Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is highly heritable, but ASD-related variants are often found in unaffected individuals. The researchers identified two genes, highly expressed in ASD, which may modify ASD penetrance since their over-expression in cell line causes? generated genome-wide epigenetic changes, notably of ASD-candidate genes sentence doesn’t quite make sense to me; seems to be missing a word] In this study, the researchers will characterize cells from affected and unaffected individuals who share the same ASD variant, and compare epigenetic parameters, splicing patterns, and gene expression profiles. Finally, they will develop a diagnostic tool for ASD using a machine learning approach, and implement a system that modifies DNA methylation of selected targets. The study is being conducted in cooperation with the Ben-Gurion University Autism Research Center.