AGXStarseed
Well-Known Member
(The following is two articles from Autism Daily Newscast. Links to original sources will be provided).
Researchers to use Google’s cloud platform to crack autism genetic code
Autism advocacy group Autism Speaks said Tuesday that it will be partnering with tech giant Google in a large-scale research that would attempt to crack the genetic codes for autism. In June 2014, Autism Speaks announced its collaboration with Google to store sequenced data from MSSNG on the Google Cloud Platform.
Researchers for the study will be collaborating with Google as the company lends its Google Genomics technology in an attempt to uncover some of the mystery that covers the autism spectrum disorder. About 10,000 individuals with autism, including their family members, will be taking part in the research that’s poised to be a breakthrough in understanding the mysterious condition.
Autism Speaks Chief Science Officer Rob Ring told WIRED Magazine:
“We believe that the clues to understanding autism lie in that genome. We’d like to leverage the same kind of technology and approach to searching the internet every day to search into the genome for these missing answers.”
The organization’s collaboration with Google will not only make the research dramatically easier and faster, it will also make the research incredibly cheaper.
Before Google’s collaboration with Autism Speaks, the funding required for a research of the same gravity, such as the Human Genome Project, was at $3 billion. But with Google’s technology, the research can be done for as little as $2,500.
The technology that will aid Autism Speaks researchers will work very similarly to how Google organizes millions of data available on the internet. The same technology will be applied to help researchers find sections in the genomes that possess common variations, and search for sequences and regions on the genomes that may be of particular interest to them.
Autism Speaks President Liz Feld hopes that the research would pave the way for more individualized and tailored treatments for individuals with autism in the future. She says:
“What matters most to us is that this research is going to allow us to uncover and understand the various forms of autism.”
The announcement does not come without its critics. Boycott Autism Speaks immediately launched its own response on their Facebook Page with the following image
SOURCE ARTICLE: Researchers to use Google’s cloud platform to crack autism genetic code
Autism Speaks #MSSNG Project Sparks Controversy
Recently Autism Daily Newscast printed a story about #MSSNG, an awareness campaign launched by Autism Speaks to gain support for their initiative to develop the world’s largest database of sequenced genomic information on individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder.
Autism Speaks is partnering with Google to create an open database containing genetic information from over 10,000 individual with autism that can be used in future research geared towards discovering any genetic components of the disorder.
The #MSSNG campaign has sparked the ire of many adults in the autism community, including author and former Autism Speaks member John Elder Robison. Mr. Robison’s objections to the campaign are not against the research itself, though he does explain why he believes this project will not be particularly helpful to individuals who are currently living with autism, but rather against the use of #MSSNG as a tool for awareness. In a blog post dated Dec. 9, 2014, he writes,
“I’ll bet every autistic kid in America knows how it feels to be told we were missing some of our marbles growing up, and reminding us of that in the context of a research initiative is at best insensitive and at worst seriously offensive.”
He goes on to say,
“Genetics is important. But it is not job #1 for this community. . . We should not be trying to ‘solve the autism riddle.’ We should not be ‘looking for missing pieces of the autism puzzle’. We should be Helping Autistic People – Right Now.”
Other took to social media to express their discontent. The counter-hashtag #NOTMSSNG has been trending on Facebook and Twitter, spreading awareness of the autistic community’s anger at being characterized as “missing” or “not all there.” The organization Boycott Autism Speaks launched a meme stating, “Autism Speaks has launched, “Missing”, a new highly publicized assault of the humanity of autistic people. Join #Boycott Autism Speaks on Friday on Twitter as we occupy their hashtag #MSSNG and answer with #NOTMSSNG.”
Individuals and organizations alike took to Twitter to express their discontent. Common themes included “I am not missing” or “I am only missing from the discussion at Autism Speaks.” Many also expressed concern over Autism Speaks’ tendency to characterize autism as a disease, and as a condition that needs to be obliterated.
The rift between Autism Speaks and certain adult advocacy groups is nothing new, and it’s clear that the two camps will not be finding common ground anytime soon. While the genome project may have long-term benefits to the autism community, the choice of #MSSNG as a marketing tool has clearly struck a nerve. Many feel that the lack of representation by individuals with autism is to blame.
John Elder Robison says,
“So what can we do, to avoid more public relations debacles like this, which hurt us all? We can bring autistic people into positions of authority in all the agencies who speak for and about the autism community, and who fund research into autism.”
