Our Approach to Research
Our Focus Areas
We focus on emerging areas such as the microbiome, immune system, mitochondrial cell metabolism
Historically most autism research funding has gone to genetics. While genetics research has yielded important insights, it has not delivered the breakthroughs for which we had hoped.
More recently new areas, such as the microbiome, the immune system, and mitochondrial metabolism have emerged as potentially important in autism (and other conditions that affect the brain.) Despite their potential, these emerging area been understudied and underfunded in autism.
Just in the past decade, by focusing on these emerging areas, researchers, in many cases supported by N of One have made breakthroughs that are already making their way through clinical trials as potential new treatments.
Our Approach
An emphasis on the core biology behind ASD
History has shown that rapid progress is made for treatments and prevention strategies when the underlying biology or the “mechanism” of a disease is discovered.
Breakthrough Focused
Research that has the potential to lead to or accelerate breakthroughs
Research that has the potential to lead to or accelerate breakthroughs. While incremental insight is always valuable, we favor bold research ideas that have the potential to create significant breakthroughs in our understanding of ASD
A Venture Capital Approach
We focus our limited funds on novel ideas in emerging areas that other larger, more conservative funders are not funding with the hope that our success will de-risk these areas and invite more funding. We call this our “Venture Capital” approach.
Interdisciplinary
The biology of autism is extremely complicated and involves multiple areas of biology. No single medical specialty receives training in all the fields that autism touches. To make major advances in autism research requires an interdisciplinary approach.
The Types of Researchers We Enlist
The brightest and most open minded
N of One diligently seeks to partner with the very best researchers at the world’s leading institutions. We seek out researchers with a history of research excellence and an open-minded approach to their research. We believe this mindset is important because, if the basis for autism were simple, we would have found it by now.
If this sounds like the right approach to you, please consider dedicating a portion of your charitable donations to N of One through a one time or an annual gift.