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Directors' Columns

  • Rho family of enzymes at crossroads of autism
    12 March 2013
    Comments ( 1 )

    A number of autism risk factors converge on one cellular pathway: abnormal remodeling of the cell's structural systems through the signaling protein Rho, says SFARI’s associate director for research, Alan Packer.

  • Challenging choices: How we make funding decisions
    30 October 2012
    Comments ( 5 )

    Which grant applications should SFARI choose to fund each year? The principles that guide that decision are nuanced and evolve as new results emerge. But there are some clear general guidelines in place, says John Spiro, SFARI’s deputy scientific director.

  • Pick of the litter
    25 September 2012
    Comments ( 3 )

    New genetic variants that increase susceptibility to autism are emerging at a rapid pace. Given the profusion of data, it seems timely to assess the availability and usefulness of mouse models in which to study these genetic risk factors.

  • RAS pathway, a potentially unifying theory of autism
    13 March 2012
    Comments ( 1 )

    Dysregulation of the intracellular signaling pathway RAS, a risk factor for idiopathic autism, may provide a unifying theory of the disorder. Although this is not an altogether new hypothesis, several new findings have strengthened the evidence for it considerably.

  • Difficult decisions: An inside look at SFARI's grant-making
    11 April 2011
    Comments ( 2 )
    In November, the Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative (SFARI) launched a request for applications, calling for letters of intent from individuals who will conduct bold, imaginative and rigorous research relevant to our mission. Applicants received notice in late February indicating whether they should submit a full application. Here, John Spiro, SFARI’s senior associate director for research, attempts to demystify the grant-making process — and give readers a behind-the-scenes look at how SFARI’s science team makes decisions.
New RFAs

SFARI has two new targeted RFAs, one on circuit dynamics and one on Simons VIP biospecimens.

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Connectivity

This special report examines the theory that neural connectivity is altered in autism, exploring the latest findings and debates in the field.