VATIS UPDATE Article

A new international research group has been established to investigate the underlying genetic causes of cerebral palsy, spurred on by the discoveries from researchers of University of Adelaide, Australia. The news comes as the Adelaide team behind the new collaboration has been awarded a $1 million grant to continue its groundbreaking work, from The Tenix and Cerebral Palsy Foundations.

The newly established International Cerebral Palsy Genomics Consortium (ICPGC) includes members from universities in China, Canada, USA, Sweden, Turkey, and Australia. The consortium has grown under leadership of Dr. Alastair MacLennan and Dr. Jozef Gecz, at the University of Adelaide. Professors MacLennan and Gecz and their Cerebral Palsy Research Group have led the field internationally in showing that cerebral palsy is often linked to a genetic susceptibility.

“For decades, it has been the belief that cerebral palsy occurs when a child experiences a lack of oxygen during pregnancy or at birth. However, the evidence shows that at least one in four cerebral palsy cases is associated with genetic mutations,” said Dr. MacLennan. The group has built up a large DNA biobank from cerebral palsy families linked to de-identified pregnancy details and cerebral palsy type.