Support ancillary studies within one or more large-scale, population-based surveillance and epidemiological studies, including U.S. populations, to collect data on environmental factors during preconception, and during prenatal and early postnatal development, as well as genetic data, that could be pooled (as needed) to analyze targets for potential gene/environment interactions by 2015. On the last call, the Group felt that the recommended budget had been met. Most studies appeared to be related to Centers for Autism and Developmental Disabilities Research and Epidemiology (CADDRE).9
Dr. Julie Daniels said many of these types of projects could take considerable time to set up and initiate, and required a great deal of resources. However, most of the funds had gone to support data collection, and building study infrastructure, not necessarily data analysis. Data were ready for analysis, and these projects continued to need support.
ASPIRATIONAL GOAL
The causes that ASD will be discovered that inform progress and treatments and lead to prevention preemption of the challenges and disabilities of ASD. And this was the overall goal that the Committee had for research in this area that it would go toward eventually leading to treatments and prevention.
Dr. Newschaffer said that while causes were being discovered, work was still needed to understand how these related to prognosis and treatment. However, more progress has been made for well-defined subgroups, such as Fragile X syndrome. Dr. Buxbaum said that the effort to build infrastructure and collect data was fully appreciated.
This had required a great deal of investment and was very necessary, but had not yielded results yet. The infrastructure was now in place to conduct the needed studies. It was crucial to keep investing in this area. It was also important to help the community temper expectations.
Dr. Newschaffer added that it was unlikely that one key gene or environmental risk factor – such as smoking in lung cancer – would be identified for autism. Dr. Hertz-Picciotto said that more funding was needed in this area. Environmental factors might be quite complex for autism because of maternal interplay.
Dr. Buxbaum said that they had made good progress in terms of genetics and were close to being able to identify genetic risk factors in 50 percent of individuals with ASD. However, that did not mean that the genetic cause would be identified in that 50 percent, which was how the community interpreted this goal. Genetics would not account for all risk. It was important to interpret and explain research goals.
Adjournment
Dr. Susan Daniels briefly explained the process for the upcoming Workshop.
The conference call was adjourned at 12:20 p.m.
Certification
I hereby certify that this meeting summary is accurate and complete.
/Susan Daniels/ November 18, 2013
Susan A. Daniels, Ph.D.
Executive Secretary, Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee
References
1 Schendel DE, Diguiseppi C, Croen LA, et al. The Study to Explore Early Development (SEED): a multisite epidemiologic study of autism by the Centers for Autism and Developmental Disabilities Research and Epidemiology (CADDRE) network. J Autism Dev Disord. 2012 Oct;42(10):2121-40. [PMID: 22350336]
2 Hertz-Picciotto I, Croen LA, Hansen R, et al. The CHARGE study: an epidemiologic investigation of genetic and environmental factors contributing to autism. Environ Health Perspect. 2006 Jul;114(7):1119-25. [PMID: 16835068]
3 Schendel DE, Bresnahan M, Carter KW, et al. The International Collaboration for Autism Registry Epidemiology (iCARE): multinational registry-based investigations of autism risk factors and trends. J Autism Dev Disord. 2013 Nov;43(11):2650-63. [PMID: 23563868]
4 Schmidt RJ, Tancredi DJ, Ozonoff S, et al. Maternal periconceptional folic acid intake and risk of autism spectrum disorders and developmental delay in the CHARGE (CHildhood Autism Risks from Genetics and Environment) case-control study. Am J Clin Nutr. Jul 2012; 96(1): 80–89. [PMID: 22648721]
5 "EARLI Study – Research Into Early Causes of Autism," The EARLI Study, accessed May 13, 2014
6 "MARBLES – Markers of Autism Risk in Babies – Learning Early Signs," UCDMC, last accessed May 13, 2014
7 American Psychiatric Association. 2000. Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental health disorders (4th ed., text rev.). Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Publishing.
8 American Psychiatric Association. 2013. Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental health disorders: DSM-5 (5th ed.). Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Publishing.
