SFARI | Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative

SFARI’s mission is to improve the understanding, diagnosis and treatment of autism spectrum disorders by funding innovative research of the highest quality and relevance.

SFARI

News SFARI 2020 Research awardees announced

SFARI is pleased to announce that it intends to fund eight grants in response to the 2020 Research Award request for applications.

Funding OpportunitySFARI Supplement to Enhance Equity and Diversity (SEED) — Request for Applications

NewsSFARI 2020 Bridge to Independence Award fellows announced

Resources

SFARI is working to advance autism science by providing a number of key resources to researchers.

Cohorts

Simons Simplex Collection

The Simons Simplex Collection (SSC) contains genetic and phenotypic data from nearly 3,000 families with a child affected by autism.

Simons Searchlight

Simons Searchlight is studying individuals with recurrent genetic variants associated with autism and related neurodevelopmental disorders.

SPARK

SPARK is an online research initiative that aims to recruit 50,000 individuals with autism and their family members living in the U.S.

Autism Inpatient Collection

Autism Inpatient Collection (AIC) is a study designed to produce a collection of phenotypic and genetic data from children with a clinical diagnosis of autism who have been admitted to one of six specialized inpatient…

Models

Mouse models

SFARI is helping to make mouse models of high-risk autism genes and copy number variants available to the research community.

Rat models

SFARI is helping to make rat models of high-risk autism genes available to the research community.

Zebrafish models

SFARI is helping to make zebrafish models of high-risk autism genes available to the research community.

Neural stem cell culture. Fluorescent light micrograph of groups of neural stem cells (neurospheres) in culture. Neural stem cells are able to differentiate into neurons (nerve cells) or support cells (glial cells). They are a potential source of cells to replace damaged or lost brain cells.

iPS cell models

SFARI is helping to make iPS cell lines derived from individuals who participated in the SSC and Simons Searchlight available to researchers.

Other Resources

SFARI Gene

SFARI Gene is an evolving database for the autism research community that is centered on genes implicated in autism susceptibility.

DNA analysis. Graphs showing the results of DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) sequencing.

Data analysis tools

A number of visualization and analysis tools are available to explore genetic and phenotypic data from the SSC, Simons Searchlight and SPARK.

Therapeutics

Clinical Research Associates (CRA) is evaluating new potential treatments for autism, including R-baclofen and others.

SFARI Base

SFARI Base provides approved researchers with access to data and biospecimens from the SSC, Simons Searchlight, SPARK and Autism Inpatient Collection.

Autism BrainNet

Autism BrainNet is a collaborative network of academic sites that collects, stores and distributes brain tissue for autism research.

We solicit applications for SFARI Awards from individuals who will conduct bold, imaginative, rigorous and relevant research in four main research areas: gene discovery, molecular mechanisms, circuits, cognition and behavior, and clinical.

View Funding Opportunities

Funded Research

Since its launch in 2006, SFARI has supported over 550 investigators studying autism-related research in the U.S. and abroad. Research projects include studies at the genetic, molecular, cellular, circuit and behavioral levels, in addition to clinical and translational studies.

Research Highlights

First 1,000 participants in RI-CART study

Eric Morrow, Stephen Sheinkopf and colleagues reported the characteristics of the first 1,000 participants in the RI-CART study, a population-based cohort of individuals with autism in Rhode Island.

Foxp1 and the striatum

Genevieve Konopka and colleagues reported important roles for Foxp1 in particular subclasses of the spiny projection neurons in the striatum, with downstream effects on striatal-dependent circuits and behaviors.

Paraventricular oxytocin neurons support social behavior

Garret Stuber and colleagues used in vivo calcium imaging to show that a population of oxytocin-positive (OT) neurons in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus responds preferentially to social stimuli and is necessary for regulating social behavior. Reduced number of OT neurons was associated with social deficits in Shank3b KO mice.

News

A Conversation with SFARI Investigators Peter Kind and Loren Frank

Reminder about SFARI’s acknowledgment policy

SFARI spring 2020 science meeting goes online

New rat models available to study autism spectrum disorders

SFARI Gene: July 2020 data release

SFARI’s response to appeals for racial justice in science and society

Phenotyping sleep

December 27, 2020
On September 16, 2020, Emmanuel Mignot discussed sleep biology as well as sleep disorders and their impact. He presented a link to what is known on the genetics of sleep...

From parent advocate to nonprofit chief science officer, to biotherapeutic company cofounder — A personal journey through drug development for Angelman syndrome

October 2, 2020
On May 29, 2020, Allyson Berent discussed the journey that led her to becoming chief science officer of the largest research funding foundation for Angelman syndrome in the...

Progress in understanding the genetic basis of mental health

May 6, 2020
On May 6, 2020, Benjamin Neale discussed progress in mapping genetic risk factors for autism, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

Autism, autisms, or neurodevelopmental disorders?

January 29, 2020
On January 29, 2020, Jason Lerch explored this question: What do modern ways of looking at brains and genes tell us about autism – or autisms – and its relation to...

Other Initiatives

SPARK is an online research initiative that aims to recruit 50,000 individuals with autism and their families. sparkforautism.org

Spectrum is an editorially independent publication funded by SFARI spectrumnews.org

Funding Opportunities

Research Highlights

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News

Event Videos

Phenotyping sleep

From parent advocate to nonprofit chief science officer, to biotherapeutic company cofounder — A personal journey through drug development for Angelman syndrome

Progress in understanding the genetic basis of mental health

Autism, autisms, or neurodevelopmental disorders?

Other Initiatives