Washington (SmartAboutHealth) - A U.S. court made a ruling on Friday against a potential link between the popular MMR vaccine which contains mercury, and the development of autism in children.

The MMR vaccine is one which helps protect kids from the measles, mumps, as well as rubella.

There have been thousands of families that have come out and argued that the vaccine leads to the development of autism in children.

There is a mercury-based preservative in this vaccine that is known as thimerosal, and is believed by these families to be the cause of the development of autism.

This latest U.S. court agreed with the previous U.S. Court of Federal Claims though which also ruled against the link between the vaccine and autism.

There were tests done by researchers to look into the potential link.

Medical studies have often provided mixed results in regards to the potential link.

The most recent study out of Columbia University though squashed any possibility of there being a link.

This has left over 5,000 families searching for answers as they have been shut out of what they believe was a slam dunk case against the vaccine.