MicroRNA Autism Research Study (MARS) - v1
Research type
Research Study
Full title
A research study exploring whether microRNAs can be used as a biological marker for autism spectrum disorder.
IRAS ID
244774
Contact name
Barry Wright
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of York
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 6 months, 28 days
Research summary
Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are common (1/100). Autism is often passed down in families (Huguet et al, 2016), but there is no one gene that causes autism. This may be because it is not caused by a single gene but by the way our bodies control how genes work. Little research has been done on this. MicroRNAs in the blood may be important here.
In some families there are several people with autism but no known genetic cause found. For the first time, we would like to look at microRNAs in the blood of families, comparing people with and without autism in the family. This will allow us 1. To see if microRNAs should be researched more 2. To work with families to
make sure all our procedures are acceptable. If this is shown to be promising research, we will apply to the Medical Research Council for a larger study.REC name
Yorkshire & The Humber - Bradford Leeds Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
18/YH/0308
Date of REC Opinion
28 Sep 2018
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion