Lurie foundation gives Children's Hospital $2.5 million

The Lurie Family Foundation on Wednesday announced a $2.5 million gift to Children's Hospital of Philadelphia for autism studies.

Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie has an autistic brother, and the family has given a total of nearly $4.5 million to the hospital's Center for Autism Research in recent years.

Part of the donation will fund a study of 1,000 people with autism spectrum disorder to look for new genetic variants that might be related to autism. The hospital said it will include an unusual service: Families that participate will be given the results of the genetic tests involving autism risk factors, as well as free consultations with a genetic counselor to help them understand the findings.

The rest of the gift will support imaging research that is examining the brain development of school-age children on the autism spectrum.

The hospital posted details about the studies in a news release. To request additional information, call 1-866-570-6524 or send an e-mail to autism@email.chop.edu.

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