Autism Rat Models Consortium 2.0 RFA

About this funding opportunity

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January 6, 2025 Informational Zoom Meeting

January 23, 2025 Application Deadline

March 6, 2025 Finalist Presentations

June 20, 23, 24, 2025 Award Notification

July 2025 Award Start Dates

Beginning October 1, 2025 Scientific Inquiries

sciencerfa@simonsfoundation.org Administrative Inquiries

sfarigrants@simonsfoundation.org SFARI Data and Biospecimen Repository

sdbr@simonsfoundation.org Technical Assistance

samsupport@simonsfoundation.org Office Hours

Monday-Friday 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. Eastern Time Application Available

January 6, 2025 Informational Zoom Meeting

January 23, 2025 Application Deadline

March 6, 2025 Finalist Presentations

June 20, 23, 24, 2025 Award Notification

July 2025 Award Start Dates

Beginning October 1, 2025 Scientific Inquiries

sciencerfa@simonsfoundation.org Administrative Inquiries

sfarigrants@simonsfoundation.org SFARI Data and Biospecimen Repository

sdbr@simonsfoundation.org Technical Assistance

samsupport@simonsfoundation.org Office Hours

Monday-Friday 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. Eastern Time SFARI Mission

SFARI’s mission is to advance the basic science of autism and related neurodevelopmental disorders. Background and Objectives

Grants awarded through this request for applications (RFA) are intended to recharge and extend a consortium of researchers using rats as an experimental system to advance our understanding of the behavioral and circuit neuroscience mechanisms underlying autism and related neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD).

SFARI launched the Autism Rat Models Consortium (ARC) in 2022 with a group of researchers funded through the original Autism Rat Models Consortium RFA. These researchers are using rats generated with SFARI funding that carry mutations in high-confidence genes that in humans significantly increase the likelihood of developing autism and related NDD. These genes include _FMR1_, _ARID1B_, _CHD8_, _CNTNAP2_, _DYRK1A_, _NRXN1_, _SCN2A_ and _GRIN2B_, and all lines are on the Long-Evans outbred genetic background (Charles River Laboratories). As part of the consortium, these same rat models are being evaluated through a comprehensive behavioral phenotyping pipeline established by the Simons Initiative for the Developing Brain (SIDB). Access to these models, as well the resulting data from the SIDB pipeline, are available to any qualified researcher.

ARC members have studied the behavior and neurophysiology underlying social interaction1-3, sensory processing4, navigation5-7 and learning and memory8-11 in these models, finding similarities across genes for some phenotypes as well as an interesting array of differences both across lines and within individuals of the same lines. Throughout this work, ARC members have shared methods, reagents and data within the consortium, leading to new insights and research directions in many cases.

SFARI is launching a new RFA to build upon the successes of the initial phase of ARC as well as to integrate new ideas and new researchers into the existing collaborative framework. As in the original RFA, awardees of this RFA will work as a consortium to use these rat models to further our understanding of the behaviors and underlying neural circuits relevant to autism and related NDD. References Klibaite U. _et al_. bioRxiv (2024) Preprint Shukla A. _et al_. Society for Neuroscience Annual Meeting (2024) Rivera E.L. _et al_. Society for Neuroscience Annual Meeting (2024) Tadic A. _et al_. S FENS Forum (2024) Duszkiewicz A.J. _et al_. Society for Neuroscience Annual Meeting (2024) Vadher A. _et al_. Society for Neuroscience Annual Meeting (2024) Chahine N. _et al_. Society for Neuroscience Annual Meeting (2024) Taloma S. E. _et al_. Society for Neuroscience Annual Meeting (2024) Kastner D.B. _et al_. Society for Neuroscience Annual Meeting (2024) Kastner D.B. _et al_. Society for Neuroscience Annual Meeting (2023) Diaz Rodriguez N. _et al_. Society for Neuroscience Annual Meeting…

Topic areas: Life Sciences and Health, Social Sciences and Humanities.

Funding amount

This grant provides Varies in funding.

Deadline

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis; there is no single fixed deadline.

Who can apply

This opportunity is open to the following applicant types:

• Not specified by the program.

Eligibility

The program did not publish a separate eligibility statement. See the official opportunity page for the full eligibility criteria.

Agency

Autism Rat Models Consortium 2.0 RFA is administered by Simons Foundation (Simons), listed via Simons Foundation.