Simons Foundation url: A hedge-fund titan stirs up research into autism

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dpowell605 wrote:

>Anyone know or know how to reach Mr. Simons? I'd like to tell him

>about my genetically identical twins where only one has ASD -- so he

>can get over the purely genetics theory and move onto real issues....

>

>Diane

>

Many of us feel as if many and perhaps most NIH-funded studies about

autism genetics omitted the environmental aspect of gene-environment

interactions. After flushing quite a few million dollars down a toilet

dedicated to " must be genetic " models, the grant-getters then devised

the multi-gene " must be genetic " model for further flushing of grant moneys. In

most and perhaps all such studies, the role of environmental factors like toxins

and pathogens, if at all, is given brief mention. Also, many studies find that

although a weak allele associates with a given trait, many people lacking the

trait have the weak allele, and many people with the trait do not have the weak

allele. The WSJ article Stan provided included a preaching against environmental

factors:

" Mr. Simons thinks there's no compelling evidence for some parents'

contention that autism is caused by vaccines or some other

environmental factor. " People want an answer and people want a

villain, the evil drug companies or whatever, " says Mr. Simons. He

says the only thing he believes for sure is that genes play a big role. " (1)

Might we conclude that Simons is biased against the notion " gene environment

interactions " ? 'Tis no wonder Ed " must be genetic " Cook, Yale's Volkmar, and

CAN's Jon Shestack are on the Simons team.

Furthermore, Simons is a " hedge-fund titan " , thus much of his wealth

likely derives from industries whose profit stream is at least somewhat

based upon patenting, production, sales, and distribution of toxic

molecules. Thus Simons has a financial incentive to promote and fund a

" must be genetic " model even as he preaches against the possibility of

environmental factors. He is as centered in modernity's toxic orthodoxy

as were the officials who demanded the Inquisition of Galileo and who

decreed the death of Giardano Bruno.

1. A hedge-fund titan stirs up research into autism

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05349/622925.stm

Thursday, December 15, 2005

By Regalado, The Wall Street Journal