
RFK Jr.'s $50M autism initiative sparks hope and skepticism
The increased prevalence is attributed to improved access to screening, the CDC has said.
'This [initiative] is an opportunity to supercharge what we are doing,' said
Advertisement
'If we get the money,' Rubenstein said, 'I think we can do a lot of what the [National Institutes of Health] wants us to do, but then we'll have this resource that we can look at outcomes of particular interest … to support the autism community.'
When Kennedy first made his pledge in April to determine the causes of autism, researchers worried it could undermine decades of science by promoting discredited theories linking vaccines to autism.
The
The initiative's guidelines do not specifically list vaccines as a potential nongenetic factor to be studied, but do include pharmaceutical exposure as one possible influence.
Often, researchers face hurdles trying to combine different large databases because of incompatible formats.
BU scientist,
Her proposed mega-dataset would combine census data, including median income, along with other sources, such as proximity to health care and autism specialists in different communities, to see if there are common trends.
Advertisement
'A big part of this application is to not only see if we ... answer questions, but also figure out where the gaps are in research,' Dukes said.
She, however, has reservations that the data she provides might be misconstrued by people who oppose vaccines.
'But that can happen anywhere,' Dukes said. 'I hope good science, in this case, wins.'
Between 10 and 25 grants are expected to be awarded, with most not expected to exceed $5 million for each two- or three-year project, according to the NIH's guidelines. By comparison, the most common NIH grant typically averages a fraction of that amount,
A
It also expressed concern that NIH staff, under the initiative's guidelines, will be involved in the grant review process itself and have far greater involvement in the execution of the funded projects than is standard.
The process, it said in a statement, 'lacks transparency in the awarding and execution of the research to be conducted.'
Still, Rubenstein, from BU, said the larger grants would give him a chance to amass more data than he is able with much smaller NIH awards.
His proposal aims to create a massive dataset combining health insurance claims from Medicaid, Medicare, and private insurers, along with census data to, for instance, provide researchers with a clearer picture of autism's prevalence by Zip code. That may help shed more light on the link between environmental exposures and autism.
Advertisement
Lee has found that some medications taken during pregnancy,
'The way that science had been done before by myself and everyone else is, we looked at suspect medications one at a time, or a handful of drugs,' he said.
'It's a great opportunity to do work in this area. I think everyone, regardless of political affiliation, is interested in the health and well-being of our children and our population,' Lee said. 'Hopefully, some good will come of this funding opportunity.'
Mriganka Sur, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and director of the
'I do remain worried and even a little skeptical of the goals of this,' said Sur, who turned down an NIH request to review the grant applications because data science is not his expertise.
But, he added, 'it behooves us to support things that can lead to good science. And, as of now, it is possible, even likely, that some good work will come out of this.'
Advertisement
Kay Lazar can be reached at

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


New York Post
12 minutes ago
- New York Post
UnitedHeath shares fall after health-care giant admits DOJ fraud probe into Medicare business
Shares of UnitedHealth Group slipped Thursday after the health-care giant said it was under a Department of Justice investigation. The company said it has started complying with both criminal and civil requests from federal investigators and it was cooperating with them. '(UnitedHealth) has a long record of responsible conduct and effective compliance,' the company said in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing. 3 UnitedHealth's UnitedHealthcare business covers more than 8 million people as the nation's largest provider of Medicare Advantage plans. wolterke – Earlier this year, The Wall Street Journal said federal officials had launched a civil fraud investigation into how the company records diagnoses that lead to extra payments for its Medicare Advantage, or MA, plans. Those are privately run versions of the government's Medicare coverage program mostly for people ages 65 and over. The company's UnitedHealthcare business covers more than 8 million people as the nation's largest provider of Medicare Advantage plans. The business has been under pressure in recent quarters due to rising care use and rate cuts. The Journal said in February, citing anonymous sources, that the probe focused on billing practices in recent months. The paper then said earlier this month that a federal criminal health care-fraud unit was investigating how the company used doctors and nurses to gather diagnoses that bolster payments. UnitedHealth Group said that it reached out to the Justice Department 'after reviewing media reports about investigations into certain aspects of the company's participation in the Medicare program.' 3 Earlier this year, The Wall Street Journal said federal officials had launched a civil fraud investigation into how the company records diagnoses that lead to extra payments for its Medicare Advantage, or MA, plans. AP UnitedHealth runs one of the nation's largest health insurance and pharmacy benefits management businesses. It also operates a growing Optum business that provides care and technology support. UnitedHealth raked in more than $400 billion in revenue last year as the third-largest company in the Fortune 500. Last year, its share price topped $630 to reach a new all-time high. But company shares have mostly shed value since December, when UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was fatally shot in midtown Manhattan on his way to the company's annual investor meeting. A 26-year-old suspect, Luigi Mangione, has been charged in connection with the shooting. 3 A 26-year-old suspect, Luigi Mangione, has been charged in connection with last year's shooting of the head of the healthcare group. AP In April, shares plunged after the company cut its forecast due to a spike in health care use. A month later, former CEO Andrew Witty resigned and the company withdrew its forecast. The stock price slipped another 2%, or $5.12, to $287.39 Thursday morning. That represents a 54% drop from its all-time high. UnitedHealth will report its second-quarter results next Tuesday.
