Pryce, Hobson Secure Defense Funding for Autism Susceptibility Research

December 6, 2007

Pryce, Hobson Secure Defense Funding for Autism Susceptibility Research

Nationwide and Dayton Children’s Hospitals Partner with WPAFB to Identify Autism Genes

WASHINGTON , D.C. – Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Dayton Children’s Hospital, and Wright Patterson Air Force Base (WPAFB) will join forces in a unique collaboration to help unlock some of the mysteries of autism through federal funding secured by Congresswoman Deborah Pryce (R-Columbus) and Congressman Dave Hobson (R-Springfield). A total of $1.5 million for the autism research program was included in the Fiscal Year 2008 Department of Defense Appropriations bill (H.R. 3222), which was signed into law (PL 110-116) by the President last month. The research involves the development of a comprehensive registry of central Ohio and Wright Patterson families with autism spectrum disorders to provide higher quality data for genetics research, genetics research using registry data, and therapies and treatment services for participating families at Wright-Patterson AFB.

Said Pryce, “I am thrilled that these renowned Ohio institutions will help advance our understanding of autism. In addition to providing Wright-Patt service members with access to state-of-the-art treatments for a child with autism, the research derived from this study could yield tremendous breakthroughs in how medical professionals treat and diagnose the disorder.’

“This autism research project is another example of how ‘seed money’ can be used to help further medical advancements in childhood diseases and disorders. With this funding, we are bringing together three first-class institutes to help researchers learn more about the causes and treatment of autism, and are providing participating Wright-Patt families with the expanded therapies that they need,” Hobson said.

“The planned research will play a part in the international research community’s efforts to understand the causes of autism, and we want Ohio families to be involved in this effort,” said Dr. Gail Herman, the lead researcher for this new program and Director of the Center for Molecular and Human Genetics at The Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital.

The autism registry and gene mapping research will be conducted at the Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s in Columbus, while the autism therapies and treatments involving participating Wright-Patterson families will take place at Dayton Children’s Hospital.

As an Exceptional Family Member Base (EFMP), Wright-Patterson AFB is one of the few military bases where an evaluation for autism and its long-term management can be performed. Under the EFMP program, service members are assigned to bases offering suitable medical, educational, or other resources to treat family members with medical conditions requiring prolonged hospitalization or out-patient treatment.

“Representatives Pryce and Hobson have been great partners over the years in supporting the medical research that we do here at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, and we appreciate their role in establishing this latest project involving autism,” said Dr. Steve Allen, the Chief Executive Officer at Nationwide Children’s Hospital.

David Kinsaul, president and CEO of Dayton Children’s stated, “We applaud Reps. Hobson and Pryce for their continuing efforts to bring organizations together to get the best care for children. All of us at Dayton Children’s are so pleased to be partners in research and care with Wright Patterson Air Force Base, and now with this effort, Air Force families dealing with autism will have expanded access to pediatric clinical care and research through this partnership between Dayton Children’s and Nationwide Children’s.”

According to the National Institutes of Health, autism affects 3.4 out of every 1,000 children ages 3-10, and is characterized by varying degrees of impairment in communication skills, social interactions, and restricted, repetitive and stereotyped patterns of behavior. Autism spectrum disorders include its most severe form-- autistic disorder, but also Asperger syndrome, Rett Syndrome, childhood disintegrative disorder, and pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS).

Back to Press Releases 2007