The Marcus Foundation

As the prevalence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in children continues to rise—the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 1 child out of 36 is autistic—a beacon of hope emerges from an unexpected source: the common fever.

Anecdotal and scientific reports suggest that some children with autism show improvement in several areas of behavioral abnormalities associated with ASD when they experience fever. An innovative project funded by The Marcus Foundation is set to explore this intriguing phenomenon.

“We hypothesize that fever-associated inflammation is the underlying driver for improving autism-associated symptoms,” says Jun Huh, PhD, an associate professor of immunology in the Blavatnik Institute at Harvard Medical School. “Thus, we aim to identify immunological correlates that commonly exist in fever responders,” says Huh, who is collaborating with Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) neuroscientist Gloria Choi, PhD

Huh and Choi will use both preclinical autism models and human samples collected from fever responders as well as non-fever responders. The preclinical work will generate testable hypotheses, while human clinical samples will be used for large-scale proteomics and immunological analyses. This pioneering bench-to-bedside research links specific immune system hormones known as cytokines, which are normally involved in inflammation, to how the brain of a child with autism processes signaling information in order to learn from the world around them.

“Successful completion of this work will likely lead to the development of diagnostic and therapeutic measures,” says Huh. “These advancements have the potential to significantly impact the unmet social and economic needs associated with autism.”

The Marcus Foundation has been a long-standing supporter of studies related to autism, in addition to its significant philanthropic contributions to other medical domains and to non-medical areas such as veteran support. Through its Medical Research Award Program, the foundation is providing a total of nearly $2.2 million in grants to HMS and MIT for this project.

“I have long been interested in novel approaches to treating and lessening autism symptoms, and doctors Choi and Huh have honed in on a bold theory,” said Bernie Marcus, founder and chair of The Marcus Foundation. “It is my hope that this Marcus Foundation Medical Research Award helps their theory come to fruition and ultimately helps improve the lives of children with autism and their families.” Sadly, Marcus, who loved medical research, died Nov. 4 at the age of 95.

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GOALS OF THE AUTISM RESEARCH PROJECT

1. Identify the immunological mechanisms that mitigate autism-like phenotypes using preclinical mouse models of autism. This will involve studying the role of various immune responses and their impact on behaviors associated with autism, with a focus on the role of inflammation and cytokines in promoting social interaction.
2. Establish a biobank that consists of samples from children with ASD, specifically those who demonstrate symptom improvement during fever episodes (known as fever responders). This biobank will serve as a valuable resource for studying the unique immunological correlates of this subgroup and could potentially aid in the development of personalized treatment strategies.
3. Identify soluble and cellular factors associated with fever responses in children with ASD, focusing on the therapeutic potential of targeting interleukin-17 receptor pathways. This will involve conducting comprehensive proteome analyses and studying the immune landscape of these children, which could provide insights into novel therapeutic targets for ASD.