SFARI would like to remind researchers that they can still request many SFARI resources, including genetic and phenotypic data as well as biospecimens, at this time. Researchers can also submit applications to recruit individuals with autism and their families for new research studies.
SFARI Investigators will be giving a number of presentations as part of the 12th FENS Forum of Neuroscience. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the forum will be held virtually this year, with live and prerecorded sessions available to conference registrants July 11–15.
The International Society for Autism Research (INSAR) 2020 Annual Meeting to be held May 2020 was canceled, but virtual content is now available online. A selection of abstracts and e-Posters by SFARI Investigators, SFARI staff and collaborators are highlighted here.
On February 6–7, 2020, SFARI convened a two-day workshop to explore the possibility of gene therapies for autism spectrum disorder.
Gina Turrigiano and colleagues showed that loss of Shank3 disrupts homeostatic plasticity and that this deficit can be rescued by the mood-stabilizing drug lithium (Li+).
A SFARI Investigator and a past member of SFARI’s Scientific Advisory Board are among the 146 newly elected members of the National Academy of Sciences.
Three current and former SFARI Investigators and one member of SFARI’s Scientific Advisory Board are among the 276 newly elected members of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, one of the nation’s oldest and most prestigious honorary societies.
Alex Kwan and colleagues used in vivo calcium imaging to show that a mutation in Shank3 associated with schizophrenia affects the activity of inhibitory neurons in the cortex, ultimately leading to enhanced activity of excitatory neurons and altered behavior in mice.
New data were added to SFARI Gene in April 2020. This data release included the addition of new candidate autism risk genes, new curated references of copy number variations associated with autism, as well as updated gene scoring criteria. New mouse models derived from notable autism risk genes were also added.
Phenotypic data from 230,936 participants enrolled in SPARK, including more than 90,000 individuals with ASD, are now available to approved researchers.