In November, the Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative (SFARI) launched a request for applications, calling for letters of intent from individuals who will conduct bold, imaginative and rigorous research relevant to our mission. Applicants received notice in late February indicating whether they should submit a full application. Here, John Spiro, SFARI’s senior associate director for research, attempts to demystify the grant-making process — and give readers a behind-the-scenes look at how SFARI’s science team makes decisions.

Researchers need reliable methods to interpret autism candidate genes, including rodent models to assess the impact of genes on behavior. On 4 February, SFARI hosted a workshop to discuss the role of mouse models and behavioral assays in autism research. The participants concluded that the field should invest in techniques that can be standardized across laboratories and emphasized the importance of mouse models for identifying biomarkers and testing therapies.

A study on a SHANK3 mutation highlights the danger in using research tools to inform decision-making in the doctor’s office. This sort of concern is one of the reasons for SFARI Gene’s new efforts to develop criteria for evaluating the strength of autism gene candidates, and presenting this information to the broader community.

Several studies have shown that a micro-duplication within 15q11-13 — a region on chromosome 15 — on the maternal chromosome is associated with autism. The duplicated region contains many genes, but UBE3A, which encodes a ubiquitin ligase, deserves special attention because duplications apparently restricted to the UBE3A gene have been found in people with autism.

Much of the recent advances in autism have been on the genetic and behavioral levels of dysfunction present in the disorder. Comparatively little is known about altered function in the underlying neural circuitry. Aiming to generate discussion on the best avenues to pursue in order to better understand the circuitry in autism, SFARI on 17 May held a one-day workshop.

On 5 February 2010, the Simons Foundation gathered a panel of experts to discuss what initially appears to be a surprising and unrelated pair of subjects: autism and fever. Anecdotal reports have found that fever can improve cognitive function and behavior in individuals with autism.

Sharmila Banerjee-Basu, founder and president of Mindspec Inc., and Alan Packer, associate director for research at SFARI, have published an article describing a new SFARI Gene module in the community news section of the journal Disease Models & Mechanisms.

As the number of available DNA samples continues to increase and the cost of sequencing continues to drop, one can't help but want to capture all of the genetic variation that might be contributing to autism susceptibility in these families. Toward this end, SFARI organized a one-day workshop on the prospects for sequencing samples from the Simons Simplex Collection.

Fever has benefits beyond its role in fighting infection. According to a prospective study published in 2007 and to many anecdotal reports, fever can improve cognitive function and behavior in individuals with autism.

Autism research has attracted a remarkable diversity of scholars. Many of them have developed an understanding of concepts in fields that are not their own, but it is difficult to move beyond that level and think creatively in new domains. With this in mind, I plan to introduce topics that bridge fields, minimize jargon and place complex concepts in historical context.