SFARI’s mission is to improve the understanding, diagnosis and treatment of autism spectrum disorders by funding innovative research of the highest quality and relevance.
SFARI is working to advance autism science by providing a number of key resources to researchers.
Cohorts
Simons Simplex Collection
The Simons Simplex Collection (SSC) contains genetic and phenotypic data from nearly 3,000 families with a child affected by autism.
Simons Variation in Individuals Project (Simons VIP)
The Simons Variation in Individuals Project (Simons VIP) is studying individuals with recurrent genetic variants that increase autism risk.
SPARK
SPARK is an online research initiative that aims to recruit 50,000 individuals with autism and their family members living in the U.S.
Models
Mouse models
SFARI is helping to make mouse models of high-risk autism genes and copy number variants available to the research community.
Rat models
SFARI is helping to make rat models of high-risk autism genes available to the research community.
iPS cell models
SFARI is helping to make iPS cell lines derived from individuals who participated in the SSC and Simons VIP available to researchers.
Other Resources
SFARI Gene
SFARI Gene is an evolving database for the autism research community that is centered on genes implicated in autism susceptibility.
Data analysis tools
A number of visualization and analysis tools are available to explore genetic and phenotypic data from the SSC, Simons VIP and SPARK.
Therapeutics
Clinical Research Associates (CRA) is evaluating new potential treatments for autism, including R-baclofen and others.
SFARI Base
SFARI Base provides approved researchers with access to data and biospecimens from the SSC, Simons VIP, SPARK and Autism Inpatient Collection.
Autism BrainNet
Autism BrainNet is a collaborative network of academic sites that collects, stores and distributes brain tissue for autism research.
Funding Opportunities
We solicit applications for SFARI Awards from individuals who will conduct bold, imaginative, rigorous and relevant research in four main research areas: gene discovery, molecular mechanisms, circuits, cognition and behavior, and clinical.
Since its launch in 2003, SFARI has supported over 500 investigators studying autism-related research in the U.S. and abroad. Research projects include studies at the genetic, molecular, cellular, circuit and behavioral levels, in addition to clinical and translational studies.
Research Highlights
Olga Troyanskaya, Robert Darnell and colleagues applied deep-learning methods to whole-genome sequencing data from SSC families and identified a clear enrichment for de novo noncoding variation in ASD.
James Ellis and colleagues used a sparse co-culture system for iPSC-derived cortical neurons to assess neuronal connectivity, demonstrating increased connectivity in SHANK2-mediated ASD.
Mark Zylka and colleagues generated single-cell RNA-seq data from wild-type mouse cortex during early development and demonstrated how such a resource can be used to identify putative brain disorder subtypes based on expression profiles.
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