Chinese scientists have achieved an important achievement in creating the first vaccine, which they say can treat the symptoms of autism, by editing the genetic base within the brain.
The treatment, developed by a team from Fudan University and Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, in China, showed positive results when tested on mice.
Although the injections have so far only been used on mice, scientists say their evidence suggests they could be used to help humans with autism spectrum disorder.
Shanghai University scientists injected mice with a gene-editing tool that changed a specific DNA mutation linked to autism symptoms.
Mice with the genetic characteristic that were given the injection saw a complete reversal of their behavioral and social problems.
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has been linked to a mutation in the MEF2C gene. The DNA defect causes problems in crucial developmental processes in the brain.
Although scientists from Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine and Fudan University in Shanghai focused on a single gene, they cautioned that there are likely multiple gene mutations involved in the development of autism.
Previous studies have linked more than 200 genetic mutations to autism spectrum disorder, most of which are not hereditary.
These scientists chose to focus on one gene called MEF2C, because children with mutations or deletions in it, who live in China and Korea, are known to be more likely than others to be diagnosed with this disorder.
The MEF2C gene is heavily involved in neurodevelopment both in utero and in childhood. It programs the functions of brain areas that are integral to learning and memory, such as the frontal cortex and hippocampus.
In the recent study published in Nature Neuroscience, scientists packaged their gene-editing dose into a virus, which was injected into the brains of mice.
This viral vector, which crosses the blood-brain barrier (the network of blood vessels and tissue that lines the inside of the brain and protects it from intruders), targeted specific areas of the brain where the MEF2C gene is highly expressed in adult mice (such as the cortex, hippocampus, and amygdala). ).
The scientists said: “This treatment succeeded in restoring MEF2C protein levels in many brain regions and reversing the behavioral abnormalities in mice with the MEF2C mutation.”
Scientists define autism spectrum disorder as a hereditary neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by deficits in social interaction and stereotypical behaviors.
Some may have mild forms of the disorder that require a little extra support. While the disorder can be so severe that it may constitute a serious disability for the patient for life.
About a quarter of children with autism have minimal pronunciation, meaning they speak 30 words or so.
Autism can sometimes be different between girls and boys, as autistic girls are known to hide signs of the disorder in order to adapt to others.
Wow! Impressive.
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