Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative

Applications are invited for projects to analyze postmortem brain tissue from the Autism BrainNet collection.  SFARI will encourage individual and collaborative applications that study and compare gene expression at the tissue single-cell level. Such analyses could also include alternative splicing/isoform analysis, RNA editing, noncoding RNAs, epigenetic modifications and/or proteomics. Studies of cellular neuroanatomy and immunohistochemical research on identified transmitter systems are also welcomed. For all studies, there is a nonexclusive emphasis on the cortex.

Priority will be given to efforts that lead to the most comprehensive characterization of the tissue and generate large shareable data sets. Consideration will also be given to those proposals using both the frozen and fixed tissue, preferably from the same donor, with attention given to how these data sets can be harmonized to facilitate sharing. The annual budget is between $300,000 and $1 million for two years.

Eligible applicants and key collaborators must hold a PhD, MD, or equivalent degree and have a faculty position or the equivalent at a college, university, medical school, or another research facility.