Yahoo
28 minutes ago
- Yahoo
UnitedHealth confirms federal investigation into its Medicare practices
UnitedHealth Group confirmed Thursday that its Medicare program is under investigation by the US Department of Justice and that it is working with the agency. The health insurer, which has been in upheaval since the murder of one of its top executives late last year, said in a statement it reached out to the Justice Department after media reports about the investigations. 'The Company has now begun complying with formal criminal and civil requests from the Department,' it said. 'The Company has full confidence in its practices and is committed to working cooperatively with the Department throughout this process.' The Justice Department is investigating UnitedHealth for potential criminal fraud in its Medicare Advantage program, the Wall Street Journal reported in May. The company is one of a number of insurers that the federal government contracts with to provide Medicare coverage to senior citizens and other enrollees. UnitedHealth reiterated on Thursday that it has launched third-party reviews of various policies and practices, including the codes it uses to evaluate patients' health status, its managed care practices and its pharmacy services. The investigation is the latest crisis for the nation's top insurer, which is also one of America's biggest corporations. The CEO of its health insurance unit, Brian Thompson, was gunned down on a New York City sidewalk in December, which unleashed a torrent of angry social media posts about care denials by UnitedHealth and other insurers. Andrew Witty, its former CEO, stepped down abruptly in May, shortly after the company suspended its financial outlook for the year, citing continued higher-than-expected costs in its Medicare Advantage program. UnitedHealth's former longtime CEO, Stephen Hemsley, has returned to lead the company. UnitedHealth's (UNH) stock has lost about half its value over the past year – more than $277 billion. It was down about 3.6% in late morning trading Thursday. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
33 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Measles cases in US over 4.5 times higher than all of last year
Measles cases in the United States are continuing to rise after breaking a decades-long record just two weeks ago. There are now 1,319 confirmed measles cases across 39 states, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated Wednesday. This is the highest nationwide measles figure seen since 1992. National cases are more than 4.5 times higher than the entirety of last year, which had an estimated 285 cases reported. MORE: Amid growing Texas outbreak, how contagious is measles? So far, two children and one adult have died from the virus this year, the first deaths from measles in a decade. About one to three of every 1,000 children infected with measles die from respiratory and neurologic complications, according to the CDC. An overwhelming majority of this year's cases -- 92% -- are among those who were unvaccinated or whose vaccination status is unknown, CDC data shows. Measles was declared eliminated from the U.S. in 2000 due to a highly effective vaccination program, according to the CDC Childhood vaccination rates to protect against measles have been declining in recent years, CDC data shows. The rate of kindergarteners receiving state-required vaccinations dropped from 95% in the 2019-2020 school year to less than 93% in the 2023-2024 school year, according to CDC data. A 95% threshold is the ideal level to protect for herd immunity, public health experts note. This leaves about 280,000 U.S. kindergarteners, or 7.3%, without protection from the virus. MORE: Amid growing Texas outbreak, how contagious is measles? A measles vaccine became available in 1963. Prior to that, nearly all children got measles by the time they were 15 years old. It led to an estimated 500 deaths and 48,000 hospitalizations each year before the shot was widely available, according to the CDC. Children in the U.S. are recommended to receive the two-dose measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine with the first dose at 12 to 15 months of age and the second between 4 and 6 years old. One dose is 93% effective, and two doses are 97% effective, the CDC says. A booster shot is not typically recommended for adults who already have immunity from the virus through vaccination or prior infection.