The leading goose autism cohort study in china with multi-omics, neuroimaging, and clinical phenotyping: a prospective longitudinal cohort study protocol

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex and heterogeneous neurodevelopmental condition with limited effective treatments. Progress toward diagnosis and treatments requires biologically grounded stratification, yet existing cohorts are constrained by fragmented designs and insufficient multimodal data integration, limiting mechanistic insight and subtype identification. The Leading Goose Autism Cohort Study (LEGACS) is a prospective longitudinal cohort established in China, with data collection beginning on 6 May, 2025. The study aims to recruit 3,000 participants including 2,000 children with ASD and 1,000 neurotypical (NT) controls aged 1–17 years. Participants are undergoing standardized multimodal data collection including clinical phenotyping, neuroimaging, and blood sampling for multi-omics profiling. Family-based data from siblings and parents are also being collected. Longitudinal follow-up assessments are scheduled at 1, 3, 5, 10, and 20 years after enrollment. LEGACS represents a comprehensive longitudinal resource for ASD research, with the potential to advance biomarker discovery, diagnosis and intervention, as long-term goals requiring future validation, while generating critical population-specific evidence in China and beyond. Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR2500101955), prospectively registered on 6 May, 2025.