So, it wasn't a leap. I had been talking about working on autism at least since '92 or '93. I think that there's still a very real need for the public to support research. It's suffering tremendously under the Bush administration for at least two reasons: one of them, objectively, is that funding has been cut back. And also the fellow is such an anti-intellectual that the good people in government that are needed to manage the research dollars have either become cynical or they've fled. So, I think, the country has taken a real double hit from this administration.
There's clearly a need for the public to see that scientists care about their concerns and can yield things that don't bankrupt them, but that can improve their lives and their children's lives.
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Add CommentAs a biochemist/molecular biology scientist and mother of an autistic 7 year old girl I am very interested in this new vision. It has been very frustrating the wait during the autism gene hunting leading to more and more unanswered questions rather than answers. I am glad Dr. Wigler and colleagues are seriously looking at the problem coming with the cancer genetics experience. I am a mother daugther pair looking for answers. I see a cluster of traits in my family: ADD, depression, anxiety,panic disorder more ADD among us parents and older daugther. One girl only with autism and ADHD with no mental retardation and no epilepsy in her. Count me in, in donating tissue samples.
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