Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

ASPI: a public–private partnership to develop treatments for autism

Numerous potential therapeutic targets are being investigated in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Here, we discuss a platform trial approach for designing proof-of-concept (POC) clinical studies of ASD — via the Autism Spectrum POC Initiative (ASPI) — that can be conducted through a public–private partnership with the aim of finding effective treatments in the most expeditious manner.
  1. Seth Ness

    1. Janssen Research and Development, Titusville, NJ, USA.

    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed  Google Scholar

  2. Gahan Pandina

    1. Janssen Research and Development, Titusville, NJ, USA.

    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed  Google Scholar

  3. Shyla Jagannatha

    1. Janssen Research and Development, Titusville, NJ, USA.

    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed  Google Scholar

  4. Kyle Wathen

    1. Janssen Research and Development, Spring, TX, USA.

    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed  Google Scholar

  5. Abigail Bangerter

    1. Janssen Research and Development, Titusville, NJ, USA.

    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed  Google Scholar

  6. Nikolay V. Manyakov

    1. Janssen Research and Development, Beerse, Belgium.

    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed  Google Scholar

  7. Robert Hendren

    1. Department of Psychiatry and the Weill Institute for Neuroscience, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA.

    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed  Google Scholar

  8. Bennett Leventhal

    1. Department of Psychiatry and the Weill Institute for Neuroscience, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA.

    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed  Google Scholar

  9. Declan Murphy

    1. Department of Forensic & Neurodevelopmental Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, King’s College London, UK.

    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed  Google Scholar

  10. Geraldine Dawson

    1. Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and Duke Institute for Brain Sciences, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA.

    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed  Google Scholar

  11. Wayne C. Drevets

    1. Janssen Research and Development, San Diego, CA, USA.

    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed  Google Scholar

  12. Husseini K. Manji

    1. Janssen Research and Development, Titusville, NJ, USA.

    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed  Google Scholar

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a heterogeneous neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by core symptoms of restricted and repetitive behaviours (RRB) and deficits in social communication (SC). The disorder affects tens of millions of people worldwide (see Related links), and there are no approved medicines for the core symptoms.

Access options

Rent or buy this article

Prices vary by article type

from$1.95

to$39.95

Learn more

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Nature Reviews Drug Discovery 19, 219-220 (2020)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41573-020-00012-4

Updates & Corrections

  • Correction 06 May 2020: The surname for Wayne C. Drevets was incorrect in the online pdf and print versions, and the online pdf has now been corrected.

References

  1. Kanne S. M. et al. The Autism Impact Measure (AIM): initial development of a new tool for treatment outcome measurement. J. Autism Dev. Disord. 44, 168–179 (2014).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Ness S. L. et al. An Observational study with the Janssen Autism Knowledge Engine (JAKE®) in individuals with autism spectrum disorder. Front. Neurosci. 13, 111 (2019).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Berry, S. M. et al. The platform trial: an efficient strategy for evaluating multiple treatments. JAMA 313, 1619–1620 (2015).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Competing Interests

S.N., G.P., S.J., K.W., A.B., N.V.M., W.C.D. and H.M. are employees of Janssen Research & Development and hold company stocks/stock options. H.M. reports a patent, which is assigned to Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Yale University, and NIH; no financial benefit was received from this patent. R.H. received reimbursement for consultation from Janssen Research & Development. B.L. has received research grant funding from the NIH, is a consultant to Janssen Research & Development, the Illinois Children’s Healthcare Foundation and is a board member of the Brain Research Foundation. D.M. is on the Scientific Advisory Board of Roche. G.D. is on the Scientific Advisory Boards of Janssen Research & Development, Akili, LabCorp, Tris Pharm and Roche, a consultant for Apple, Gerson Lehrman Group, and Axial Ventures, has received grant funding from Janssen Research and Development and is CEO of DASIO. She receives royalties from Guilford Press, Springer and Oxford University Press.

Nature Careers

Jobs

  • Postdoctoral Position

    We are seeking highly motivated and skilled candidates for postdoctoral fellow positions

    Boston, Massachusetts (US)

    Boston Children's Hospital (BCH)

  • Qiushi Chair Professor

    Distinguished scholars with notable achievements and extensive international influence.

    Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China

    Zhejiang University

  • ZJU 100 Young Professor

    Promising young scholars who can independently establish and develop a research direction.

    Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China

    Zhejiang University

  • Head of the Thrust of Robotics and Autonomous Systems

    Reporting to the Dean of Systems Hub, the Head of ROAS is an executive assuming overall responsibility for the academic, student, human resources...

    Guangzhou, Guangdong, China

    The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Guangzhou)

  • Head of Biology, Bio-island

    Head of Biology to lead the discovery biology group.

    Guangzhou, Guangdong, China

    BeiGene Ltd.

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing

Search

Advanced search

Quick links