SFARI

SFARI Investigator David Ginty talks about the links between deficits in the sense of touch, tactile hypersensitivity, and alterations in social behaviors in autism.

SFARI is pleased to announce that it has selected seven fellows in response to the 2022 Bridge to Independence Award request for applications.

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”.

SFARI is pleased to announce that seven Director Awards were awarded in 2021. These projects include, but are not limited to, studies that aim to develop new tools and resources for autism research and studies whose goals are beyond the focus of existing SFARI request for applications.

Grants awarded through this RFA were intended to improve our understanding of the molecular and cellular consequences of genetic risk for ASD, and to provide a foundation for the development of new therapies. Special emphasis was placed on the use of scalable methods, especially as applied to genes that are suitable targets for genetic therapies.

SFARI is pleased to announce that 10 Director Awards were awarded in 2019. These projects include, but are not limited to, studies that aim to enhance existing SFARI-sponsored cohorts and collections, generate novel resources (e.g., animal models) or did not fit into an existing investigator-initiated request for applications.

The Linking Early Neurodevelopment to Neural Circuit Outcomes RFA aims to bridge the gap in our understanding of whether and how developmental phenotypes caused by autism risk gene mutation lead to altered circuit formation and function. We strongly encourage proposals involving close collaboration between investigators from a range of backgrounds, such as developmental neurobiologists and circuit neuroscientists, in order to convincingly demonstrate causal links between disparate phenotypes in the chosen model(s).

On September 27, 2021, SFARI convened a one-day virtual workshop to explore and discuss opportunities and risks for early detection of neurodevelopmental disorders through genomic sequencing.

In this blog post, the SFARI science team provides insight into why SFARI’s request for applications grant programs are being revamped, which award types are being changed and how the new changes will be implemented.