SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Upstate Medical University researchers may be on the brink of developing a spit test to diagnose autism.

Autism is an incurable developmental disability that affects one in 68 children. It affects their ability to learn, communicate and interact with others.

There is no medical test to diagnose autism. Health care professionals evaluate a child's behavior to make a diagnosis.

Upstate researchers are studying the use of small saliva samples to detect autism.

Saliva contains microRNA, short strands of ribonucleic acid (RNA) which may affect how a child's brain works. Researchers say finding microRNA particles with altered levels in children with autism could lead to an earlier diagnosis.

The study is close to having a prototype saliva test comparable to widely used rapid tests for influenza and strep, according to Frank Middleton, the study's principal investigator.

Researchers have collected and analyzed saliva samples from 400 children. They want to enroll an additional 750 to 800 children between the ages of 18 months and 6 years who have been diagnosed with autism. Families interested in participating in the study can sign up online.

Middleton has also studied the use of saliva to diagnose concussions.

He is conducting the autism saliva test study in collaboration with Dr. Steve Hicks, an Upstate alumnus at Penn State Hershey Medical Center. The study is sponsored by the National Institutes of Health and Quadrant Biosciences Inc., a StartUp NY company based on Upstate's campus.

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