Scientists map key protein interactions linked with profound autism

Research published in the journal Science illuminates a "missing piece" in the biological understanding of profound autism and offers new targets for drug development.

<img src='https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/584x408+0+0/resize/584x408!/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F37%2F4e%2F433de3394daa9ec7a41a290122d3%2Fe85419a9-bc96-44a2-adde-7593e090165d.jpg' alt='This image shows a section of an organoid. Organoids are lab-grown tissues that model the human brain. A new study used brain organoids to probe key protein interactions that may be linked to profound autism.'/><p>Research published in the journal <em>Science</em> illuminates a "missing piece" in the biological understanding of profound autism and offers new targets for drug development.</p><p>(Image credit: Courtesy of the UCSF Quantitative Biosciences Institute)</p><img src='https://media.npr.org/include/images/tracking/npr-rss-pixel.png?story=nx-s1-5954823' />