The Autism Genetic Resource Exchange (AGRE) is a
DNA biobank funded by
Autism Speaks. It exists to provide DNA specimens to
geneticists who are researching
autism
The autism spectrum, often referred to as just autism or in the context of a professional diagnosis autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or autism spectrum condition (ASC), is a neurodevelopmental condition (or conditions) characterized by difficulti ...
.
History
Autism Speaks funds the Autism Genetic Resource Exchange (AGRE), a
DNA repository and family registry of genotypic and phenotypic information that is available to autism researchers worldwide.
The AGRE was established in the 1990s by a predecessor organization, Cure Autism Now.
Cure Autism Now was a
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
-based
non-profit organization
A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...
founded in 1995 by Jonathan Shestack and Portia Iversen, the parents of a child with autism whose story is told in the book ''
Strange Son''. It was an organization of parents, doctors and scientists devoted to research to prevent, treat and cure autism. In 1997 Cure Autism Now established AGRE despite initial resistance from scientists to begin a project which conflicted with existing practices.
Projects
In October 2011 AGRE announced a plan to create the world's largest library of sequenced
human genomes of individuals with autism-related genes, representing 2000 families and 10000 individuals. To do this, AGRE will provide specimens to the
Beijing Genomics Institute
BGI Group, formerly Beijing Genomics Institute, is a Chinese genomics company with headquarters in Yantian District, Shenzhen. The company was originally formed in 1999 as a genetics research center to participate in the Human Genome Project. ...
, who will perform the sequencing.
References
External links
*
Human genome projects
Biobank organizations
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