Celebrating Five Years of Transforming Autism Research

Since 2016, the University of Minnesota has been a part of SPARK, a landmark autism research study that examines genetic, behavioral, and medical information from hundreds of thousands of people. Led by Suma Jacob, MD, PhD, director of the Autism Research Program in the CANeurodevelopment Lab, the University has helped SPARK enroll over 250,000 families that are affected by autism, making SPARK the largest study of autism ever. SPARK Research Match connects study participants with autism researchers around the world. To date, 33,676 families have been part of nearly 100 autism research studies through Research Match. As a result of the participation of so many families, SPARK is transforming the way that autism research is done. SPARK will continue on for decades to come, learning from participants as they grow and develop.