CDC Awards Autism-Vaccine Research Contract to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

The CDC intends to award Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute a contract to investigate the association between vaccines and autism prevalence. The single-source contract will leverage RPI's ability to link children to maternal cohorts. Juergen Hahn, a renowned researcher, will lead the project if the contract is awarded.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is moving ahead with a contract for Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) to study potential links between vaccines and autism, according to a government website posting. This decision arrives amid ongoing controversy and initiatives led by health advocate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., despite prevailing scientific consensus stating no such causal link exists.

The CDC's contract, announced on SAM.gov, bypasses the traditional competitive bidding process, citing RPI's unique capabilities in data analysis. Principal investigator Juergen Hahn, a professor specializing in biomedical engineering at RPI, is known for his pioneering work in autism diagnostics and AI-driven research.

The contract aligns with Kennedy's agenda to explore autism's causes and reassess vaccine policies. Previous studies, however, maintain that vaccines do not contribute to autism—a position the CDC continues to uphold.

(With inputs from agencies.)