MSSNG (pronounced “missing”) is a groundbreaking collaboration between Autism Speaks, Verily, DNAstack and the
research community to create the world’s largest whole genome sequencing database on autism with deep phenotyping.
Key leaders of MSSNG are Stephen Scherer (SickKids Hospital and University of Toronto), David Glazer (Verily), Marc
Fiume (DNAstack), and Dean Hartley (Autism Speaks). MSSNG’s goal is to provide the best resources to enable the
identification of many subtypes of autism, which may lead to better diagnostics, as well as personalized and more
accurate treatments.
Through an online application process (Genetics System Application), MSSNG provides whole genome sequencing of blood
DNA (minimum 30x high-quality coverage) of 11,500+ individuals from families (Trios and Multiplex – See Overview
below) from the Autism Genetic Research Exchange (AGRE) repository, or from other well-phenotyped cohorts entering
into this study. The MSSNG database, built using the Google Cloud Platform and Google Genomics, intends to make its
data as useful and widely accessible to researchers as possible, including access to local compute and storage
resources, and providing genomic exploration tools for standard and custom analyses. Whole genome sequences and
their annotations and phenotype data are being continually added and/or modified with different levels and portals
of access to researchers. MSSNG’s philosophy is to promote and enable ‘open science’ research with responsible
sharing to lead to a better understanding of autism. We welcome you to join us.
Click here to apply for access to the data.
Please contact the Coordinating Center
at asgenetics@autismspeaks.org with any questions.
