Somerset, NJ – Clarkson University doctoral candidate Armand Gatien Ngounou Wetie of Cameroon won the EAS Graduate Student Research award for this research on autism biomarkers. He was the one out of the five symposium presenters to win the award.
He worked with assistant professor of Chemistry and Bimolecular Science Costel C. Darie to identify biomarkers for autism. Darie told the Clarkson University newspaper.
“If you look at the number of grad students in each university at the Eastern Analytical Symposium and narrow it down to four grad students, and one of them is ours, I think it’s good.”
To collect the data they got saliva samples from people with, and without, autism and found nine different proteins highly elevated in those on the spectrum. Saliva was the easiest DNA sample to get without upsetting the people in study.
Clarkson University used the samples for biochemistry while SUNY Plattsburgh used them for psychology.
The study was recently accepted by the journal of Autism Research. One of the study’s researchers, Alisa G. Woods who is a researcher for both Clarkson and SUNY Plattsburgh Center for Neurobehavioral Health wants to conduct the study with a larger population.
Anyone who wishes to take part can contact her at awood004@plattsburgh.edu.
Source: Clarkson University News and Events webpage: Clarkson University Students Present Research on Autism Spectrum Disorders, Doctoral Candidate Wins Award
Contributed by Audrey L. Hollingshead