NOVEL MATERNAL AUTOANTIBODIES IN AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER: POSSIBLE NEW PLAYERS FOR ETIOLOGY AND DIAGNOSIS

Session Type
PARALLEL SESSIONS
Date
01.06.2021, Tuesday
Session Time
08:00 - 10:00
Room
HALL D
Lecture Time
09:00 - 09:10
Presenter
  • Rut Mazon Cabrera, Belgium
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Pre Recorded

Abstract

Background and Aims

Background: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder with a heterogeneous clinical manifestation, posing a major challenge for diagnosis, prognosis and intervention. Autoantibodies against fetal brain antigens have been described in the blood of mothers of children with ASD (m-ASD). These autoantibodies can be transferred from the mother to the fetus by transplacental transport and could impact neurodevelopment by binding to fetal brain proteins. In this study, we aim to identify novel maternal autoantibodies that could be used as biomarkers to assist in ASD diagnosis.

Methods

Methods: A cDNA phage display library expressing human fetal brain antigens was constructed and screened for antibody reactivity in m-ASD plasma. Using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA), presence of antibodies to the identified antigens was tested in 152 m-ASD plasma samples from the Simons Simplex Collection, and in 90 samples from mothers with typically developing children (m-TD) collected at Hasselt University.

Results

Results: Screening and validation of antibody reactivity against antigenic targets resulted in the identification of 10 novel maternal autoantibodies. Antibody reactivity against at least one of these 10 antigens was found in 70% of m-ASD samples, compared to 52% in m-TD samples (p=0.0057). Four antigenic targets showed a specificity higher than 95%, and combined reactivity against them was found in 28% of m-ASD samples compared to 10% in m-TD samples (p=0.0007).

Conclusions

Conclusion: We identified 10 novel maternal autoantibodies which could provide novel targets to study ASD etiology. Additionally, 4 of these autoantibodies, could provide a novel tool for objective diagnosis of a subset of ASD patients.

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