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SFARI Announcements

SFARI announces new phase for Simons Simplex Collection: In a milestone for the autism research community, the Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative (SFARI) has finished recruiting families to participate in its Simons Simplex Collection (SSC), a major new resource for researchers investigating the causes of autism and those developing educational and clinical interventions for individuals on the autism spectrum.
Sweeping studies vindicate genetic theory of autism: With autism affecting close to one percent of children in the U.S., the urgency to find some sort of explanation for the disorder has never been greater. This week, three studies published in the 9 June issue of Neuron offer a definitive vindication of the theory that spontaneous, or de novo, genetic mutations underlie the development of autism in many families with no history of the disorder.
New technique promises to 'lift the hood' on autism: A gene-sequencing study of children with autism, described in an advance online publication in Nature Genetics on 15 May, offers a sneak peek at a technique which, combined with other approaches, may explain 40 to 50 percent of the genetic causes of the disorder within just a few years, proposes the study's lead investigator.
SFARI announces Explorer Awards program: The Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative (SFARI) is pleased to announce the SFARI Explorer Awards program: an initiative designed to provide timely support to innovative, high-risk experiments relevant to our mission.
SFARI announces 2011 Scientific Advisory Board membership: The Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative (SFARI) is pleased to add four distinguished scientists to its Scientific Advisory Board (SAB). The new members are David Lewis of the University of Pittsburgh, Steven Paul of Weill Cornell Medical College, Elizabeth Spelke of Harvard University and Huntington Willard of Duke University.
The Simons Simplex Collection's inaugural paper published in Neuron: SFARI scientific director Gerald Fischbach and principal investigator Catherine Lord of the University of Michigan published The Simons Simplex Collection: A Resource for Identification of Autism Genetic Risk Factors on 21 October in the journal Neuron.
SFARI Holds Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C.: The Simons Foundation's Autism Research Initiative (SFARI) held its second annual meeting in Washington, D.C. from September 12-14, 2010 at the Park Hyatt Hotel. Foundation staff hosted 134 Simons Investigators and guests at this three-day event devoted to sharing research progress and promoting cross-pollination of ideas among scientists.
Dennis Choi, Marian Carlson join Simons Foundation leadership: The Simons Foundation is pleased to announce the appointment of two distinguished scientists, Dennis Choi, M.D., Ph.D. and Marian Carlson, Ph.D. Choi has been named executive vice-president of the foundation and Carlson has been named deputy director of life sciences.
Simons Simplex Collection releases samples: The Simons Foundation is pleased to announce the availability of genetic samples and data from the Simons Simplex Collection.
"Charlie Rose" and SFARI scientists explore the brain: How does the brain give rise to mind? That's just one question scientists associated with SFARI have been debating on the PBS television program Charlie Rose.
SFARI Gene launches animal model module: Sharmila Banerjee-Basu, founder and president of Mindspec Inc., and Alan Packer, associate director for research at SFARI, have published an article describing a new SFARI Gene module in the community news section of the journal Disease Models & Mechanisms.
Cori Bargmann joins SFARI scientific advisory board: The Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative (SFARI) is pleased to announce that Cori Bargmann, Torsten N. Wiesel Professor at Rockefeller University, has joined its scientific advisory board.
Database allows easy navigation of simplex collection: The collection is moving closer to reach its initial goal of 2,000 families. The SSC released last month a new set of biospecimens and validated phenotypic data from over 200 additional families. Biospecimens and data updates are released on a quarterly schedule.
SFARI Gene introduces animal models: SFARI Gene, a curated online reference tool for the autism research community, is launching a new mouse model feature that identifies the relevant literature on animal models carrying mutations in any of the genes listed in the tool.
SFARI awards 23 new grants: SFARI is pleased to announce the addition of 23 distinguished investigators to our research community as part of our effort to support bold, imaginative and rigorous research aimed at understanding the causes of autism.
World's first genetic database for autism boosts research: Does autism have a genetic basis? Although seen as one of the most pressing questions in autism research, few genes have been implicated in the disorder, and those that have been linked typically play minor roles. SFARI Gene, however, is a database helping researchers better probe their most vexing questions about autism.
Simons Simplex Collection doubles in size: The Simons Simplex Collection is releasing a second set of genetic samples and data, approximately doubling the amount of information from the project available to researchers.
Simons Simplex Collection Recruits 1,000 Families: The Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative (SFARI) has recruited more than 1,000 families into its simplex collection, marking a milestone in the effort to collect DNA samples and phenotypic data from a total of 2,000 families.
SFARI Base streamlines research: SFARI Base shows potential to streamline and accelerate autism research. The database is designed to allow researchers easy access to a huge collection of phenotypic and genetic information. SFARI Base houses information from the Simons Simplex Collection (SSC), a project that will establish a permanent repository of genetic samples from 2,000 families.
SFARI Gene launches: The SFARI team is pleased to announce the launch of SFARI Gene, a new online tool for autism researchers.
Relaunch of SFARI.org
Celebrating a milestone in autism research
Charlie Rose Brain Series 2, Episode 6: Autism
Louis F. Reichardt to direct Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative: The Simons Foundation is pleased to announce that Louis F. Reichardt of the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) will become the next director of the Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative (SFARI). He is to begin his official duties at the foundation’s New York City offices in July.
New director: Louis F. Reichardt of the University of California, San Francisco, will become the next director of SFARI.