Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative

The Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative, or SFARI for short, is a research program established in 2005 by the Simons Foundation, which focuses on all aspects of autism research. Its director is Kelsey Martin.[1] The organization has funded more than $200 million in autism research to 150 different investigators since 2007.[2] The awards they give out include Bridge to Independence Awards (for early-careers researchers transitioning to independent positions),[3] Pilot Awards (for innovative high-impact proposals for experiments still in the preliminary stages), Research Awards (for research into a topic which has already been investigated at least preliminarily), and Explorer Awards (which provides grants for focused experiments on a one-time basis).[4] One specific type of research they specialize in is mouse models of autism, which they are trying to make more available in cooperation with the Jackson Laboratory.[5]

Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative
Founded2003
FoundersJames Simons, Marilyn Simons
Legal statusprivate organization
HeadquartersNew York City
ServicesResearch
Director
Kelsey Martin
Websitewww.sfari.org

SFARI Gene is an integrative model with a publicly available web portal for the ongoing collection, curation and visualization of genes linked to autism disorders. The content originates entirely from the published scientific literature. SFARI Gene also provides a comprehensive collection of animal models linked to autism.[6] The Simons Simplex Collection is a sample gathered by SFARI from over 2000 families for identifying de novo genetic variants that contribute to the overall risk of autism.[7]

In 2016, SFARI launched Simons Foundation Powering Autism Research (SPARK), an online research initiative designed to become the largest autism study ever undertaken in the United States. For researchers, SPARK provides a large, well-characterized cohort of genetic, medical and behavioral data, and will result in cost-savings for researchers by reducing start-up costs for individual studies.[8]

Spectrum

In 2008, SFARI launched Spectrum, an Autism research news website, as the "News & Opinion" section of the SFARI website.[9] In the summer of 2015, Spectrum was spun off of SFARI as an independent online news entity.[9]

References
  1. "Kelsey Martin to lead the Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative, Neuroscience Collaborations". 12 July 2021. Retrieved 13 September 2021.
  2. About SFARI
  3. "SFARI | Bridge to Independence Award Program". SFARI. 2021-12-06. Retrieved 2022-01-29.
  4. "Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative Invites Letters of Intent for Pilot and Research Awards". Philanthropy News Digest. Foundation Center. 4 November 2012. Retrieved 30 October 2013.
  5. Autism mouse models
  6. Banerjee-Basu, S.; Packer, A. (8 March 2010). "SFARI Gene: an evolving database for the autism research community". Disease Models & Mechanisms. 3 (3–4): 133–135. doi:10.1242/dmm.005439. PMID 20212079.
  7. Fischbach, Gerald D.; Lord, Catherine (October 2010). "The Simons Simplex Collection: A Resource for Identification of Autism Genetic Risk Factors". Neuron. 68 (2): 192–195. doi:10.1016/j.neuron.2010.10.006. PMID 20955926.
  8. Shumaker, Laura (21 April 2016). "SFARI Launches SPARK, Nation's Largest Research Initiative for Parents, Children and Adults with Autism". San Francisco Gate. Retrieved 9 May 2016.
  9. "About Spectrum". Spectrum | Autism Research News. Retrieved 2021-01-23.
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