Authors: Grace Gaston, Vincent S. Gallicchio.
Autism is a spectrum of neurodevelopmental disorders. It appears differently in all individuals with ASDs and has recently become popular in research. There are many suspected genetic causes of autism, but no cure has been proven to work to treat the disorder. Stem cells have been studied for their potential role in treating ASDs. The most promising results have come from studies utilizing MSCs or hESCs. Experiments have shown that using these stem cells can reduce the severity of autism and increase the quality of life. Stem cells have also been used to model different forms of autism, including Rett Syndrome and Fragile X Syndrome. The most common stem cells used for modeling autism are iPSCs, which can retain the original genetics of the patient it was derived from. By studying autism precisely how it appears in the body, novel drug therapies and treatments can be designed. There are moral considerations that need to be taken into account when studying novel therapies for autism. The most common participants in these studies are children. This population needs to be protected, and researchers should keep their best interests in mind. Also, scientists should acknowledge their work's impact on the general population and hold each other accountable for the work they release.
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