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Related Research Units

Translational Research Program Research
Fetal Neonatal Neuroimaging and Developmental Science Center Research
Newborn Medicine Research

Research Overview

Over the past decade, Dr. Kong has led an interdisciplinary research team that has completed multiple projects focused on the early diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) through biomarker identification, including microbiome profiling, eye tracking, EEG, brain imaging, and autoimmunity markers. She has also successfully conducted several pioneering clinical trials to explore innovative treatments for ASD, such as probiotics, oxytocin, and vagal nerve stimulation. Dr. Kong’s research is particularly centered on understanding the roles of gut-brain axis, oxytocin signaling, and brain connectivity in ASD pathogenesis and phenotypes. Her team aims to identify common hallmarks of ASD and uncover pathways for potential therapeutic interventions.

Research Background

Dr. Xue-Jun (June) Kong is an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and an Attending Physician in Medicine at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. She founded and directed the Synapse Lab for Autism Research at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) prior to joining Boston Children’s Hospital (BCH) as AP-Scientist/Principal Investigator.Her work at MGH resulted in six patents and one filed copyright, with three technologies successfully transferred to industry, contributing significantly to autism early diagnosis and treatment. Dr. Kong also established SYNAPSE primary care co-production model, the East Meets West protocol, integrated medical-educational models and ASD talent development protocols, aimed at improving ASD patient care and advancing patient-oriented clinical research. Dr. Kong has published more than 70 peer reviewed articles, she also serves as Editor-in-Chief of “North American Journal of Medicine & Science” and Translator-in-Chief of “Frontiers in Autism Research -New Horizons for Diagnosis and Treatment” into Chinese (591000 words) published by People’s Medical Publishing House, China 2017, ISBN 978-7-117-24470-I/R.24471. In addition, she chairs International Medicine Transformation (IMT) Initiative, and Autism Neurodiversity Institute. She is widely recognized as a leading physician-scientist in the field of autism research.

