Autism and Cancer Share Genetic Roots

Genetic research in the past few years has revealed that autism unexpectedly shares common roots with cancer. Based on these intriguing findings, some researchers are turning to rapamycin, a proven cancer drug, as a potential treatment for autism.Of the 18 candidate genes for autism uncovered so far, 3 genes ― PTEN, TSC1 and TSC2 ― are part of a biochemical pathway with a long-established role in cancer.Knocking out these genes in mouse brains causes enlarged neurons, seizures and behaviors similar to autism."[This] brings about an enormously optimistic idea that, for some small subset of kids with autism, treatment of this pathway with a drug might reverse some symptoms," says microbiologist Arnold Levine of the Institute for Advanced Studies at Princeton University.Read more at...SFARI, August 2008.