北京大学医学部孤独症研究中心是在韩济生院士的主持下，由张晨，张岱，张嵘三位研究者主要发起，并于2016年12月19日被正式批准成立。在此之前，中心主要人员已经有多年的工作合作基础，为迎接中国脑计划，整合北京大学基础与临床等孤独症领域相关力量，申请发起成立。中心整合北大校本部、医学部及临床医院等11个单位的资源，学科覆盖神经科学、精神病学、妇幼保健学、遗传学、生物信息学、生殖医学、流行病学，药学，致力于孤独症的预防、诊断与康复，拟从生物医学角度建立国际知名孤独症研究中心。现任主任为于翔教授。

研究领域及方向：

1.从遗传学、流行病学、生殖健康学、生物环境与社会环境、生物信息学等方面寻找孤独症的潜在发病原因，为未来预防疾病发生，早期筛查与风险提示方面提供线索。

2.从神经科学、认知科学、影像学、行为学等方面了解孤独症患者的特征与内部分类，明确孤独症特异表型与内部区分方法及其生物学机制，更加深刻了解孤独症人群特征，为临床早期诊断，生物标记物等方面提供线索。

3.从药物、器械、行为矫正等方面寻找孤独症早期干预的有效方法，明确适应症，方法学选择与疗效指标，为未来孤独症医学干预的发展与推广提供扎实理论基础。

机构实力：

1．多个孤独症相关学科带头人，涉及基础研究与临床实践，从业10-30年，具有丰富的研究经验与临床实践经验。包括中国科学院院士1人，发展中国家科学院1人，杰青2人。。

2．由中心骨干所实际负责的相关学术团体：世界卫生组织生殖健康与人口科学合作中心，北京神经科学学会，北京神经科学学会孤独症专业委员会，中国残疾人康复协会孤独症专业委员会，北京市孤独症儿童康复协会，中国妇幼保健协会，中国疼痛医学学会，中国优生科学协会，中华医学会发育行为儿科学组、中华医学会小儿神经学组，中国神经科学学会儿童认知与脑功能障碍分会，这些学术团体对推动孤独症相关研究与发展具有重要意义。

3．具有多个教育部与卫生部重点实验室以及生物膜与膜生物工程国家重点实验室：具有神经科学、分子生物学、形态学、行为学、电生理学平台，在体双光子成像平台，磁共振、脑电、眼动等实验平台。

4．已获得多种稳定的孤独症动物模型与临床样本与数据库，拥有遗传学检测平台，生物信息学平台。

5．现有和建设中的人群队列研究平台，中国孕产妇及子代健康问题人群队列研究与平台以及成熟的队列研究方法学。

6．强大的临床诊疗机构（北大六院，北大医院，孤独症年接诊1万人以上）与大型诊疗与康复培训基地，孤独症儿童行为矫正基地，为临床转化医学研究提高病源与渠道。

近年来的重要科研成果及贡献：

在病因方面，已从孤独症人群发现多种新的突变基因，并制作成动物模型进行验证，并拟筛选药物进行试验性治疗。通过人体试验与动物研究发现围生期与孤独症发病相关的高危因素，拟通过大型队列研究进行验证。

在孤独症患病特征上，采用眼动轨迹与磁共振，代谢组学等研究手段开创性地寻找早期筛查与诊断方法并对孤独症进行亚型分类，弥补临床上孤独症诊断至今没有生物标记物的空缺，并进行分类诊断，为未来精准治疗做理论铺垫。

在治疗方面，积极探索针刺治疗孤独症的疗效与机制，为中国特色的中西医结合治疗孤独症做出贡献。

紧密围绕临床问题，进行基础研究与临床验证，多项成果获得国内外专利，并在国际知名期刊与会议中进行报道。

 

机构负责人：于翔

联系人：张嵘

邮箱：zhangrong@bjmu.edu.cn

地址：北京大学医学部中心实验楼

 

 

