Dr. Damon Page, an autism researcher at Seattle Children’sJuly 22, 2024 — Autism spectrum disorder is a developmental disability that can affect how an individual learns, communicates and/or behaves. In 2023, the autism rate among 8-year-olds in the U.S. was estimated to be one in 36, and the percentage of children being diagnosed continues to grow annually.
Despite its prevalence, very little is known about what causes autism. Dr. Damon Page, a principal investigator in Seattle Children’s Research Institute’s Norcliffe Foundation Center for Integrative Brain Research, is working to change that.
The Page Lab is addressing this gap by studying how risk factors for autism and related neurodevelopmental disorders impact brain and behavior — and using that insight to improve diagnostics and therapeutics.
“We have to approach our research with a great deal of humility,” Page said. “We serve a very diverse population. The goal isn’t to ‘cure’ these kids. It’s about helping them adapt to the challenges they face in their life related to that disorder.”
Big Breakthroughs
A major research development has been the identification of two genes: PTEN and Dyrk1a. When mutated, these genes cause autism and intellectual disability. Page, who has published several groundbreaking studies on neurodevelopmental disorders caused by gene mutations, is generating models that allow his lab to study how the mutations cause atypical brain development. With that information, his lab is developing therapeutics that precisely target the effects of these mutations to improve the quality of life of impacted individuals and their families.
“We’ve been able to formulate a hypothesis that with these mutations, it’s two sides of the same coin, which suggests that a one-size-fits-all approach is probably not going to work for autism,” Page said. “With these new discoveries, we’re starting to see that precision medicine for neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism and intellectual disability is possible — and how life-changing that will be for individuals with autism and the people who love them.”
"We’ve been able to formulate a hypothesis that with these mutations, it’s two sides of the same coin, which suggests that a one-size-fits-all approach is probably not going to work for autism.”
— Dr. Damon Page
Sustaining Remarkable Research
For the past, present and future of autism research, philanthropic support remains vital. “Philanthropy has made everything my lab has done possible,” Page said. “I’ve been extremely lucky to partner with some great people who had the vision and courage to support autism research. This support is particularly critical in establishing newly discovered genes identified in patients as research priorities and in pursuing innovative new directions for treatments.
“At Seattle Children’s, we can bridge the gap and connect the research directly with our patients. It’s a really dynamic research environment. The institute is a world-class research operation for neurodevelopmental disorders,” he said. “I’m grateful to be able to contribute to it.”
— Isabelle Minasian (reprinted from Seattle Children’s Connection Magazine)
About the Norcliffe Foundation Center for Integrative Brain Research
Researchers at Seattle Children’s Norcliffe Foundation Center for Integrative Brain Research are playing a pivotal role in the rapid evolution of neuroscience research, leading genetic and molecular discoveries in autism, brain tumors, obesity, Dravet syndrome, epilepsy and SIDS, and translating research to clinical care. Learn more.