Developing Clinically Practicable Biomarkers for Autism Spectrum Disorder

Despite significant advances in understanding the biological bases of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), the field remains primarily reliant on observational and parent-report measures of behavior to guide clinical practice, conduct research, and evaluate intervention outcomes. There is a critical need for objective measures to more sensitively and validly quantify risk for ASD, ASD symptomatology, and its change in clinical trials. To maximize public health impact, such biomarkers must be cost-effective and utilize accessible and scalable technologies. This panel brings together five autism research centers, with panelists spanning early career faculty to senior leaders in the field. The biomarkers presented for study all rely on accessible and economical technologies. Three studies will be presented to highlight promising biomarker modalities that can be implemented feasibly in large clinical trials: electroencephalography (EEG), eye-tracking, and wearable autonomic sensors. A fourth study presents data integrating these modalities to provide unique composite information in the context of an ASD clinical trial. Discussion will focus on unique concerns for the development of biomarkers that can facilitate prediction of outcome and diagnostic stratification and on approaches to optimize understanding of these biomarkers through development of large-scale consortia and clinical networks.
Friday, May 12, 2017: 3:30 PM-5:00 PM
Yerba Buena 8 (Marriott Marquis Hotel)
Panel Chair:
J. McPartland
Discussant:
J. McPartland
4:30 PM
Use of Biomarkers to Assess Outcomes in a Phase 1 Open Label Trial of Autologous Cord Blood in Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder
G. Dawson J. M. Sun K. S. Davlantis M. Murias L. Franz J. Troy R. Simmons M. Sabatos-DeVito R. Durham A. Song J. Kurtzberg