A longtime supporter of the Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute (LTRI) and its groundbreaking work, Camille Dan recently made a generous $1,000,000 gift to Sinai Health System to establish the Camille Dan Family Endowed Scientist.
Her gift will support the work of Sabine Cordes, PhD, a Senior Investigator at the LTRI, who has shown that low levels of an important protein called nSR100 may cause common social behaviours associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), such as avoidance of social interactions and heightened sensitivity to noise.
With Camille’s generous support, Dr. Cordes hopes that her work will lead to a test that allows doctors to measure levels of nSR100 in newborns to identify those at risk of developing ASD. With earlier diagnosis, children could undergo very early intervention, which is proven to significantly improve social outcomes.
“There is a huge need for objective, empirical diagnostics in the field of mental health,” says Camille. "I believe that Dr. Cordes' innovative research will open the door to a world of more accurate diagnosis, treatment and prevention of mental illnesses."