Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a highly prevalent and complex brain disorder characterized by dysfunctional social interactions, communication difficulties, and repetitive patterns of behaviors/interests. Over the past decade, the prevalence rate of ASD has increased; currently, ASD affects 1 in 45 children and adolescents in the US, and 1 in 100 children in Taiwan. The exact causal mechanism for ASD remains unclear; therefore, there is no effective treatment for ASD. To answer this important question, we teamed up with a psychiatrist (Dr. Susan Shur-Fen Gau), a hiPSC expert (Dr. Dr. Hsiang-Po Huang), and a neuroscientist (Dr. Hsien-Sung Huang). Our goal is not only to decode ASD but also to train the best scientists of their generation.
自閉症是一個嚴重的神經發育疾病，其在兒童及青少年中的盛行率為1/45。然而，自閉症的致病機轉，仍尚未清楚。自閉症的致病之謎，堪稱為神經科學領域中，最後一道難解的謎題。也因此，世界上各個先進的國家，無不投入大量的人力與資源，來解開這道世紀之謎。當然，台灣在這場世界級的競技中，亦不能缺席。為了達成這個目標，我們在台灣本土內，結合了自閉症專家(高淑芬醫師)、人類誘導型多潛能幹細胞專家(黃祥博醫師)、和神經科學專家(黃憲松老師)，來一起解這道難解之謎。我們的目標，除了能夠在自閉症的研究領域中，有重大的發現與突破之外，也希望能夠孕育出台灣下一代傑出的科學家。