Autism starts from the womb, says Dr Chandrasekhar of Hyderabad’s Resplice Institute

Autism starts from the mother’s womb, said Dr T. Chandrasekhar, a cardiologist and founder of Resplice Institute, a first-of-its-kind healthcare centre to offers holistic approach towards management of autism and other neurological conditions at Hyderabad in Telangana, addressing a press conference in Vijayawada on Tuesday (September 09, 2025).

Dr Chandrasekhar explains that autism has been tied to different stages throughout pregnancy, including the first few days after conception. “Even before a tiny human blastocyst attaches itself to the nutrient-rich lining of its mother’s uterus, factors that will shape its nervous system are already in play,” he said, adding: “The baby’s earliest environment- the womb, is critical because the foetal brain produces about 250,000 neurons every minute during pregnancy and experiences that interfere with that process can affect the developing brain in lasting ways.

Dr. Chandrasekhar said he founded Resplice Institute after his daughter was diagnosed with autism. Born in 2015, she was diagnosed with autism a year later and was found to be having severe gut health issues. The journey towards finding a solution for her gut problems led him down the research route in 2017 to understand the role of the gut microbiome in children with autism spectrum disorder and whether treating that will improve the behavioural symptoms and overall quality of life of autistic children.

Drawing attention to the origin of the problem, he said that the uterus is not sterile. Toxins entering the foetus cross the placental barrier and kill the friendly microbes, resulting in epigenetic errors, which in turn affect neuronal migration, neuronal differentiation, and functional circuitry formation, leading to autism. “Hence, toxins must be avoided in pregnancy,” he said.

Resplice Institute specialises in innovative therapies like Faecal Microbiota Transplantation (FMT) and multi-omics based personalised treatment for autism, neurodevelopment conditions, gastrointestinal disorders and post chemo gut recovery challenges. “It is India’s first institution to offer FMT as core treatment addressing the gut-brain axis that is central to many modern disorders,” he said.

To spread awareness about FMT therapy for Autism and to help the children suffering from gut problems, Resplice Institute will organise a free camp from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on September 14, 2025, at Icon Public School at Seetharampuram in Vijayawada. For registrations, call Bhavani on 9100065552.

Dr Chandrasekhar also leads India’s first stool bank, an ICMR-approved clinical trial on FMT for autism, and multiple initiatives in AI-integrated multi-omics diagnostics and microbiome science. He is the author of the book Rebuilding from Root – Environment, Microbiome and Autism (2025), and has received the Atal Achievement Award and Global Healthcare Achievement Award for his ground-breaking work.

M. Kala Ramya, a practising dentist in the U.S., who came to India to take the treatment for her seven year old son has joined the Resplice Institute after seeing positive results.

Hiteshi Dutta, part of Ethics Committee member and Clinicians Group, Resplice Institute Research and Chairman of Icon Public School K. Rajendra were also present.