Epigenetics Marks as Peripheral Biomarkers of Autism

We are studying a potential epigenetic component to the autism spectrum disorders (ASD) by interrogating DNA methylation (DNAm) using an established high-throughput assay that interrogates DNA methylation (DNAm) at 27578 highly informative CpG dinucleotides. To date, we have determined the DNA methylation (DNAm) profiles from whole blood-extracted DNA of over four hundred male sib-pairs discordant for ASD. A close statistical examination may ultimately identify ASD peripheral biomarkers and further characterize the role of DNAm in the pathogenesis of autism.