• Gryphon Login
  • MyCourses
  • Alumni
  • UCLA Health
  • Contact Us
David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
  • Patient Care
    • UCLA Health Mission & Vision
    • Discover Patient Stories
    • Search Locations
    • Find a Provider
    • Medical Services
    • UCLA Health Careers
    • UCLA Health Mission & Vision
    • Discover Patient Stories
    • Search Locations
    • Find a Provider
    • Medical Services
    • UCLA Health Careers
  • Research
    Departments, Centers & Institutes
    • Basic Science Departments
    • Clinical Departments
    • UCLA Research Centers
    • UCLA Research Institutes

    Researcher Resources
    • Core Facilities
    • UCLA CTSI
    • Faculty Profiles
    • Funding Information
    • Grants Submission Unit
    • Research Safety
    Researcher Administration
    • Clinical Trials
    • Research Policies & Procedures
    • Visa Information

    Professional Training
    • Graduate/Post Doctoral Training Programs
    • Office of Postdoctoral Affairs
    • Medical Education Research
    • MD Student Research Opportunities
    • Safety Resources
    Unified Research Themes
    • Cancer
    • Cardiovascular
    • Immunity, Inflammation, Infection, and Transplantation (I3T)
    • Metabolism
    • Neuroscience
    • Regenerative Medicine
    • South Tower Research Space

    Explore Research Innovation at the David Geffen School of Medicine
    Explore Research Innovation at UCLA Health

  • Education
    MD Education
    • Prospective Students
    • Current Students
    • Visiting Students
    • MD Alumni
    • Admissions
    • Financial Aid & Scholarships
    • Educational Evaluation & Assessment
    • MD Curriculum Redesign
    • MD Education FAQs
    • Student Website Change Request
    Residency Education
    • Incoming Residents
    • Current Residents
    • GME Community
    • GME Programs
    • STAR Program
    • Policies
    • Credentials Verification
    • Educational Evaluation & Assessment

    Postdoctoral Education

    Graduate Education
    • Programs in Bioscience
    • Biomathematics
    • Molecular Toxicology
    • Search UCLA Graduate Programs
    • Graduate Student Association

    Continuing Education

    • Live Courses
    • Online Courses
    • Resources
    • Prospective MD Students
    • Current MD Students
    • MD Curriculum Redesign
    • Residency Education
    • Postdoctoral Education
    • Educational Research & Evaluation
    • Graduate Education
    • Graduate Student Association
    • Continuing Education
  • Community
    Outreach
    • Community Engagement
    • Volunteer Opportunities
    • Service Opportunities
    • Global Health
    Student Life
    • Life at UCLA
    • MD Student Organizations
    • Annual Student Events
    • Peer Mentoring
    • Photo Galleries
    • Medical Student Council
    • Around Campus
    • Day in the Life
    • Medical and Research News
    • Search Campus and Health News
    • Geffy Guide
    • Global Health Program
    • Goals of Community Engagement
    • Volunteer Opportunities
    • Project Highlights
    • Happy Feet Clinic
    • Mobile Clinic Project
    • Allied Healthcare Career Guide
    • Community Partners in Care
  • Faculty
    Development
    • Faculty Professional Development
    • Faculty Executive Committee
    • Medical Education Committee
    • Faculty Handbook
    • Faculty & Staff Website Change Request
    Faculty Resources
    • Faculty Opportunities & Resources
    • Faculty Search
    • Departments
    • Room Reservations
    • Awards for Education
    • The Mellinkoff Award
    • Educational Affairs
    • My Courses
    • Gryphon
    • UCLA Simulation Center
    • Office of Diversity Affairs
    • Academic Affairs
    • Biomedical Library
    • Industry Relations
    • Emergency Preparedness
    • Faculty Professional Development
    • Evaluation & Assessment
    • Faculty Executive Committee
    • Medical Education Committee
    • Faculty Handbook
    • Faculty Profiles
    • Faculty & Staff Website Change Request
    • Faculty Opportunities & Resources
  • Equity and Diversity Inclusion
    Overview
    • DGSOM Anti-racism Roadmap
    • Events
    • Equity and Diversity Inclusion Contacts
    • Research Resources
    • Affinity Groups
    Students
    • Equity and Diversity Inclusion
    • Mentoring
    • Pre-M.D. Programs
    • Student Resources
    • UCLA PRIME
    Faculty
    • Office of Diversity Affairs
    • Diversity Spotlights
    • Junior Faculty Lecture Series
    • General Resources
    • Student Peer Mentoring
    • Student Resources
    • Equity and Diversity Inclusion
    • Faculty Mentoring Resources
    • Faculty Resources
    • Junior Faculty Lecture Series
    • Office of Diversity Affairs
  • About Us
    • History
    • Contact Us
    • Coronavirus Information
    • Cultural North Star
    • Dean's Corner
    • Leadership
    • Departments
    • Reporting and Support Resources
    • Maps & Directions
    • Geffen Hall
    • Financial Affairs
    • Strategic Planning
    • Patient Care
    • Get Social
    • Academic Job Opportunities
    • Academic Affairs
    • Curricular Affairs
    • Office of Diversity Affairs
    • Emergency Preparedness
    • Industry Relations
    • History
    • Contact Us
    • Dean's Corner
    • Executive Leadership
    • Finance & Administration
    • Geffen Hall
    • IT Connect
    • Maps & Directions
    • Reporting and Support Resources
    • Get Social
    • Best Medical Schools Rankings
  • Giving
  • Gryphon Login
  • MyCourses
  • Alumni
  • UCLA Health
  • Contact Us

