100-Year-Old Drug May Be the Key to Treating Autism – Futurism

In BriefA small clinical trial has demonstrated that 100-year-old drugcan relieved symptoms of autism in children. The work has alsogenerated a unifying theory of ASD linking the disorder to alteredmetabolic processes. Old Drug, New Tricks

A small clinical trial fromthe University of California, San Diego, has just yielded some promising results for those living withautism spectrum disorder (ASD). The results indicate that suramin, a 100-year-old drug used to treat African sleeping sickness, can measurably, albeit transiently, improve ASD symptoms in children.

This has led the research team to conclude that ASD in many children may becaused by a treatable metabolic syndrome and that, for some people with ASD, the right treatment can improve symptoms since they are not necessarily permanent.

ASD is just that a spectrum, and many children fall somewhere on that spectrum. According to the World Health Organization, about one in 160 children worldwide have ASD, although the CDC estimates that number to beone in 68.While it is not entirely clear whether the incidence of ASD is increasing, or detection of ASD is changing, or some other mechanism is at work making the numbers grow, there is no doubt that many people are affected.

The UCSD team is now focusing on metabolismthe shared language of the brain, immune system, and gutwhich allows the three linked systems to communicate. In peoplewith ASD, each of these systems works differently, and the communication between them is altered.

The researchers chose to test suramin because it inhibits purinergic signaling, a cell communications process that takes place in metabolism. Within seven days, all five of the children treated with suramin showed a steady improvement of symptoms, with no change at all shown in the placebo group.

These results mark the first time any drug has shown the potential to actually altersymptoms of ASD. Of course this is a small first trail, and the treatment may never be available depending on further research outcomes. Even so, these results are likely to prompt a major shift in the way we think about autism.

If the researchers are right, abnormally persistent cell danger response (CDR) is whats producing the metabolic syndrome causing ASD. Both environment and genes are factors in the CDR, so its possible that genetic causes alone might produce the metabolic syndrome and ASD. However, if a metabolic syndrome is whats behind ASD symptoms, it can be treated, even though the genes cant be.

This research also provides the first real unifying theory for the root cause of ASD. The lack of such a theory has been a huge factor in pharmacologic failures in treating aspects ASD. Treatments werent targeting the aspect of autism that could lower peoples quality of life and were sometimes worse than symptoms.

However, if this unifying theory is right thatCDR and problems in purinergic signaling play an important role in some forms of ASD, then doctors should be able to treat some symptoms of ASD such as difficulties with verbal communication, fear of changes in routine, and social anxiety without suppressing the traits that sometimes make people with ASD exceptional.

View original post here:
100-Year-Old Drug May Be the Key to Treating Autism - Futurism