SOURCE ARTICLE: Autism Speaks #MSSNG Project Sparks Controversy
Researchers to use Google’s cloud platform to crack autism genetic code
Autism advocacy group Autism Speaks said Tuesday that it will be partnering with tech giant Google in a large-scale research that would attempt to crack the genetic codes for autism. In June 2014, Autism Speaks announced its collaboration with Google to store sequenced data from MSSNG on the Google Cloud Platform.
Researchers for the study will be collaborating with Google as the company lends its Google Genomics technology in an attempt to uncover some of the mystery that covers the autism spectrum disorder. About 10,000 individuals with autism, including their family members, will be taking part in the research that’s poised to be a breakthrough in understanding the mysterious condition.
Autism Speaks Chief Science Officer Rob Ring told WIRED Magazine:
“We believe that the clues to understanding autism lie in that genome. We’d like to leverage the same kind of technology and approach to searching the internet every day to search into the genome for these missing answers.”
The organization’s collaboration with Google will not only make the research dramatically easier and faster, it will also make the research incredibly cheaper.
Before Google’s collaboration with Autism Speaks, the funding required for a research of the same gravity, such as the Human Genome Project, was at $3 billion. But with Google’s technology, the research can be done for as little as $2,500.
The technology that will aid Autism Speaks researchers will work very similarly to how Google organizes millions of data available on the internet. The same technology will be applied to help researchers find sections in the genomes that possess common variations, and search for sequences and regions on the genomes that may be of particular interest to them.
Autism Speaks President Liz Feld hopes that the research would pave the way for more individualized and tailored treatments for individuals with autism in the future. She says:
“What matters most to us is that this research is going to allow us to uncover and understand the various forms of autism.”
The announcement does not come without its critics. Boycott Autism Speaks immediately launched its own response on their Facebook Page with the following image
SOURCE ARTICLE: Researchers to use Google’s cloud platform to crack autism genetic code
Autism Speaks #MSSNG Project Sparks Controversy
Recently Autism Daily Newscast printed a story about #MSSNG, an awareness campaign launched by Autism Speaks to gain support for their initiative to develop the world’s largest database of sequenced genomic information on individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder.
Autism Speaks is partnering with Google to create an open database containing genetic information from over 10,000 individual with autism that can be used in future research geared towards discovering any genetic components of the disorder.
The #MSSNG campaign has sparked the ire of many adults in the autism community, including author and former Autism Speaks member John Elder Robison. Mr. Robison’s objections to the campaign are not against the research itself, though he does explain why he believes this project will not be particularly helpful to individuals who are currently living with autism, but rather against the use of #MSSNG as a tool for awareness. In a blog post dated Dec. 9, 2014, he writes,
“I’ll bet every autistic kid in America knows how it feels to be told we were missing some of our marbles growing up, and reminding us of that in the context of a research initiative is at best insensitive and at worst seriously offensive.”
He goes on to say,
“Genetics is important. But it is not job #1 for this community. . . We should not be trying to ‘solve the autism riddle.’ We should not be ‘looking for missing pieces of the autism puzzle’. We should be Helping Autistic People – Right Now.”
Other took to social media to express their discontent. The counter-hashtag #NOTMSSNG has been trending on Facebook and Twitter, spreading awareness of the autistic community’s anger at being characterized as “missing” or “not all there.” The organization Boycott Autism Speaks launched a meme stating, “Autism Speaks has launched, “Missing”, a new highly publicized assault of the humanity of autistic people. Join #Boycott Autism Speaks on Friday on Twitter as we occupy their hashtag #MSSNG and answer with #NOTMSSNG.”
Individuals and organizations alike took to Twitter to express their discontent. Common themes included “I am not missing” or “I am only missing from the discussion at Autism Speaks.” Many also expressed concern over Autism Speaks’ tendency to characterize autism as a disease, and as a condition that needs to be obliterated.
The rift between Autism Speaks and certain adult advocacy groups is nothing new, and it’s clear that the two camps will not be finding common ground anytime soon. While the genome project may have long-term benefits to the autism community, the choice of #MSSNG as a marketing tool has clearly struck a nerve. Many feel that the lack of representation by individuals with autism is to blame.
John Elder Robison says,
“So what can we do, to avoid more public relations debacles like this, which hurt us all? We can bring autistic people into positions of authority in all the agencies who speak for and about the autism community, and who fund research into autism.”
SOURCE ARTICLE: Autism Speaks #MSSNG Project Sparks Controversy