Pioneering Work

  1. Home
  2. Precision Health
  3. Genetics-Based Approach
  4. Pioneering Work

Pioneering Work

Share this

Pioneering work in big data for autism research and treatment

The choice to have Dr. Geschwind lead the institute was apt, given his pioneering work to understand the genetic underpinnings of autism spectrum disorders (ASD). In 2001, Geschwind, then a UCLA professor serving as scientific advisor to Cure Autism Now (now known as Autism Speaks), helped launched a project called the Autism Genetic Resource Exchange (AGRE), a biobank that over the next decade would collect >10,000 DNA samples for genome sequencing from children with ASD and their families.

"Since then, we and others have identified 200 bona fide autism risk genes, half of them strong candidates and the other half representing possibilities," says Geschwind.  "Ten years ago we knew none of them." Geschwind's lab at UCLA has played a major role in these discoveries, and has done important work to take these discoveries forward to develop a new understanding of  individuals with ASD.

"You can end up in the ER for a heart attack caused by factors like high cholesterol, high blood pressure or diabetes. But for things like depression and autism, there is not yet a causal equivalent of high blood pressure. Our first task is defining the genetics, which will lead to understanding the cause and mechanisms of these devastating diseases."  Daniel Geschwind, Director of the Institute of Precision Health 

Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD)

These findings have transformed both the research and clinical fields. Now, genetic testing, including chromosomal microarray and exome sequencing is a first line diagnostic in ASD, as we can make a genetic diagnosis in nearly 20% of patients, and this number grows every few months. Diagnosis using sequencing to identify the specific genetic basis of ASD in an individual is a prime example of precision medicine.  

Geschwind’s lab and other colleagues at UCLA are using this combination of genetic tools, and neurobiological investigations with the goal of revolutionizing our understanding and treatment of neurological and psychiatric disorders. 

UCLA's institute for precision health will once again put UCLA at the forefront of innovation.  The Institute provides infrastructure to support these kinds of "big data" approaches and serves as a resource for researchers and physicians campus-wide who are developing their own precision health projects. The Institute is focused on the collection, generation and integration of genomic information with clinical data from hundreds of thousands of patient across the UCHealth system.  A key element of this endeavor is providing researchers with access to bioinformatic tools, which are absolutely essential to analyzing these big data.  The long-term goal will be to partner with other academic institutions in Southern California and provide these integrated services to a greater number of researchers and clinicians. 

Learn & Discover

Genetic-based approaches are revolutionizing the practice of medicine

The concept of Precision Health is beautifully simple. Learn more.

Genetic-based approaches are revolutionizing the practice of medicine

Genetic-based approaches are revolutionizing the practice of medicine

Cardiovascular disease does not affect everyone in the same way

Cardiovascular disease does not affect everyone in the same way

Precision Health and depression

Precision Health for Depression: There is no chest x-ray for depression

Like Us on Facebook Follow Us on Twitter Subscribe to Our Videos on YouTube Follow us on Instagram Connect with Us on LinkedIn Follow us on Pinterest Follow us on Flickr Follow us on Sharecare
Top 10 U.S. Medical Schools
  • Giving
  • Contact Us
  • Diversity
  • Emergency
  • Maps & Directions
  • Publications
  • Directory
  • Report Misconduct
  • Volunteer
  • Biomed Library
  • Newsroom
  • Smoke-Free
  • Sitemap
  • Terms of Use
  • Report Broken Links
Top 10 U.S. Medical Schools
Like Us on Facebook Follow Us on Twitter Subscribe to Our Videos on YouTube Follow us on Instagram Connect with Us on LinkedIn Follow us on Pinterest Follow us on Flickr Follow us on Sharecare