A Blood Test, Bioscience, and a Business Plan
Pediatric Bioscience, LLC is a research start-up that was formed by parents, researchers, and (according to its website) “experienced business leaders with the goal of bringing to market diagnostics and therapeutics to diagnose and eventually treat children with autism or autistic spectrum disorder (ASD).” As of today, the company has teamed up with the state of California and the UC David MIND Institute to create a blood test to diagnose autism in children and in parents. The May 22nd Sacramento Business Journal notes that the research will be led by a neurology professor from the UC David School of Medicine, Dr. Frank Sharp.
An article in the July 22nd, 2006, Sacramento Business Journal, describes the blood test that Pediatric Bioscience hopes to develop. As the company’s CEO, Dr. Thomas Anderson (a “seasoned biotech enterpreneur,” according to their website, puts it,
Researchers at the MIND Institute (short for Medical Investigation of Neurodevelopmental Disorders) discovered higher concentrations of certain kinds of immune system proteins called antibodies in the mothers of children with autism compared to mothers of children who do not have the disorder. The antibodies attack proteins in the brains of fetuses, though the scientists do not know which kinds of proteins, Anderson said. He wants to develop a test that would measure those antibodies in pregnant woman and test for biochemical markers in young children.
Pediatric Bioscience has licensed three patent application from the MIND Institute, with the plan to develop diagnostic tests. Or, as CEO Anderson puts it, “‘Now it’s out of the hands of an academic group that wants to discover things and into the hands of a company that wants to develop things.’” That is, the research done by scientists—an “academic group,” as Anderson rather casually puts it—-is going to be in the “hands” of a company (that is, of a business) that “wants to develop things”–namely, the aforementioned diagnostic blood tests for autism. Diagnostic blood tests that can be marketed and bought for a price.
There is already a market out there for genetic tests, and my friend Dr. Hsien-Hsien Lei reviews some of these tests on Eye on DNA. The tests in particular are offered by DNA Services of America, which has recently partnered with a company named Salugen, which offers “nutritional gene testing and DNA-customized nutritional solutions”—that is, nutritional supplements (”nutrigenomics,” according to its website). As Dr. Lei writes, “How do consumers know the genetic profile they’re given isn’t somehow being tweaked to sell them a nutritional supplement?” How convenient that one company offers supplements that can exactly suit the nutritional deficits and so forth as discovered via the genetic testing of another company (and that the two companies are partners……)
As the May 22nd press release notes, “Anderson founded Pediatric Bioscience last year to bring autism diagnostics and therapies to market”—how closely might the therapies (and other “things” that the “company” will develop) be tailored to the test? Or, to put the question another way, as we find out more about autism and the biology of autistic persons via research, to what ends are we putting that research?
7 opinions for A Blood Test, Bioscience, and a Business Plan
David N. Andrews M. Ed. (Distinction)
May 23, 2007 at 2:50 am
Looks like an eradication plan to me…
Eye on DNA Links - May 23, 2007 — Eye on DNA
May 23, 2007 at 8:26 am
[…] Kristina at Autism Vox discusses A Blood Test, Bioscience, and a Business Plan. […]
Leila
May 23, 2007 at 10:59 am
I’d say wait and see. The fact that he is partnering with the University, and not with some DAN doctor, is a good sign. Maybe the guy has some personal interest on it (an autistic child?), and not just financial, on this enterprise, and wants sound, scientifically proven therapies for autism to be developed. Chuck Gardner (who invested on his company) has a teenage son with autism and is one of the founding fathers of the MIND Institute, besides being one of the developers of the building itself.
What’s wrong with finding the genetic marker for autism and being able to diagnose it on our blood? Sounds like fascinating research to me. Early intervention or therapy will ease some of the impairments but it won’t make a child non-autistic, so I don’t know why this can be bad.
Kristina Chew, PhD
May 23, 2007 at 11:11 am
I’m interested in finding genetic markers for autism, and always interested in asking “to what end is this research being developed”?
Julie
May 23, 2007 at 12:50 pm
I welcome research I am concerned when funding is given to research that has no scientific basis. I also would ask what will they do with the information. I agree that no child will be harmed by not watching TV but I will admit that there are days when watching tv seems to be the only thing that will calm Rebekah down and since I have two other children to deal with as well she has watch tv. I can say that her brothers tend to watch more tv than her and did at a much younger age and they are not autistic so I do not believe that it causes autism.
A Blood Test for Autism?
Jul 4, 2007 at 6:54 am
[…] this at the end of a June 3rd Newsweek article on the early detection of autism. And here is one company with a business plan to develop such a test. Are we ready for it? ASD, Aspergers, autism, baby, […]
KC'sMommy
Jul 4, 2007 at 10:29 am
I wonder if when the testing is a sure thing- will the parents then be given the option to abort? I mean IF they also use this test in pregnant women? It kinda sounds like they are trying to do away with Autism? I have very mixed feelings on this subject. Caring for an Autistic child (in my case) is very hard, but I can’t imagine living life without my son K.C. It seems to me they should be spending more money on educational programs for Autistic kids. Show the parents how well Autistic kids do when they are in the right programs.
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