Autism Research Center

of Peking University Health Science Center

The Autism Research Center of Peking University Health Science Center was founded by academician Jisheng Han, and Prof. Chen Zhang, Dai Zhang, and Rong Zhang on 19^th, December 2016. The center aims to integrate preclinical and clinical researches on Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) at Peking University, including PKU McGovern institute, PKU Health Science Center and PKU affiliated hospitals. Areas of research include neuroscience, psychiatry, pediatric behavior, genetics, bioinformatics, reproductive biology, epidemiology and pharmacology. The center is devoted to better understanding the pathogenesis of ASD, and developing more precise and effective diagnosis and treatment strategies. The current director is Prof. Xiang Yu.

Research fields and directions

1. To understand the pathogenesis of ASD through genetics, epidemiology, reproductive science, environmental biology and bioinformatics, with the aim of providing insights into the prevention and early screening of ASD.
2. To determine disease subtypes and endophenotypes using neuroscience, molecular biology, cognitive science, imaging and behavioral sciences, with the goal of better understanding the genotype-phenotype relationships in autism and of developing early biomarkers and diagnosis tools.
3. To identify effective interventions strategies using pharmacology, instruments or behavioral therapy, with the aim of providing theoretical bases of treatments strategies.

Strength of Center

• Have several leaders in the field of autism and related disciplines, with 10 to 30 years of experience in research and clinical practice, including one academician of Chinese Academy of Sciences, two Distinguished Young Scholars.
• Have leading positions in academic groups, including WHO Collaborating Center for Reproductive Health and Population Sciences, Beijing Society of Neuroscience, Beijing Autonomous Committee of Neurological Science, Autism Committee of China Rehabilitation Association for Autism, Autism Spectrum Disorder in Beijing Children's Rehabilitation Association, China Maternal and Child Health Association, Chinese Pain Medicine Society, China Eugenics Association, Chinese Medical Association Developmental Behavior Pediatrics Group, Chinese Medical Association Pediatric Neurology group, Chinese Society of Neurology Children's Cognition and Brain Dysfunction branch. These academic groups are very important for promoting the research and development of autism.
• Include a number of key laboratories of the Ministry and Education and Ministry of Health and the State Key Laboratory of Biomembrane and Membrane Bioengineering. Have state of the art equipment and core facilities in neuroscience, molecular biology, histology and imaging, behavior, electrophysiology, in vivo two-photon imaging, magnetic resonance, EEG, and eye tracking.
• Have a number of animal models of autism and clinical samples and databases, genetic testing platform, bioinformatics platform.
• Have existing and currently expanding cohort research platform, subject cohort research and platform for maternal and offspring health in China, and well-established cohort study methodology.
• Have strong clinical diagnosis and treatment centers (including Peking University Sixth Hospital and Peking University Hospital, where more than 10,000 individuals with autism have been diagnosed), can carry out large-scale diagnosis, rehabilitation training and behavioral therapy, providing the basis for transition from basic research to the clinics.

Important research achievements and contributions in recent years

In ASD etiology, we have identified various disease causing mutations using human genetics, and further studied them using animal models. We plan to conduct experimental therapy for screening drugs. We discovered that the perinatal period is associated with the high risk factor of ASD pathogenesis through human and animal studies.

In studying ASD pathogenesis, we used eye movement track, magnetic resonance and metabonomics to develop early screening and diagnostic methods in ASD and classify subtypes in autism, in order to identify clinical biomarkers and development personalized treatment strategies.

In ASD therapy, we will actively explore the effect and mechanism of acupuncture treatment to contribute to integrating Chinese-Western therapy with Chinese characteristics.

Our basic and clinical researches are tightly linked and cross validate each other. We hold a number of domestic and international patents, and our results have been published in reputable international journals.

 

Director: Xiang Yu

Contact: Rong Zhang

Email: zhangrong@bjmu.edu.cn

Address: Peking University Health Science Center