NEW YORK (GenomeWeb) – Kaiser Permanente announced today its plans to create the Autism Family Research Bank, a resource for researchers that will include genetic material from 5,000 member families.
The resource will contain de-identified genetic, medical, and environmental data from "trios" made up of a person with autism under 26 years old as well as both biological parents, the company said in a statement.
"Our goal for this new research bank is to create a resource that helps guide the development of effective autism treatments," said Lisa Croen, director of the Autism Research Program at Kaiser.
The program received a three-year, $4.6 million grant from the Simons Foundation to create the bank.
The study is part of Kaiser's ongoing research to understand the relationship between genetics and health, which includes linking electronic medical records with a biobank of blood and saliva samples from consenting members.