The University of Colorado Anschutz School of Medicine (CU Anschutz) and Children’s Hospital Colorado (Children’s Colorado) received an award of up to $17.25 million from Aligning Research to Impact Autism (ARIA) to join the Innovative Medicine and Precision Approaches to Clinical Trials (IMPACT) Network, an international collaborative working to better understand how autism and related neurodevelopmental conditions develop and change over time.
The multimillion-dollar grant will support site project lead Tim Benke, MD, PhD, professor of pediatrics, pharmacology, neurology and otolaryngology at CU Anschutz, and Children’s Colorado’s Neuroscience Institute’s autism and neurodevelopmental research over the course of five years. Benke, director of research for the Neuroscience Institute, and his team will contribute to a short-term natural history and clinical endpoint study, called the ARIA IMPACT-Ready Study, focused on how children with profound autism and related neurodevelopmental conditions develop over time. These findings may help improve future research and support the development of new treatments to support neurodiverse individuals.
“Through this collaborative study, we can fully understand the diverse experiences of people with neurodevelopmental disorders, helping us to be clinical-trial ready to better serve more children now and in the future,” says Benke, who is also the Ponzio Family Endowed Chair in Pediatric Neurology Research. "As a nonprofit hospital, Children’s Colorado is fueled by philanthropic giving. Investments from donors and the community help us serve children who need us and I am grateful to ARIA and all of our community supporters who make our work possible.”
This research team includes colleagues from Children’s Colorado and CU Anschutz School of Medicine Department of Pediatrics, including:
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Scott Demarest, MD, MSCS, Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Neurology and Chief Precision Medicine Officer, who will serve as site biomarker lead
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Nicole Tartaglia, MD, MS, Professor of Pediatrics, Section of Developmental Pediatrics, who will serve as site clinical research lead
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Ann Reynolds, MD, Professor and Head, Section of Developmental Pediatrics, who will serve as co-investigator
This recognition underscores Children’s Colorado Neuroscience Institute’s national leadership in autism research and clinical care. The IMPACT Colorado team represents a collaboration between CU Anschutz School of Medicine Departments of Pediatrics and Pharmacology and Children’s Colorado Neuroscience Institute. The study will leverage the already strong cross-campus autism research and programs and draw on multidisciplinary expertise from multiple care teams, including the Clinical Genetics and Inherited Metabolic Diseases Program, the Precision Medicine Institute and the Colorado Child Health Research Institute.
“I am excited to lead this project with my outstanding team,” Benke says. “This award leverages the expertise we have developed and the investments across Children’s Colorado and University of Colorado Anschutz School of Medicine, positioning us to drive discoveries that will shape the future of pediatric care.”
Benke has an extensive background in research for multiple neurological disorders, including Rett syndrome, FOXG1 and CDKL5 disorders. He is the medical director of the Rett Clinic at Children’s Colorado in addition to overseeing the collaborative GRIN variant registry, where Children’s Colorado and CU Anschutz Department of Pharmacology collaboratively study the impact of early life seizures on synaptic physiology and plasticity.
Aligning Research to Impact Autism (ARIA) is an initiative to accelerate scientific discovery and create more therapeutic opportunities for people with profound autism and people on the spectrum who seek additional support. ARIA connects emerging research, insights and promising technologies from across scientific fields to build an integrated ecosystem that bridges clinical and translational research. Benke’s team can be reached through IMPACTColorado@cuanschutz.edu.
