A gut feeling about autism

Unique gut flora found in children with autism could potentially aid in autism's early diagnosis.

October 03, 2024

Feature of the week

What the gut tells us about children with autism

A new study from the Chinese University of Hong Kong reveals that children with autism spectrum disorder have distinct differences in their gut microbiome compared to their neurotypical peers. The study, published in Nature Microbiology, shows a significant drop in microbial diversity in kids with autism.

👉🏻 The gut microbiome—a diverse community of bacteria, fungi, viruses, and archaea residing in the intestines—plays an important role in the body and is strongly connected to overall health. Growing evidence suggests that autism spectrum disorder is linked to the communication disruptions that happen between the gut microbiome and the central nervous system.

While more research is needed, this landmark study holds the potential to improve early diagnosis and detection of autism, especially among children who may only have mild symptoms.

Gut a minute? Watch how a deeper understanding of the gut can equip personalized medicine 👇🏻

In this episode of Asia’s Changemakers, Dr. Jeremy Lim, co-founder of the Asian Microbiome Library (AMiLi) shares how they are working to build a reference library for the gut microbiome in Asia. With sufficient data, they believe personalized microbiome-based therapies may become mainstream.

Editorial highlights

FOOD

Fermentation can do more than make food taste better and last longer—it may hold the key to building a more resilient, sustainable global food system.

GENERAL

Dengue survivors are 55 percent more likely to experience heart complications than those who recovered from COVID-19.

FEATURE

CAR T-cell therapy is becoming an effective alternative for treating diffuse large B-cell lymphoma—offering better outcomes for patients with relapsed or refractory disease.

Prefer to read our magazine in print?

Subscribe to the print version of Asian Scientist Magazine and receive a complimentary copy of our sister print title, Supercomputing Asia.

Meet the Asian Scientist 100 Community

National Science and Technology Development Agency | Thailand 🇹🇭 | Biomedical Sciences

Chotimongkol received the L’Oréal Thailand COVID-19 Solidarity Prize in the field of technology for developing a smartphone application that enables the Department of Disease Control to monitor the health of people under self-isolation.

Keh-Chyuan Tsai â†’

National Taiwan University | Taiwan 🇹🇼 | Engineering

Tsai was elected to the US National Academy of Engineering as an international member for his global leadership and research that advanced earthquake engineering and steel structure design. A prolific researcher in the design, testing and analysis of seismic building structures, he has developed several seismic-protective technologies like metallic energy dissipating elements and buckling restrained braces.