Similarities of Cancer and Autism Risk Genes Suggest a Possible Overlapping of Treatments

In the United States, autism and cancer are two conditions that are becoming more and more prevalent that do not have a known cure. However, according to a recent study, although these conditions are different, they share over 40 risk genes with each other suggesting that their treatments may be the same.

"This striking coincidence of a remarkably large number of genes implicated in both autism spectrum disorder and cancers has not been previously highlighted in the scientific literature," said Jacqueline Crawley, MIND Institute distinguished professor and endowed chair. "Potentially common biological mechanisms suggest that it may be possible to repurpose drug treatments for cancer as potential therapeutics for neurodevelopmental disorders."

An extensive examination has been done by researchers at the University of California-Davis MIND Institute and Comprehensive Cancer Center and they have found that some of the gene functions could be used to develop therapies not just for cancer but for autism as well. Neuroscience News mentioned that study authors have identified 43 distinct genes with autism susceptibility that also has a connection with cancer. But the real question is, how does cancer, a disease that is characterized by cell reproduction and tumor growth, be connected to autism, a neurodevelopmental disorder?

According to Medical Daily, authors said that the major difference between the two conditions is only a result of timing. Both autism and cancer happen when the body makes mistakes during DNA repair and replication. The age when these errors happen will determine which disorder arises. "Errors associated with genome maintenance during fetal life may occur at critical time periods for [brain development], resulting in neurodevelopmental disorders, whereas errors more commonly occur during adult life in cell types susceptible to tumors," said Wolf-Dietrich Heyer, a professor and chair of the UC Davis Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics and one of the study's co-authors.

Furthermore, the report says that additional genes which are involved in epigenetic function which can be activated and deactivated by environmental factors were also found to be shared by the two conditions. Study co-author Janine LaSalle, a professor of medical microbiology and immunology, noticed that this highlights the importance of gene regulation in both diseases. She also said that the similarities of both diseased could mean that cancer treatments may be used for autism as well in the future.

"It may be possible to repurpose available cancer drugs with reasonable safety profiles as targeted treatments for ASD," the authors wrote. "Stratifying individuals with ASD who harbor a risk gene for autism that is also a risk gene for cancer may enable therapeutic development of personalized medicines based on the specific causal mutation."