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Spectrum: Autism Research News

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Profiles

Portraits of scientists who are making a mark on autism research.

Previous articles

August 2018
Two scientists standing in a lab.

Family ties: Sabatini brothers crack codes that may underlie autism

by  /  30 August 2018

David and Bernardo Sabatini, brothers born just a year and a half year apart, invent their way to answering big questions about autism.

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June 2018
Dennis Wall sits on lab floor with his skateboard and a whiteboard.

How Dennis Wall became the ‘bad boy’ of autism research

by  /  27 June 2018

From an app to diagnose autism to a crowdsourced project to map its prevalence, Dennis Wall is brimming with ambitious ideas. But his execution of these ideas leaves something to be desired, his critics say.

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September 2017
Portrait of Eric Courchesne outside

Eric Courchesne: Reaching for the rings in autism research

by  /  4 September 2017

Eric Courchesne is known for his findings on brain size in autism. But the roots of his long career trace back to his own childhood disability.

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November 2016

Rising star: Vanessa Bal traverses fine work-life balance

by  /  14 November 2016

Parent, partner and professional — the need to fulfill all of these roles at once complicates Vanessa Bal’s life.

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October 2016
Doctor Jason Lerch and Doctor Jacob Ellegood are photographed in their Toronto lab on October 14, 2016. JENNIFER ROBERTS

Meet the dynamic duo scanning every autism mouse brain

by  /  24 October 2016

At the Mouse Imaging Centre in Toronto, Jacob Ellegood and Jason Lerch are taking on autism’s complexity by scanning the brain of every autism mouse model they can acquire.

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January 2016

Rising star: Brian O’Roak brings ‘A’ game to autism genetics

by  /  21 January 2016

Brian O’Roak has helped to steer some of the largest, most complex studies of autism genetics to date.

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November 2015

Rising Star: André Fenton, playful problem-solver

by  /  9 November 2015

André Fenton is teasing out the role of the brain’s memory hub in autism to better understand why affected individuals may have trouble adapting to changing circumstances.

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September 2015
Portrait of Beth Stevens.

Beth Stevens: Casting immune cells as brain sculptors

by  /  24 September 2015

Beth Stevens is unmasking new roles for microglia, the mysterious brain cells that seem to shape brain circuits.

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February 2015

Rising Star: Sergiu Pasca, scientist at play

by  /  19 February 2015

Sergiu Pasca was among the first to model autism with neurons from affected individuals, a feat that could reveal the biochemical roots of some forms of autism.

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November 2014

Rising star: Stephan Sanders, accidental geneticist

by  /  6 November 2014

Stephan Sanders has quickly climbed the ranks in autism research. At 35, he’s already credited with bringing a measure of clarity to autism genetics. And that’s just one feat in a long and accomplished resume.

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