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US NIH funds 13 autism research projects with $50 million

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Focus on genetic, environmental, clinical, and behavioral

data

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Projects contrast with other government autism efforts

By Ahmed Aboulenein and Robin Respaut

WASHINGTON, Sept 25 (Reuters) - The U.S. National

Institutes of Health granted $50 million this week to fund 13

autism research projects that scientists and advocates say stand

out for their rigor and potential to deliver credible answers.

The research projects, announced as President Donald Trump

linked autism to childhood vaccines and popular pain medication

Tylenol despite a lack of scientific evidence, focus on

examining a wide breadth of data.

"They represent everything from cell biology to

epidemiology, genetics and gene x environment interactions," and

how people with autism grow and change over time, said Dr.

Alycia Halladay, chief science officer at the Autism Science

Foundation. "We are really impressed with the scope of the

projects and the teams that were awarded the funding."

CONTRAST WITH OTHER GOVERNMENT AUTISM ACTIONS

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced the Autism

Data Science Initiative in May, aiming to mine large datasets to

investigate possible contributors to autism and

evaluate existing treatments.

He has also initiated other autism work. It includes a

vaccine safety review led by David Geier, who like Kennedy

promotes debunked claims linking vaccines to autism, and a

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention contract with

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute investigating a possible

association between autism prevalence and vaccines. Previous

rigorous scientific studies have found no such link.

The NIH awards prioritize the study of non-genetic

environmental influences on autism, which aligns with Kennedy's

belief that environmental contributors, which he calls "toxins",

are behind its rising prevalence.

"These are highly reputable groups, and they cover a range

of topics," said Dr. Helen Tager-Flusberg, director of Boston

University's Center for Autism Research Excellence and head of

the Coalition of Autism Scientists.

"We see a glimmer of light, and it poses a huge contrast to

what we heard at the press conference on Monday," she said.

Several influential medical groups have expressed alarm at

the effects of Trump's Tylenol comments.

RECIPIENTS TO STUDY PREGNANCY AND EXPOSURES

Nearly 500 major universities and research institutions,

advocacy organizations, and data firms sought funding, according

to a list of applicants reviewed by Reuters. Over 250 research

teams applied, NIH Director Jay Battacharya said on Monday.

Dr. David Mandell, a psychiatry professor and autism expert

at the University of Pennsylvania, is part of a team working on

how pregnancy and environmental exposures, combined with changes

in diagnosis and access to services, could help explain the rise

in autism cases.

Autism diagnoses in the United States have surged since

2000, with recent government data showing 1 in 31 eight-year-old

children were diagnosed with the condition in 2022.

There was some concern that HHS "was going to funnel money

to examine pet hypotheses, or to people who might be more likely

to gather or interpret data in a way that supported some of

Secretary Kennedy's hypotheses," said Mandell.

GENOMIC DATA AND ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURES

Six projects will integrate genomic data with environmental

exposures to examine autism's potential causes, a field known as

epigenetics. Others will focus on links between autism

prevalence and environmental factors; access to services; data

science models; and interactions between dietary and chemical

exposures.

Advocacy group Autism Speaks praised several of the projects

but said the initiative should not replace other programs cut by

the Trump administration including existing autism research,

data and healthcare training programs that were authorized in

the Autism CARES Act.

Oregon Health & Science University pediatrics professor

Katharine Zuckerman said her team will analyze Medicaid claims

and early-intervention records to identify factors predicting

better outcomes for autistic children.

"While it's important to understand the causes," Zuckerman

said, "it's at least as important to figure out how we can help

autistic people who are here right now."