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NJCTS CELL & DNA SHARING REPOSITORY FOR TOURETTE SYNDROME RESEARCH

Four successful years into the pilot, the National Institute of Mental Health recognized the repository as a federal asset and funded its expansion.

NJ Center for Tourette Syndrome and Associated Disorders (NJCTS), in partnership with Rutgers University’s RUCDR Infinite Biologics, established the NJCTS Cell & DNA Sharing Repository in 2007 as a sharing resource of clinical and genetic data. A collaboration with Yale University and other partners helped to develop a set of uniform methods and collection tools. After four successful years into the pilot, the National Institute of Mental Health recognized the repository as a federal asset and funded its expansion. Through the establishment of the Tourette International Collaborative Genetics (TIC Genetics) study, the repository now includes more than 25 collection sites around the world.

The goal of the genetics study is to identify genetic factors that play a role in causing TS and associated disorders. Clinical researchers worldwide with experience in autism and TS utilize the uniform tools to collect samples and questionnaires from families and deliver them to Rutgers to be processed, stored, and shared. The study aims to identify better treatments and a cure for TS.

In both 2017 and 2018, significant breakthroughs were made with the identification of at risk genes for TS and the results were published in scientific journals. As a result of these advancements, the National Institute of Mental Health awarded TIC Genetics with $10 million which allows them to continue this vital research.

As this groundbreaking research continues and more families participate, the more likely a cure for Tourette Syndrome can be found.

Click to hear more about this research from Dr. Gary Heiman and Dr. Jay Tischfield of the NJCTS Sharing Repository.

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For more information, please see our Brochure.

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