Mysteries of the microbiome’s potential link to autism

As understanding of the gut microbiome continues to grow, attention is turning to its potential impact on brain development, with major research investment being devoted to better assess the role of the maternal and developing infant gut microbiomes in healthy infant neurodevelopment.

Hudson Institute of Medical Research’s Professor Sam Forster is a world leader in microbiome research and he’s among a select handful to receive an award under Wellcome Leap’s Foundations of a Resilient Microbiome (FORM) program.

The human gut microbiome is essential for health, influencing nutrition, metabolism, immune function and more, so this project aims to explore possible links to the rise in neurodevelopmental challenges — including autism spectrum disorder (ASD). 

In its own words, Wellcome Leap builds bold, unconventional programs, and funds them at scale. Programs are optimised to deliver breakthroughs in human health over 5 – 10 years and demonstrate seemingly impossible results on seemingly impossible timelines.

It is an opportunity that excites Prof Forster.

Exciting opportunity to study potential links between autism and the microbiome

“The Wellcome Leap FORM program is an ambitious global initiative to deepen our understanding of the factors shaping early neurodevelopment and improve support options for families. We are excited to contribute our microbiome expertise and novel technologies to help reveal how early‑life biology influences developmental trajectories,” he said.

Early-life pressures significantly affect the infant gut microbiome’s development, while maternal factors, including obesity and infections, also impact both maternal and infant microbiomes.

“For example, we’re learning that vaginal and caesarean births are associated with distinct early‑life microbiomes. These differences matter, and they show how much more we still have to understand about early‑life biology and potential impacts on neurodevelopment,” Prof Forster said.

Five-fold autism increase

“This is an important concept to examine, considering that ASD prevalence has increased significantly, with a 5-fold rise in diagnoses in the US since the early 2000s, and the fact that more than 70 per cent of children with severe ASD presentations also experience gastrointestinal issues, indicating a link between gut health and neurodevelopment.”

This project will adopt a new approach, as current studies often focus on correlations rather than causation, and existing microbiome assessments primarily catalog bacterial presence rather than functional health.

Prof Forster will lead a team at Hudson Institute, including Dr Sara Di Simone, Dr Michelle Chonwerawong, Professor Claudia Nold, Professor Marcel Nold and Dr Ed Giles.