Lurie Center for Autism Research
Contact Information
Lurie Center for Autism
One Maguire Road
Lexington,
MA
02421
Phone: 781-860-1711
Fax: 781-860-1766
Email: luriecenterresearch@partners.org
Hours:
8:30 am to 5:00 pm
Explore Our Research
At the Lurie Center for Autism, our research team is dedicated to answering questions that matter for people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and their families. Under the leadership of Dr. Jacob Hooker, our interdisciplinary research team of physicians and scientists collaborate with researchers at MassGeneral Brigham and around the world to uncover the root causes of ASD and related disorders and to discover the most effective interventions.
Professor, Radiology, Harvard Medical School
Scientific Director, Lurie Center for Autism, MGH
Phyllis and Jerome Lyle Rappaport MGH Research Scholar
Director, Radiochemistry, Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, MGH
Martinos Center Chemical Neuroscience Program
Athinoula A. Martinos Center
Kelly Dakin, PhD
Associate Scientific Director, Lurie Center for Autism at MGH
Clinical Research
At our Lexington-based clinic, individuals with autism and related neurodevelopmental conditions and their families actively engage in research studies, gaining access to promising new treatments and becoming vital partners in the discovery process. By participating in research, you drive discoveries and advance knowledge for everyone. Below you’ll see our active clinical studies. If you would like to be contacted about new research studies in the future, or express your interest in specific research topics, we invite you to join our research registry (see info below).
Current Lurie Center for Autism Studies for All Ages
Help us increase autistic representation in the MGB/Lurie Center Biobank
- Goal: The long-term goal of the MGB/Lurie Center Biobank is to learn how to better understand, diagnose and treat neurodevelopmental conditions such as ASD. Participation entails a blood draw and health questionnaires.
- Seeking volunteers: Everyone! Seeking participants both with and without autism.
Join our Research Registry to learn about future research opportunities and clinical trials
- Goal: To create a registry of individuals interested in autism research in order to facilitate future communication about studies that may be of interest. We want to hear about the types of research that matter most to you!
- Seeking volunteers: Everyone! All are welcome to join!
Current Lurie Center for Autism Studies for Children
Could a wearable sleep headband help us understand Autism Spectrum Disorder?
- Goal: To understand sleep in ASD and the feasibility of using a wearable EEG headband to measure sleep in teens with ASD.
- Seeking volunteers:Participants 12-19 years old, with and without ASD, for an at-home sleep study. Studies available for individuals with non-profound ASD and profound ASD.
How does the body react to anxiety in youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder?
- Goal: To evaluate emotional and physical symptoms of anxiety in youth with ASD. The study is aimed at improving how anxiety is assessed in youth with ASD, by measuring heart rate, heart rhythm, and skin sweat in the lab and at home.
- Seeking volunteers: Children 7-17 years old, diagnosed with ASD, both with and without anxiety.
- Goal: This is an early diagnosis study of autism to understand how genes, the environment, gut bacteria, and the digestion of food may relate to the development of autism.
- Seeking volunteers: Participants 0-6 months old who have a sibling diagnosed with ASD.
- Goal: To determine if a naturally occurring hormone (oxytocin) can support bone health in children with ASD. Children with ASD have lower bone density which puts them at higher risk for bone fracture and long-term issues with bone health.
- Seeking volunteers:Participants 6-18 years old, with a diagnosis of ASD. Participants will be compensated up to $650 for their time and reimbursed for travel/parking.
Do you or a loved one have challenges with communication and social interaction? (Maplight/IRIS)
- Goal: The purpose of this clinical trial is to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of an investigational drug to support social interaction and communication in adolescents and adults with autism spectrum disorder.
- Seeking volunteers: Participants 12-45 years old diagnosed with ASD. Participants will need a designated study partner who can also report on symptoms.
Current Lurie Center for Autism Studies for Adults
How do Autoimmune Disorders relate to autism?- Goal: To investigate autoimmune disorders and how they relate to autism spectrum disorder.
- Seeking Volunteers: Males, 18-50 years old, diagnosed with ASD, as well as their biological parents or siblings. Also seeking neurotypical participants, males 18-50 years old, with no autoimmune conditions.
- For More Info: Autistic volunteers click here. Neurotypical volunteers click here.
Help us create more personalized communication technology for minimally verbal adults (CPPG)
- Goal: There is a huge gap in the application of technologies in helping individuals with minimally verbal ASD learn to speak, discover their own voice, or communicate. The long-term goal of this research is to develop technologies to promote communication in individuals with minimally verbal ASD.
- Seeking volunteers: Participants 18-40 years old.
Do you or a loved one have challenges with communication and social interaction? (Maplight/IRIS)
- Goal: The purpose of this clinical trial is to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of an investigational drug to support social interaction and communication in adolescents and adults with autism spectrum disorder.
- Seeking volunteers: Participants 12-45 years old diagnosed with ASD. Participants will need a designated study partner who can also report on symptoms.
Investigation of Neuroinflammation in Autism Using MR-PET
What can proteins in the brain tell us about Autism?
- Goal: By measuring levels of specific proteins using brain imaging, we aim to identify epigenetic processes that may be associated with ASD.
- Seeking volunteers: Participants with ASD 18 - 40 years old who have an IQ of 85 or higher and no history of epilepsy or seizures.
- Individuals with ASD
- Neurotypical Adults
Preclinical (Laboratory) Research
The Preclinical Research Team at the Lurie Center for Autism are at the forefront of investigating the complex biological processes underlying ASD. Our dedicated lab scientists use a variety of techniques to uncover the molecular, genetic, and cellular mechanisms that contribute to the development of ASD. Their work provides an essential pipeline of new therapeutic targets and approaches for intervention.
Meet our Preclinical Faculty Team
Instructor in Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School
Investigator, Lurie Center for Autism at MGH
Bordt Lab
Marcy Kingsbury, PhD
Assistant Professor in Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School
Investigator, Lurie Center for Autism at MGH
Principal Investigator at the Mucosal Immunology and Biology Research Center, Department of Pediatrics at MGH
Sudhir Thakurela, PhD
Instructor in Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School
Director of Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, Lurie Center for Autism at MGH
Thakurela Lab
Angélica Torres-Berrío, PhD
Investigator, Lurie Center for Autism at MGH
Director of the Social and Cognitive Research Division, Lurie Center for Autism at MGH
Nicole Zurcher Wimmer, PhD, MSc
Assistant Investigator, Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Mass General Research Institute
Assistant Professor of Radiology, Harvard Medical School
Faculty Associate, Lurie Center for Autism, MGH
Director of Neuroimaging, Lurie Center for Autism, MGH
Athinoula A. Martinos Center
Meet our Lurie Center Faculty Associates
The Lurie Center is committed to a collaborative approach to research and aims to connect with other amazing scientists within the greater Boston area and beyond. Lurie Center Faculty Associates are active participants in the Lurie Center scientific community - attending scientific meetings, leading and collaborating on projects, and driving autism research toward clinical impact.