Exclusive | Children with autism show a “dramatic improvement” with this cheap drug, and the doctor behind their research says it may one day prevent the disorder.

As scientists continue to investigate the roots of autism, a generic cancer drug may have the key.

Leucovorin is prescribed to reduce the side effects of chemo. But in several studies carried out over the last 13 years, Dr. Richard Frye has collected increasing evidence that can improve the signs of autism, even bringing non -verbal children to speak for the first time.

He told The Post that he believed that these successes could be valuable in both the autism and line of the line, preventing the disorder from being completely.

“If you go to the doctor and look for an autism pill, it does not exist,” a pediatric neurologist from Arizona told Post Frye. “But the leukovorina has helped many children.”

An increasing need for solutions

Autism Spectrum Disorder includes a wide range of conditions that affect the way people learn, behave, communicate and interact with others.

In recent years, the number of autism diagnoses in the United States has skyrocketed, increasing 175% between 2011 and 2022, largely driven by a rise in cases among young people. According to the CDC, about 1 in 36 children are in the spectrum in the United States.

Researchers aim to “increase law and education” as a possible reason for the increase, with more people projecting or their children. Others suggest that the rise could be attributed to changes in screening practices, policy changes, environmental factors and evolutionary diagnostic definitions.

Leucovorina: A surprising treatment with autism

Frye first headed to Leucovorina as a potential treatment in the early 2000’s after observing a surprising pattern in children with autism.

“I started realizing -me the brain’s neurochemistry was out,” he said.

At the same time, new investigations emerged, showing that many children with neurodeveloped disorders had low folate levels (vitamin B9) in their brain, a condition known as brain folate deficiency (CFD).

Above all, scientists also discovered that many of these children wore self -ranting of the folate receptor (Fr⍺), which block proper folate transportation to the brain.

In fact, a study found that more than 75% of children with autism had fr⍺, compared to 10% to 15% of children without disorder.

Intrigated by these findings, Frye began to try their own patients and found that many of them had fr⍺ autoanticos.

He started treating some with leukovorin, a generic drug often used to relieve the side effects of cancer treatments.

Frye chose leukovorin because it is derived from folic acid, a folate form, which is an essential vitamin B vitamin that helps the body to repair and create new healthy cells. Research has shown that the treatment of CFD patients with leukovorin can increase their levels of folates, overlooking the blockade caused by fr⍺ autoanticos.

Many of their patients saw “really dramatic improvement” shortly after the drug began.

“I had a child who would only sit in the corner and have convulsions,” he recalled. “We treated him and he did not normalize, but he interacted with his family, playing with his brother and the convulsions improved.”

Unlocking language and much more

One of the most important improvements that Frye has observed is in non -verbal children with autism that suddenly began to speak.

In a clinical trial of 2012, Frye and his team tested Leucovorina to 44 children with autism and autoanticoses fr⍺. One third of the treaties with the drug showed a significant improvement in language.

“The great of the leukovorin is that it is a vitamin B, which is soluble in water. So the worst thing you could do if you are given leukovorin is to do it.”

Richard Frye

In another study published in 2018, Frye examined 48 children with autism and language deficiencies. Half were given leukovorin, while the other half received a placebo.

After 12 weeks, those who took the medication showed “improvement in verbal communication measures” compared to the control group, particularly in those with Autoantoscossos fr⍺.

In a recent and attractive case, a young child with non -verbal autism, whose parents had been told that his son would never speak, he pronounced his first words only three days after the drug began.

However, Frye said that leukovorina is not a cure. While their patients took the medication, other therapeutic interventions also continued, such as the analysis of applied behavior and speech therapy.

“You have to treat many things to make your body well,” said Frye. “What [leucovorin] We believe it is to accelerate the effectiveness of all these therapies. “

Frye’s team is now exploring whether Leucovorina could help with other characteristics associated with autism, such as the socialization of difficulties.

In older children treated with the drug, he observed not only an increase in the number of words they could speak, but also improvements in their understanding and more sophisticated use of language.

“This is really important for social interactions,” said Frye. “We found leukovorina also helps attention and it seems to also help with repetitive behaviors.”

Frye has also had positive results in the treatment of autistic adults with Leucovorina. Other studies suggest that the drug can benefit people with Down Syndrome, schizophrenia, certain convulsion disorders and even dementia.

“If we identify it in parents, we can treat them and maybe minimize or prevent autism from developing first.”

Richard Frye

However, it is still unclear if long -term use is needed to maintain these benefits. In a studio, Frye found that about half of the autistic children who stopped taking the medication were quite quickly. “

Fortunately, the side effects of the drug are generally mild. “The eldest of the leucovorin is that it is a vitamin B, which is soluble in water,” said Frye. “So the worst thing you could do if you give leukovorin is to make an expensive pee.”

Exploring a potential genetic bond

Frye said “definitely” believes that Leucovorin’s success in the treatment of autism children offers a valuable view of the underlying factors that can contribute to the disorder.

“We know that in the middle of the children with the autoanticosal folates, their mothers also have it,” he said. “We are thinking that they do not have a double folate before they are born and then after birth.”

Frye and his colleagues are now studying if autism -like features or risk factors can be transmitted through generations, even if the ancestor did not have the disorder.

“If we identify it in parents, we can treat them and maybe minimize or prevent autism from developing first,” he said. “This is one of our main goals.”

The path in front of you

Leucovorin has been used for decades to relieve the harmful effects of cancer treatments. Although doctors can prescribe it out of marking for other purposes, Frye said that many are “very reluctant” to do so because of ignorance with the drug.

Frye is currently trying a new form of leukovorin, hoping that one day he will receive the approval of the FDA specifically to treat autism.

In the meantime, he encourages parents to discuss Leucovorina’s possibility with their son’s doctor or to consult a specialist to explore if it can be beneficial.

“What I have found is that the child’s ability to recover is related to the ability of the parent to defend them,” said Frye.