Assemblyman Angelo Santabarbara, chair of the New York State Assembly’s Sub-Committee on Autism Spectrum Disorders, recently introduced new legislation to amend New York’s public health law, adding autism spectrum disorder (ASD) to the list of conditions for which medical marihuana may be prescribed for treatment. The new bill is the latest addition to his Autism Action initiative that began in 2013. Today’s Assemblyman Santabarbara endorsed a new partnership between the Center for Discovery, a leading provider of medical and clinical care, as well as education services for people with complex developmental disabilities and the University at Buffalo to advance cannabinoid science research in autism and other complex developmental disabilities.

The partnership will focus on the development of innovative clinical and translational approaches to treatment of complex conditions, autism spectrum disorder being one of them. The research will explore and examine cannabinoid sciences as a treatment to those living with complex conditions.

“It exciting to know this new partnership will be focused on cannabinoid science research, something that’s still very new but is showing a lot of promise in treating anxiety, hyperactivity, attention deficit and seizures, which are some of the common symptoms among many diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder,” said Assemblyman Santabarbara who’s teenage son, Michael, was born with autism. “This collaboration is a great step forward towards advancing autism research and I’m confident it will help make life-changing advances available to those living with autism spectrum disorder and lead to better outcomes.”

The latest report released by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control now shows that about 1 in 59 children in the United States are now being diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD), up from 1 in 68 in 2012. The numbers have more than doubled since 2000.

Collaboration will support wide-ranging innovation

The University at Buffalo has partnered with The Center for Discovery (TCFD), a leading provider of medical and clinical care and education services for people with complex developmental disabilities, to advance critical research in autism and other complex conditions.

The pioneering collaboration between the UB Center for Integrated Global Biomedical Sciences (CIGBS) and TCFD, a New York State Center of Excellence, will support the growth of translational research and innovation, drawing on TCFD’s comprehensive, longitudinal database and new programs.

The partnership will also focus on educating students, professionals and parents through hands-on lectures and virtual teaching; global outreach and engagement to forge collaborations through the SUNY Global Health Institute with leading universities and medical institutions around the world; the development of practices and technologies for healthy living across the broad spectrum of complex conditions; and the establishment of new models of care that support interpersonal treatment and successful outcomes for New York State and beyond.

“The combination of programs offered by our two centers gives us a major advantage over other known clinical research settings,” said Dr. Theresa Hamlin, Associate Executive Director at TCFD.

“We have unprecedented individualized data on treatments, responses to interventions as well as new technologies that will lead to innovations and breakthroughs in complex care. The opening of our new Children’s Specialty Hospital in 2020, which will include The Research Institute for Brain and Body Health, further positions us to do the kind of research that will truly change lives.”

“We are confident that there is enormous promise for this collaboration to develop innovative clinical and translational research approaches that utilize health information technology to accelerate the evaluation of biomarkers, drug development and nutritional strategies,” said Dr. Gene Morse, CIGBS Director, SUNY Distinguished Professor in the UB School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, and co-director of the SUNY Global Health Institute.

Dr. Morse also envisions synergy with the Drug Development Core at UB’s Clinical and Translational Science Institute, which will support the growing network of UB, SUNY and TCFD researchers focused on autism, cannabinoid sciences research and human genomics. The partnership includes a collaboration between TCFD investigators and Dr. Jeffrey Lombardo, research assistant professor in the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences and CIGBS project director for global cannabinoid sciences and health information technology for patient safety, to examine new treatments for drug-resistant epilepsies.

“Collaborations like this one are vital as we search for breakthroughs to help all those living with complex conditions,” said Patrick H. Dollard, President and CEO of TCFD. “We need the thought leaders of many different disciplines to come together so we can achieve our common goal. The UB Center for Integrated Global Biomedical Sciences is the perfect partner for us.”

The collaboration is effective immediately and will be led by Dr. Hamlin and Dr. Morse.

For more information on the collaboration, please contact Michael Rosen, Executive Vice President of Marketing and Strategic Communications at TCFD, mrosen@tcfd.org; and at UB, Tprc-admin@buffalo.edu, or Marcene Robinson, news content manager, marcener@buffalo.edu.

About The Center for Discovery

The Center for Discovery (TCFD) is a leading provider of healthcare and education services for more than 1,200 children and adults with complex conditions, medical frailties and Autism Spectrum Disorders, located 90 miles northwest of New York City. Named a Center of Excellence in 2016, TCFD has long been a leader in developing new models of care for individuals with complex conditions. On 1,500 acres of land in Sullivan County, TCFD houses school campuses, residences, medical and research facilities, organic and biodynamic farmland, and leased private businesses. Deeply focused on an individual’s personal potential and possibilities, rather than a disability, TCFD strives to create better care and unique and challenging opportunities for the most vulnerable populations.

For more information about TCFD, please visit https://thecenterfordiscovery.org/

About The UB Center for Integrated Global Biomedical Sciences

The UB Center for Integrated Global Biomedical Sciences is an international hub for innovation that brings together scientific disciplines in a nontraditional approach to build capacity to address regional as well as global challenges. The center integrates education, training and research to promote novel discovery, maximize technology and foster translation. The center works with international partners to address global health research challenges and recognizes the important connections between health research and sustainable economic development.

For more information about CIGBS, please visit http://www.buffalo.edu/integratedglobalbiomedicalsciences/about-us.html