New research from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) and The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), both in Toronto, Canada provides further clues as to why Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) affects four times more males than females. The scientists discovered that males who carry specific alterations of DNA on the sole X-chromosome they carry are at high risk of developing ASD. The research is published in the September 15 issue of Science Translational Medicine.

Oregon Health & Science University's Markus Grompe, M.D., will lead a multi-center team of scientists selected to participate in the prestigious Beta Cell Biology Consortium (BCBC). Funded by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, the consortium's long-term goal is to develop a cell-based therapy for insulin delivery in type 1 diabetes patients.

A gene network behind hardening of the arteries and coronary heart disease has been identified by a team of scientists from Australia, Europe and the United Kingdom. Their findings expose potential targets for the treatment of heart disease.

A new study led by researchers at Columbia University Medical Center has identified a novel molecular pathway underlying Parkinson's disease and points to existing drugs which may be able to slow progression of the disease.

The 14th Annual Scientific Meeting of the Heart Failure Society of America (HFSA) will feature a discussion on the similarities in genomic diseases between animals and humans, titled "Comparative Genomics and Human Disease,Some Recent Contributions from Zoos."