Changing the landscape of autism research: the autism genetic resource exchange.

Autism Speaks Autism Genetic Resource Exchange (AGRE) represents the largest private collection of genetic and phenotype data for families with ASD that is made available to qualified researchers worldwide. The availability of large and comprehensive registries that include detailed phenotype and genetic information for individuals affected with an ASD and family members is crucial for the discovery of autism susceptibility genes and the development and application of biologically based approaches to diagnosis and treatment. The model that AGRE has developed can be applied broadly to other disorders with complex etiologies.