ERC Starting Grant 2019 for the THERAUTISM project

Granted with 1.5 M€ funding by the ERC for 5 years, the THERAUTISM (New molecular targets and proof-of-concept therapies for Autism Spectrum Disorders) project aims at identifying new molecular substrates of sociability and synaptic plasticity events of social interaction between two congeners in mice. These substrates will be applied to other social species with social deficits, including farm animals and autistic patients. The different mechanisms leading to the dysregulation of these substrates will be determined, in order to identify new common targets of sociability. Modulating the activity of these targets and of relevant GPCRs using molecular and pharmacological strategies with antibody fragments should improve social skills in individuals with social deficits.