Eggebrecht Receives Philadelphia Eagles Autism Foundation Grant

The Brain Light Laboratory, based in Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology’s (MIR) Biophotonics Research Center, was selected to receive a portion of $6.2 million in new funding to support autism research and care projects from the Eagles Autism Foundation, an initiative of the Philadelphia Eagles NFL team.

Adam T. Eggebrecht, PhD, associate professor of radiology and principal investigator in the lab, will use the two-year, $400,000 award to fund his project titled “Establishing Specificity of Motor Imitation as a Biomarker for Autism Spectrum Disorder.” As one of only 34 projects selected from throughout the nation, Eggebrecht’s work will combine high-density diffuse optical tomography (HD-DOT) with computer vision techniques in a wearable, portable brain imaging cap that aims to measure how the brain aligns with behaviors and functions of patients with diagnoses like autism.

“The purpose of going through this rigorous process each year is to fund the most progressive forms of autism research and care,” said Jeffrey Lurie, chairman and CEO of the Philadelphia Eagles, in an Eagles press release. “A scientific review panel made up of some of the world’s brightest minds and thought leaders…carefully vetted each proposal with tremendous detail and precision.”

Read more about the initiative from the Eagles Autism Foundation.