Bringing together investors and product developers to discuss opportunities for addressing the autism community’s unmet needs
On Thursday, Autism Speaks hosted the world’s first conference focused entirely on investment and product development in the field of autism services and therapies. The one-day conference brought together more than a hundred attendees, including investors, business executives, entrepreneurs and product developers.
Autism Speaks co-founder Bob Wright opened the conference with a pre-recorded welcome. (See video below.) “Right now, we are working beyond the science to deliver the science,” he said. “We’re helping to broker interactions between investors and entrepreneurs – through meetings like these – in order to ensure new product delivery.”
Autism Speaks Chief Science Officer Geraldine Dawson, Ph.D., added: "Our science mission at Autism Speaks is not to simply generate new knowledge but to translate that knowledge into more effective diagnostic and treatment methods. The investment community is a critical partner in this process, and this inaugural autism investment conference was designed to educate investors about the diversity and scale of opportunities. We hope that this will ultimately speed new products into the clinic and community to make a real difference in people’s lives."
The day’s four sessions introduced a broad range of opportunities for the development of products and services to address unmet healthcare, education and service needs in the autism community. In particular, the sessions focused on four vital areas of development:
Diagnostic and treatment-guiding technology
Coupled with effective treatment, early detection of autism can profoundly improve outcomes. Recent discoveries of autism-associated genes and other biomarkers have set the stage for diagnosis before the full emergence of symptoms. These discoveries are also furthering the development of individualized treatments. Conference speakers provided an overview of scientific advances and discussed current work on diagnostic technology and biomarker discovery.
In an unexpected announcement, representatives from SynapDx revealed that the Laboratory Corporation of American had just invested $2 million in their development of a blood test that could lower the age of autism diagnosis. (Read the SynapDx press release here.)
Therapeutic technology
Therapeutic technologies – including medicines and medical devices – can improve the quality of life for people with autism by relieving the disorder’s symptoms and associated medical conditions. Conference participants discussed potential products to address these needs as well as therapeutic technologies currently in development.
Assistive technologies
Assistive technologies improve the function and quality of life of individuals with disabilities. In recent years, the autism community has experienced a dramatic growth in the development of assistive technologies. Conference participants discussed the major trends and business opportunities in this field of product development.
Services and supports
Peter Bell, Autism Speaks executive vice president of programs and services, opened the final session, which focused on opportunities to develop services and supports that help people with autism to lead lives with dignity, purpose and independence.
"While we look forward to the day when better interventions can ease autism’s disabling symptoms, we still have an immense need to provide supports and services throughout the lifespan,” he said. “People with autism can make significant contributions to society if given the proper supports and access to services.” Bell and his panel went on to illustrate several financially viable avenues for addressing currently unmet needs. They ranged from educational and behavioral services in early childhood to transition and vocational support in adolescence and adulthood. The panel discussion also highlighted the challenges that individuals and their families face in paying for such services.
“This conference was about connecting investors with a community of entrepreneurs, developers and small companies working to convert scientific breakthroughs into products that have the ability to transform the lives of individuals with autism,” said conference organizer Robert Ring, Ph.D. Dr. Ring is Autism Speaks vice president for translational research and also heads Autism Speaks new not-for-profit affiliate DELSIA (Delivering Scientific Innovation to Autism). “By connecting the innovators with the investors, we are ensuring that scientific discoveries are being translated into the products and services that can transform lives.”
Autism Speaks thanks the Autism Investment Conference’s sponsors: BNY Mellon, Dynamis and Shire. Please click through to their websites to learn more about their missions.
Autism Speaks Co-Founder Bob Wright welcomes conference attendees: