It’s that time of the year when University of California employees have the option of making changes to their medical plan. Open enrollment begins at 8 a.m. on Oct. 30 and goes until 5 p.m. on Nov. 25.

Scores of autoimmune diseases mysteriously cause the immune system to harm tissues within our own bodies. Now, a new study pinpoints the complex genetic origins for many of these diseases.

Two major genetic studies of autism, led in part by UCSF scientists and involving more than 50 laboratories worldwide, have newly implicated dozens of genes in the disorder.