The National Institute of Health awarded Sanford Research a five-year, $2 million grant to study how neurons are developed inside the brain.
Sanford research scientists will use the grant to research gene mutations that cause a rare disease known as macrocephaly.
Macrocephaly is an enlargement of the brain that has symptoms similar to autism. It affects around one in 3,000 infants, according to a press release from Sanford.
Dr. Louis Jan Pilaz is the lead researcher for this project. He said they aim to "better identify how this disease arises inside the brain during brain development."