Autism Genetic Resource Exchange

Autism Genetic Resource Exchange
Company typeBiobank
PredecessorCure Autism Now
Founded1990s
Websiteautismspeaks.org/agre

The Autism Genetic Resource Exchange (AGRE) is a DNA biobank funded by Autism Speaks. It exists as a DNA repository and family registry of genotypic and phenotypic information available to autism researchers worldwide[1]

History

AGRE was established in the 1990s by a predecessor organization, Cure Autism Now.[2]

Cure Autism Now was a Los Angeles-based non-profit organization founded in 1995 by Jonathan Shestack and Portia Iversen, the parents of an autistic child, whose story is told in the book Strange Son. Cure Autism Now was an organization of parents, doctors and scientists devoted to research to prevent, treat and cure autism.[3] In 1997, Cure Autism Now established AGRE despite initial resistance from scientists to begin a project that conflicted with existing practices.[4]

Projects

In October 2011, AGRE announced a plan to create the world's largest library of sequenced human genomes of individuals with autism-related genes, representing 2000 families and 10000 individuals.[citation needed] To do this, AGRE will provide specimens to the Beijing Genomics Institute, who would perform the sequencing.[5]

References

  1. ^ Geschwind DH, Sowinski J, Lord C, et al. (2001). "The Autism Genetic Resource Exchange: a resource for the study of autism and related neuropsychiatric conditions". Am J Hum Genet. 69 (2): 463–6. doi:10.1086/321292. PMC 1235320. PMID 11452364.
  2. ^ Painter K (2004-01-12). "Science getting to roots of autism". USA Today. Retrieved 2008-11-16.
  3. ^ "How does the autistic brain work?". PBS. 2003-04-06. Archived from the original on 25 October 2008. Retrieved 2008-11-21.
  4. ^ Coukell A (Winter 2006). "You can hurry science". proto. Massachusetts General Hospital. pp. 26–31. Archived from the original on 2011-07-15. Retrieved 2009-01-11.
  5. ^ "Autism Speaks Funds Creation of World's Largest Autism Genome Library | Autism Speaks". autismspeaks.org. 11 October 2011. Retrieved 28 November 2011.