Publications

  1. New eye tracking metrics system: the value in early diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder. Front Psychiatry. 2024; 15:1518180. View Abstract
  2. Evolutionary insights into the stereoselectivity of imine reductases based on ancestral sequence reconstruction. Nat Commun. 2024 11 28; 15(1):10330. View Abstract
  3. Interest paradigm for early identification of autism spectrum disorder: an analysis from electroencephalography combined with eye tracking. Front Neurosci. 2024; 18:1502045. View Abstract
  4. Corrigendum: Classification of autism spectrum disorder using electroencephalography in Chinese children: a cross- sectional retrospective study. Front Neurosci. 2024; 18:1501782. View Abstract
  5. Classification of autism spectrum disorder using electroencephalography in Chinese children: a cross-sectional retrospective study. Front Neurosci. 2024; 18:1330556. View Abstract
  6. Identification of diagnostic markers for ASD: a restrictive interest analysis based on EEG combined with eye tracking. Front Neurosci. 2023; 17:1236637. View Abstract
  7. Probiotic and intra-nasal oxytocin combination therapy on autonomic function and gut-brain axis signaling in young children and teens with autism spectrum disorder. J Psychiatr Res. 2023 Oct; 166:1-9. View Abstract
  8. Correction: Huang et al. A Next Generation Sequencing-Based Protocol for Screening of Variants of Concern in Autism Spectrum Disorder. Cells 2022, 11, 10. Cells. 2022 Oct 18; 11(20). View Abstract
  9. Carbon monoxide (CO) correlates with symptom severity, autoimmunity, and responses to probiotics treatment in a cohort of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD): a post-hoc analysis of a randomized controlled trial. BMC Psychiatry. 2022 08 08; 22(1):536. View Abstract
  10. Different Eye Tracking Patterns in Autism Spectrum Disorder in Toddler and Preschool Children. Front Psychiatry. 2022; 13:899521. View Abstract
  11. Altered Salivary Microbiota Following Bifidobacterium animalis Subsp. Lactis BL-11 Supplementation Are Associated with Anthropometric Growth and Social Behavior Severity in Individuals with Prader-Willi Syndrome. Probiotics Antimicrob Proteins. 2022 08; 14(4):699-711. View Abstract
  12. The Value of Brain Imaging and Electrophysiological Testing for Early Screening of Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Systematic Review. Front Neurosci. 2021; 15:812946. View Abstract
  13. A Next Generation Sequencing-Based Protocol for Screening of Variants of Concern in Autism Spectrum Disorder. Cells. 2021 12 21; 11(1). View Abstract
  14. Microbiome-Specific Statistical Modeling Identifies Interplay Between Gastrointestinal Microbiome and Neurobehavioral Outcomes in Patients With Autism: A Case Control Study. Front Psychiatry. 2021; 12:682454. View Abstract
  15. Validation of Rapid Interactive Screening Test for Autism in Toddlers Using Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule™ Second Edition in Children at High-Risk for Autism Spectrum Disorder. Front Psychiatry. 2021; 12:737890. View Abstract
  16. Serum Oxytocin Level Correlates With Gut Microbiome Dysbiosis in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder. Front Neurosci. 2021; 15:721884. View Abstract
  17. Case Report: Off-Label Use of Omalizumab in a 6-Year-Old Boy With ASD Ameliorated Severe Allergic Rhinitis and Subsequently Improved Behavioral Symptoms. Front Pediatr. 2021; 9:714111. View Abstract
  18. Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) over the Left Dorsal Lateral Prefrontal Cortex in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Neural Plast. 2021; 2021:6627507. View Abstract
  19. The Effects of Limosilactobacillus reuteri LR-99 Supplementation on Body Mass Index, Social Communication, Fine Motor Function, and Gut Microbiome Composition in Individuals with Prader-Willi Syndrome: a Randomized Double-Blinded Placebo-Controlled Trial. Probiotics Antimicrob Proteins. 2021 12; 13(6):1508-1520. View Abstract
  20. Probiotic and Oxytocin Combination Therapy in Patients with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Randomized, Double-Blinded, Placebo-Controlled Pilot Trial. Nutrients. 2021 May 05; 13(5). View Abstract
  21. Altered Extended Locus Coeruleus and Ventral Tegmental Area Networks in Boys with Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Resting-State Functional Connectivity Study. Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat. 2021; 17:1207-1216. View Abstract
  22. The Effects of Probiotic Supplementation on Anthropometric Growth and Gut Microbiota Composition in Patients With Prader-Willi Syndrome: A Randomized Double-Blinded Placebo-Controlled Trial. Front Nutr. 2021; 8:587974. View Abstract
  23. Dysbiotic Gut Microbiota and Dysregulation of Cytokine Profile in Children and Teens With Autism Spectrum Disorder. Front Neurosci. 2021; 15:635925. View Abstract
  24. Altered Autonomic Functions and Gut Microbiome in Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD): Implications for Assisting ASD Screening and Diagnosis. J Autism Dev Disord. 2021 Jan; 51(1):144-157. View Abstract
  25. Social brain dysfunctionality in individuals with autism spectrum disorder and their first-degree relatives: An activation likelihood estimation meta-analysis. Psychiatry Res Neuroimaging. 2020 04 30; 298:111063. View Abstract
  26. Probiotics and oxytocin nasal spray as neuro-social-behavioral interventions for patients with autism spectrum disorders: a pilot randomized controlled trial protocol. Pilot Feasibility Stud. 2020; 6:20. View Abstract
  27. New and Preliminary Evidence on Altered Oral and Gut Microbiota in Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD): Implications for ASD Diagnosis and Subtyping Based on Microbial Biomarkers. Nutrients. 2019 Sep 06; 11(9). View Abstract
  28. Erratum to: Probiotic Therapy for Treating Behavioral and Gastrointestinal Symptoms in Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Systematic Review of Clinical Trials. Curr Med Sci. 2019 06; 39(3):512. View Abstract
  29. Atypical longitudinal development of speech-evoked auditory brainstem response in preschool children with autism spectrum disorders. Autism Res. 2019 07; 12(7):1022-1031. View Abstract
  30. Probiotic Therapy for Treating Behavioral and Gastrointestinal Symptoms in Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Systematic Review of Clinical Trials. Curr Med Sci. 2019 04; 39(2):173-184. View Abstract
  31. Decreased structural connectivity and resting-state brain activity in the lateral occipital cortex is associated with social communication deficits in boys with autism spectrum disorder. Neuroimage. 2019 04 15; 190:205-212. View Abstract
  32. Switching a newly discovered lactonase into an efficient and thermostable phosphotriesterase by simple double mutations His250Ile/Ile263Trp. Biotechnol Bioeng. 2014 Oct; 111(10):1920-30. View Abstract
  33. Crystal structures of Pseudomonas putida esterase reveal the functional role of residues 187 and 287 in substrate binding and chiral recognition. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2014 Apr 18; 446(4):1145-50. View Abstract

Contact Xue-Jun (June) Kong

Phone: 617-355-2682
Fax: 617-730-0486
Email: june.kong@childrens.harvard.edu
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