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Materials
- 2012 IACC Strategic Plan Update
- 2011 IACC Strategic Plan
- Compiled Objective Chart for Question 3 2008 to 2012 (PDF – 167 KB)
- Conclusions by Objective for Question 3 (PDF – 146 KB)
Conclusions by Objective for Question 3 (Risk Factors)
Prepared for IACC Strategic Plan Update Question 3 Planning Group Conference Call November 12, 2013
| IACC Strategic Plan Objectives | Planning Group Summary | Funding 2008-2013 |
|---|---|---|
IACC Strategic Plan Objectives3.S.A. Coordinate and implement the inclusion of approximately 20,000 subjects for genome-wide association studies, as well as a sample of 1,200 for sequencing studies to examine more than 50 candidate genes by 2011. Studies should investigate factors contributing to phenotypic variation across individuals who share an identified genetic variant and stratify subjects according to behavioral, cognitive, and clinical features. |
Planning Group SummaryThe recommended budget has been partially met. Progress has been made on this objective; several GWAS and sequencing projects have been funded , but more information is needed to determine whether the specific targets of 20,00 subjects for GWAS and 1,200 for sequencing studies to examine more than 50 genes has been accomplished. Invited experts may be able to comment on this. |
Funding 2008-2013$38,587,633 |
IACC Strategic Plan Objectives3.S.B. Within the highest-priority categories of exposures for ASD, identify and standardize at least three measures for identifying markers of environmental exposure in biospecimens by 2011. |
Planning Group SummaryThe recommended budget has not been met. There has been progress on the understanding of exposures, but more work needs to be done to apply this directly to autism research. Progress has made through projects funded by NIEHS, but those projects are not captured by the Portfolio Analysis because they are not specific to autism, but could be applied to this objective. |
Funding 2008-2013$813,227 |
IACC Strategic Plan Objectives3.S.C. Initiate efforts to expand existing large case-control and other studies to enhance capabilities for targeted gene-environment research by 2011. |
Planning Group SummaryThe recommended budget has been nearly met. Work still needs to continue on this objective, but is limited by the number of existing large studies that can be expanded. |
Funding 2008-2013$26,903,311 |
IACC Strategic Plan Objectives3.S.D. Enhance existing case-control studies to enroll racially and ethnically diverse populations affected by ASD by 2011. |
Planning Group SummaryThe recommended budget has not been met. Studies coded elsewhere (such as in 3.L.B.) may also reflect progress on this objective. It is also possible that the intended inclusion of diverse populations has happened without the use of separate supplements and thus may not be easily tracked through the portfolio analysis. |
Funding 2008-2013$188,455 |
IACC Strategic Plan Objectives3.S.E. Support at least two studies to determine if there are subpopulations that are more susceptible to environmental exposures (e.g., immune challenges related to infections, vaccinations, or underlying autoimmune problems) by 2012. |
Planning Group SummaryThe recommended budget has been partially met, and the intended number of studies was exceeded. |
Funding 2008-2013$3,608,312 |
IACC Strategic Plan Objectives3.S.F. Initiate studies on at least 10 environmental factors identified in the recommendations from the 2007 IOM report "Autism and the Environment: Challenges and Opportunities for Research" as potential causes of ASD by 2012. |
Planning Group SummaryThe recommended budget has not been met, and it appears that there has been a significant decrease in the number of studies related to this objective. Further work in this are is needed. |
Funding 2008-2013$10,794,995 |
IACC Strategic Plan Objectives3.S.G. Convene a workshop that explores the usefulness of bioinformatic approaches to identify environmental risks for ASD by 2011. |
Planning Group SummaryThe workshop identified in this objective was held in 2011, so this objective has been completed. The report from this workshop. |
Funding 2008-2013$46,991 |
IACC Strategic Plan Objectives3.S.H. Support at least three studies of special populations or use existing databases to inform our understanding of environmental risk factors for ASD in pregnancy and the early postnatal period by 2012. Such studies could include:
IACC Recommended Budget: $12,000,000 over 5 years |
Planning Group SummaryThe recommended budget has been partially met, and the funded projects cover the objective well; there are 32 projects that are related to this objective. While progress is being made in this area, and it must be maintained in order to achieve this objective. |
Funding 2008-2013$10,281,278 |
