Breakthrough in Diagnosing Autism
October 19, 2016
Jerusalem Online — A considerable breakthrough in the diagnosis of autism has been made by a team of researchers led by Prof. Idan Menashe of BGU’s Department of Public Health.
Prof. Idan Menashe
Autism detection on this level is a medical feat that medical researchers have found elusive, until now.
“I can look at a gene and determine if it is a gene related to autism,” says Prof. Menashe.
For their study, the researchers found similar characteristics among 650 genes in patients with autism. Looking for these characteristics in babies could lead to diagnosis of autism during pregnancy with a simple blood test.
“This is a breakthrough for parents of children with autism who are considering having other children,” says Eitan Mizrahi, director of Alut, the Israeli society for autistic children.
Although it might take up to five years to develop the test for pregnancy, the research is receiving great attention in the international medical community.
Watch the video news report on the Jerusalem Online website >>
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