Researchers have released a mass of newly generated data providing the most detailed look yet at the patterns of genetic variation in families with autism.

Last week, raw genotype data from 4,250 individuals ? including people with autism, their parents and their siblings ? were made public by the Autism Consortium based in Boston, Massachusetts, and Johns Hopkins' McKusick-Nathans Institute of Genetic Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland. Lead researchers Aravinda Chakravarti of Johns Hopkins and Mark Daly of the Autism Consortium, say that they hope to identify key genetic contributions to the disease over the next few months.

In the meantime, says Daly, ?we're releasing raw genotype data so that other qualified researchers can take a look at them even as we're still beginning our own analysis?. The data will be available through the Autism Genetic Resource Exchange (http://www.agre.org).