BY JESSICA FIRGER
AUTISM
MORE THAN a decade ago, Judy Van de Water, a neuroimmunologist, decided to follow her instincts and research a condition she knew nothing about. Van de Water, now a lead scientist at the University of California, Davis MIND Institute—an international research center for neurodevelopmental disorders—had spent her career studying the immune system. But, in 2000 she stumbled upon a compelling area of research: the immunobiology of autism.