Pfizer dedicates autism unit

November 7, 2:50 PMAutism ExaminerBrian Field

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Pfizer, Inc – the world’s largest drugmaker – has formed a new Autism Spectrum Disorders unit, based in Groton, Connecticut, making it the only major pharmaceutical company with a dedicated autism research unit.

Getting the initiative off the ground, was largely due to the efforts of Diane Stephenson and Howie Mayer who are both colleagues at Pfizer, and also have family members with autism. Securing corporate support for the initiative was the intersection of Stephenson’s passion and recent discoveries in neuroscience and related drug research.

Researchers will begin by targeting symptoms that appear to cross the spectrum of autism disorders, such as language and other social deficits, repetitive behaviors, sleep disorders, anxiety and agitation. By starting to focus on Fragile X, a rarer form of autism in which one key gene shuts down and fails to produce an important protein, researchers hope to build further insights that can be used for broader application.

The new 14-member unit’s longer-term goal, will be to understand the neurobiology behind the disorder so that the core symptoms can be treated.