MONKEYS could lead the way in the pursuit of a cure for autism.

Pioneering local scientists have for the first time successfully implanted a human autism gene into a monkey and produced two generations of animals that exhibit symptoms of the neurodevelopment disorder.

The "transgenic" macaques behaved similarly to humans afflicted with autism, the team from the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Institute of Neuroscience wrote — making repetitive gestures, and displaying anxiety and poor social interaction.