SFARI

A new collaboration between SFARI and the Nancy Lurie Marks Family Foundation will generate hundreds of induced pluripotent stem cells from individuals with autism and related neurodevelopmental conditions. These cell lines will become available to researchers starting next year.

Louis Reichardt, who has served as director of SFARI since 2013, finished his tenure here on September 28. John Spiro has been appointed interim director of SFARI until a new director is appointed.

This issue of the SFARI newsletter includes: (1) SFARI 2020 Bridge to Independence fellows announced, (2) New rat models available to study autism spectrum disorder, (3) On rat models: A SFARI Conversation with Investigators Peter Kind and Loren Frank, (4) SFARI Gene: New data release, (5) Reminder about SFARI’s acknowledgment policy, (6) SFARI Spring 2020 science meeting goes online, (7) Highlights of SFARI-funded research, (8) SFARI Supplement to Enhance Equity and Diversity (SEED) — Request for applications, (9) Past lecture: Emmanuel Mignot, “Phenotyping Sleep”.

Peter Kind and Loren Frank discuss their work using SFARI’s genetic rat models and their views on how these models will aid autism research.

SFARI would like to remind investigators to please acknowledge SFARI funding and/or the use of SFARI resources, biospecimens and data in all relevant preprints and publications.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, SFARI replaced the in-person spring 2020 science meeting that was scheduled April 5–7 with a series of seven weekly webinars held between April 17 and May 29.