Jake’s mice: Searching for answers to the puzzle of autism

Published January 2, 2022 6:04 am

By LAURA UNGAR
AP Science Writer

ST. LOUIS (AP) — A 16-year-old with autism recently got the chance to meet the first mice in the world engineered to have the same genetic abnormality he has. Scientists at Washington University in St. Louis bred the mice and grew stem cells derived from Jake Litvag’s blood. The goal is to study and find ways to treat his rare disorder – and look for answers to the larger puzzle of autism, which affects one in 44 U.S. kids. Jake’s family raised money for the early research, which scientists parlayed into a $4 million federal grant. Jake’s gene is one of more than 100 linked to autism.

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