Up to 70% of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) experience chronic digestive issues—and Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine’s Marissa Scavuzzo wants to not only understand why, but to determine how to treat it. Her latest research into the gut’s role in children with ASD has gained further support, as Scavuzzo was recently named The Hartwell Foundation Individual Biomedical Research Award recipient—one of just 10 researchers in the country to earn the honor this year.
The Hartwell Foundation supports cutting-edge, applied biomedical research with potential benefit to children. Case Western Reserve is one of The Hartwell Foundation’s Top Ten Centers of Biomedical Research, which enables it to nominate three faculty per year engaged in early-stage, innovative, pediatric-focused biomedical projects not yet eligible for significant external funding. Scavuzzo’s award provides $300,000 over three years and designates her and her fellow recipients as The Hartwell Foundation Investigators, connecting them to a national network of leading scientists.
“Support from The Hartwell Foundation equips our lab in Case Western Reserve University’s Institute for Glial Sciences with the freedom to pursue innovative ideas that have the potential to make big leaps in pediatric health,” said Scavuzzo, an assistant professor in the Department of Genetics and Genome Sciences at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. “Our connection to The Hartwell Foundation Investigators community will help advance our work through collaborations and engagement with other cutting-edge scientists across the country.”
Scavuzzo’s research focuses on the enteric nervous system—the so-called “second brain” in the gut—which contains neurons and glial cells that regulate gastrointestinal function. Many of the genes linked to ASD are found in these cells. While glial cells in the brain are known to undergo changes in ASD, Scavuzzo’s research suggests similar changes may occur in the gut, potentially linking gastrointestinal symptoms to neurological function.
Using stem cell technologies, Scavuzzo creates 3D human “mini-guts” from patient-derived cells to better understand these cellular interactions. Her goal is to uncover how disrupted neuron-glia communication and genetic changes may contribute to digestive problems in children with ASD—and, ultimately, to identify new therapeutic targets.
“Our science has no walls and pushes boundaries—scientifically and structurally,” she said.
The Individual Biomedical Research Award adds to Scavuzzo’s growing list of national recognitions. Since joining CWRU in 2018 as a postdoctoral researcher in the lab of Paul Tesar, she has received the Howard Hughes Medical Institute Hanna H. Gray Fellowship, the New York Stem Cell Foundation Druckenmiller Fellowship, and a Biomedical Research Fellowship through The Hartwell Foundation. Last year, she won the coveted 2023 Eppendorf & Science Prize for Neurobiology, an international honor given annually to one early-career scientist for their contributions to neurobiological research.
As her career has progressed, Scavuzzo now has her own lab at Case Western Reserve—a space where she works to mentor other early-career scientists, as others did for her.
“I’m honored to be in such a uniquely supportive, open, and collaborative environment—and to have such an incredible team of scientists driving these discoveries forward,” she said.