The AutGO Initiative: A Conceptual Framework for Developing Genetics-Outcomes Research Hypotheses

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Genetics
• Public Health

Background:

• Translational research in neuropsychiatric and neurodevelopmental conditions necessitates interdisciplinary collaboration.
• Integrating diverse scientific perspectives and community input is challenging, especially for heterogeneous conditions like autism.
• Autism Genetics Outcomes (AutGO) was established to foster stakeholder partnerships and promote integrated genetics and clinical outcomes (GO) research approaches.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and describe a workflow for collecting stakeholder feedback for GO hypothesis generation.
• To detail the development of AutGO's three core components: conceptual framework, applicability, and implementation.
• To demonstrate the feasibility of formulating GO hypotheses through community engagement and literature review.

Main Methods:

• A semi-structured literature review workflow was employed for proof-of-concept hypothesis development.
• Stakeholder feedback was collected through a defined protocol integrated into the conceptual framework.
• A prototype GO hypothesis for autism was formulated using published reports.

Main Results:

• A workflow for collecting stakeholder feedback for GO hypothesis development was successfully created.
• The conceptual framework, applicability, and implementation of AutGO were established.
• A GO hypothesis for autism was formulated, demonstrating the approach's utility.

Conclusions:

• Engaging stakeholders in retrospective literature reviews is a feasible method for formulating scientific hypotheses.
• The AutGO workflow and prototype highlight the benefits of integrating community perspectives into autism genetics research.
• This approach promotes translational research by bridging genetics and clinical outcomes.