OHIO UNIVERSITY

Nanosensor Distinguishes Autism from Intellectual Disability Using Nitric Oxide Biomarker in Patient Stem Cells

- A carbon-fiber nanosensor measured real-time nitric oxide production in patient-derived iPSCs, cleanly distinguishing ASD (6 nM) from ID (11 nM) and healthy controls (65 nM). - The method successfully differentiated the two conditions even when both patient cell lines carried the identical rare de novo E198K mutation in the B56δ β-subunit of protein phosphatase 2A. - By using undifferentiated iPSCs, the approach bypasses the blood-brain barrier and eliminates confounding factors such as age, nutrition, and drug treatments. - Researchers suggest the nanosensor-based method could enable definitive differential diagnosis within the first few months after birth, far earlier than current behavioral evaluations allow.