ACS 2010

Recent articles

Spectrum from The Transmitter.

Uncharted territory

Drug companies have been curiously reluctant to dive into research on therapies for autism. The chief of Pfizer's new autism research unit explains why.

By Deborah Rudacille
1 November 2010 | 3 min read
Spectrum from The Transmitter.

True blood

Early data suggest that it is possible to identify autism by looking at gene expression in the blood. But it’s going to take more work to prove it.

By Deborah Rudacille
1 November 2010 | 2 min read
Spectrum from The Transmitter.

Database groups common concepts in autism tests

A searchable new database will greatly ease the task of comparing results from more than 25 diagnostic tests for autism, by creating clusters of the various symptoms measured.

By Deborah Rudacille
27 October 2010 | 4 min read

Explore more from The Transmitter

New Stanford initiative aims to build digital twin of human brain

The effort, funded by private donors, seeks to train the model on a trove of MRI and magnetoencephalography data that scientists plan to collect over the next five years—but questions about its scientific utility and feasibility remain.

By Natalia Mesa
2 November 2026 | 0 min watch
Illustration of cake with genetic code inside.

The genome offers a recipe, not a blueprint, for the brain

During brain development, genes set the rules and turn the knobs; self-organization does much of the rest.

By Ila Fiete
2 November 2026 | 8 min read
Illustration of four faces of a rhesus macaque transitioning from opaque to transparent.

Autism research involving monkeys contends with uphill battle

Macaques and marmosets recapitulate the condition’s core traits better than mice can, but funding uncertainty and challenges at primate centers in the United States could make this work difficult to continue.

By Diana Kwon
2 November 2026 | 8 min read