SFARI held its fourteenth science meeting September 30–October 2, 2018. SFARI investigators, collaborators and foundation staff came together to discuss recent findings in autism genetics, molecular and system-level mechanisms, as well as clinical studies. The meeting featured keynote and session presentations, in addition to demo sessions of online platforms for visualizing and analyzing data sets relevant for autism research.

More than 65,000 people with autism are now enrolled in SPARK, making it the largest autism research study to date. Many of these individuals and their families are actively participating in research opportunities through the research match program.

SFARI Investigator Seth Shipman discusses his lab’s research on the molecular and cellular mechanisms shaping brain development and how the Bridge to Independence Award is helping him launch his independent research career.

New data were recently added to SFARI Gene. This data release included updated gene scores for candidate autism risk genes, as well as the addition of new genes and copy number variant loci associated with autism. New mouse and rat models were also added.

SFARI staff and collaborators will be presenting a number of posters about SFARI projects and resources at the International Society for Autism Research (INSAR) 2019 Annual Meeting in Montreal, Canada (May 1-4).

SFARI Investigators and SFARI science staff will be giving a number of oral presentations at the International Society for Autism Research (INSAR) 2019 Annual Meeting in Montreal, Canada (May 1-4).

Four current and former SFARI Investigators are among the more than 200 newly elected members of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, one of the nation’s oldest and most prestigious honorary societies.

SFARI announces that it has awarded six grants in response to the Genomic Analysis for Autism Risk Variants in SPARK request for applications. These grants will help to advance the understanding of the genetic basis of autism spectrum disorder.

On September 25, 2018, SFARI convened a workshop with the aims of discussing current research on sensory processing in autism and bringing together investigators that conduct animal- and human-based studies to foster opportunities for translational research.