Event
Optimizing Clinical Trials and Neurobiological Investigations in Autism
Antonio Y. Hardan, MD, is a professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University. He is the director of the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Division and the Autism and Developmental Disorders Clinic at Stanford Medicine Children’s Health. Dr. Hardan has more than 20 years of experience assessing and treating children and adults with developmental disorders, including autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
About This Event
There has been an explosion of research in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and our understanding of the underlying neurobiology and genetic mechanisms have considerably improved. However, despite an increase in the number of investigations and clinical trials evaluating a wide range of interventions, there has been limited progress in the identification of neurobiologic markers and effective interventions targeting the core features: social communication deficits and restricted and repetitive behaviors. While challenges are numerous, the field has gained a lot of insight over the last two decades and effective strategies are being developed and implemented such as the reliance on more discrete biological endpoints, the use of smart or adaptive designs, and the development of measures with good psychometric properties. This progress was mostly due to costly trial-and-error approaches that have catalyzed the evolution of clinical trial design in ASD to minimize type I and II errors.
Learning Objectives
- To examine the challenges of designing neurobiologic investigations and clinical trials in autism spectrum disorder.
- To review the progress made to date.
- To discuss potential strategies to move the field forward.
About the Visiting Professor Lecture Series
The Child Mind Institute Visiting Professor Lecture Series invites leaders in the field of child and adolescent mental health to talk about the latest research and treatment protocols. All events are open to the public. This year, all lectures will be hosted virtually over Zoom. In partnership with Northwell Health, continuing medical education (CME) credits for psychiatrists and continuing education (CE) credits for psychologists are available to registered course participants.