IACC Strategic Plan Objectives3.S.I. Support at least two studies that examine potential differences in the microbiome of individuals with ASD versus comparison groups by 2012. |
Planning Group SummaryThe number of projects in this area has been growing, with 6 projects in 2012. The number of funded projects is large relative to the amount of funding, indicating that the projects are each small, which suggests that these projects will not be sufficient to complete this objective. The high cost of required technology could be a barrier to the completion of this objective. |
Funding 2008-2013$749,263 |
IACC Strategic Plan Objectives3.S.J. Support at least three studies that focus on the role of epigenetics in the etiology of ASD, including studies that include assays to measure DNA methylations and histone modifications and those exploring how exposures may act on maternal or paternal genomes via epigenetic mechanisms to alter gene expression, by 2012. |
Planning Group SummaryThe recommended budget for this objective has been partially met, and the number of projects has been exceeded, with 22 projects supported in 2012. The current momentum in this area should be maintained. |
Funding 2008-2013$16,536,350 |
IACC Strategic Plan Objectives3.S.K. Support two studies and a workshop that facilitate the development of vertebrate and invertebrate model systems for the exploration of environmental risks and their interaction with gender and genetic susceptibilities for ASD by 2012. |
Planning Group SummaryWhile the recommended budget has been partially met and some projects have been funded in this area, it appears that there is a downward trend. Some projects from 2SB "Launch three studies that specifically focus on the neurodevelopment of females with ASD, spanning basic to clinical research on sex differences by 2011." may overlap with this objective. There may have been a workshop held by NIEHS that fulfilled the workshop directive of this objective, but more information is needed to determine. |
Funding 2008-2013$1,287,763 |
IACC Strategic Plan Objectives3.L.A. Conduct a multi-site study of the subsequent pregnancies of 1,000 women with a child with ASD to assess the impact of environmental factors in a period most relevant to the progression of ASD by 2014. |
Planning Group SummaryThe recommended budget for this objective was met, but emphasis on this objective should continue in the future. The Group is concerned about the lack of continued funding for EARLI. |
Funding 2008-2013$15,194,483 |
IACC Strategic Plan Objectives3.L.B. Identify genetic risk factors in at least 50% of people with ASD by 2014. |
Planning Group SummaryWhile the recommended budget for this objective has been met, further work is needed to identify genetic risk factors in at least 50% of people. We can ask invited experts to give a current estimate of % of people with ASD for whom a genetic risk factor has been identified – 30%? |
Funding 2008-2013$169,806,458 |
IACC Strategic Plan Objectives3.L.C. Determine the effect of at least five environmental factors on the risk for subtypes of ASD in the prenatal and early postnatal period of development by 2015. |
Planning Group SummaryThe recommended budget was partially met, and several projects were funded, but it appears there is a downward trend. Epidemiological studies coded to other objectives (e.g. EARLI) may also represent progress in this area. |
Funding 2008-2013$5,349,089 |
IACC Strategic Plan Objectives3.L.D. Support ancillary studies within one or more large-scale, population-based surveillance and epidemiological studies, including U.S. populations, to collect data on environmental factors during preconception, and during prenatal and early postnatal development, as well as genetic data, that could be pooled (as needed) to analyze targets for potential gene/environment interactions by 2015. |
Planning Group SummaryThe recommended budget for this objective has been met, with most of the studies coded to this area relating to CADDRE. |
Funding 2008-2013$63,013,714 |
IACC Strategic Plan ObjectivesNot specific to any objective (Core Activities) |
Planning Group Summary
|
Funding 2008-2013$17,656,815 |
IACC Strategic Plan ObjectivesTotal funding for Question 3 |
Planning Group Summary
|
Funding 2008-2013$380,818,136 |
This document is for discussion purposes only and does not reflect the decisions of the IACC
Highlighting of each total gives an indication of the progress toward meeting the IACC recommended budget for each objective. Green highlighting indicates that funding fully meets the recommend budget. Yellow highlighting denotes that funding for a particular objective partially meets the IACC recommended budget, while red highlighting indicates that there has been no funding towards the particular objective.
blue text is an insertion
red text is a deletion
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Transcript
- Meeting Transcript (PDF – 221 KB)
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