Dr. Vijay Gupta, Post-doctoral Researcher, QBRI
Doha: Qatar Biomedical Research Institute (QBRI), which pioneers research on autism, conducted an awareness campaign at the Awsaj Academy.
The autism awareness training event witnessed speakers sharing insights with professors, teachers, parents, and the community on the autism spectrum disorder.
Speaking to The Peninsula on the sidelines of the event, Dr. Vijay Gupta, Post-doctoral Researcher, QBRI, said: “This is to tell the community about the research QBRI is doing, including collecting samples from kids and their parents and trying to find the molecular cause of these conditions because this is the foremost step to understand what is behind the symptoms.”
Commenting on the significance of carrying out the research and helping the community, he said, “When we contact families who have autism and ask for blood samples, they are mostly hesitant. We are researching to find the genetic cause or real reason behind this and it is beneficial because it gives the family peace of mind firstly, and it helps understand the molecular mechanism, which might help develop therapeutic interventions and diagnosis. Therefore we have to raise more public awareness in society.”
Having vast experience in cellular and biochemical research, Dr. Gupta extended his research to human molecular genetics to identify the condition of genes in autism.
He is also a popular science writer for the general public aiming at raising scientific awareness. With over 5 years of research at QBRI, Dr. Gupta says that worldwide there are more than 1,000 autism genes identified and the research team at QBRI is trying to find the remaining genes of autism spectrum disorder, a very heterogeneous condition that is accompanied by many other mental and physical symptoms.
“There are supposed to be up to 2,500 genes that are causing autism. So to discover these we definitely need many more blood samples. So far we have collected over 700 samples but need much more given the estimated 1.14 percent of autism prevalence in children in Qatar,” Dr. Gupta said.
At present, QBRI publishes the most research papers per capita in the middle east, especially on autism, remarked Dr. Gupta, adding that the scientists at the research center are dedicated to finding the mechanism behind this condition to develop the medication. “In majority of the cases, it is genetic, and marrying blood relatives could lead to autism and other developmental disorders,” he said.
Highlighting some of the most common concerns raised by the parents, Dr Gupta said, “Most parents ask how to diagnose and what type of help we could provide. Identifying the molecular cause is the first important step in our research, but it might take many years for us to be able to develop treatment or even a cure because this is a very long process. Nevertheless, it is very important for the family to participate in our research, because the cause of autism is so different in each child.
“If you don’t know about the genetic cause, you won’t know why children have autism. So that’s why it is important to be aware of the real causes,” he added.
