Linking Early Neurodevelopment to Neural Circuit Outcomes, Request for Applications, Ph.D.

About this funding opportunity

Search SFARI Home Funding Application Available

June 11, 2024 Informational Session

June 25, 2024 Application Deadline

September 12, 2024 Finalist Presentations

January 14, 15 or 16, 2025 Award Notification

March 2025 Award Start Date

Awards may begin as early as June 1, 2025, but we encourage PIs to select a project start date that best accommodates the needs of their project. Funds are expected to be expended as requested during each annual budget period. Projects must begin on the first of the month. Administrative Inquiries

sfarigrants@simonsfoundation.org

646-654-0066 Scientific Inquiries

sciencerfa@simonsfoundation.org

646-654-0066 SFARI Data and Biospecimen Repository

sdbr@simonsfoundation.org

646-654-0066 Technical Assistance

samsupport@simonsfoundation.org Office Hours

Monday - Friday:

9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. ET Application Available

June 11, 2024 Informational Session

June 25, 2024 Application Deadline

September 12, 2024 Finalist Presentations

January 14, 15 or 16, 2025 Award Notification

March 2025 Award Start Date

Awards may begin as early as June 1, 2025, but we encourage PIs to select a project start date that best accommodates the needs of their project. Funds are expected to be expended as requested during each annual budget period. Projects must begin on the first of the month. Administrative Inquiries

sfarigrants@simonsfoundation.org

646-654-0066 Scientific Inquiries

sciencerfa@simonsfoundation.org

646-654-0066 SFARI Data and Biospecimen Repository

sdbr@simonsfoundation.org

646-654-0066 Technical Assistance

samsupport@simonsfoundation.org Office Hours

Monday - Friday:

9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. ET SFARI Mission

The mission of the Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative (SFARI) is to improve the understanding, diagnosis and treatment of autism spectrum disorders by funding innovative research of the highest quality and relevance. Background and Objective

The last decade has seen the discovery and functional annotation of numerous high-confidence autism spectrum disorder (ASD) risk genes 1-3. In the time since, much effort has been dedicated to understanding how these genes impact nervous system development. A consensus has emerged that many genes implicated in ASD susceptibility impact early steps in neurodevelopment, such as the timing and execution of neural differentiation, migration and synaptogenesis, with such cellular phenotypes thought to be rooted in altered epigenomic and transcriptomic landscapes4-9.

In parallel, SFARI has invested in efforts to characterize the impact of ASD risk gene mutation on the neural circuits underlying ASD-relevant phenotypes, with notable advances made in understanding the contribution of peripheral and central circuits to ASD-related sensory atypicalities, motor phenotypes, sleep disruptions and social behavioral deficits, among other phenotypes10-13.

While progress has been made toward understanding early development and mature functional outcomes in isolation, studies causally linking disruptions of early neurodevelopment to alterations in ASD-relevant neural circuits remain rare. The objective of this RFA is to bridge this critical gap in our understanding of how developmental events impact later processes of circuit formation and function in ASD.

We envision that this RFA will bring together scientists from a range of backgrounds, such as developmental neurobiologists and circuit neuroscientists, to collaboratively conduct thorough characterizations of how early developmental events result in alterations to ASD-relevant neural circuitry in carefully chosen models. References Satterstrom, F. _et al._ Large-scale exome sequencing study implicates both developmental and functional changes in the neurobiology of autism. _Cell_. 180, 568-584 (2020). PubMed Fu, J. _et al._ Rare coding variation provides insight into the genetic architecture and phenotypic context of autism. _Nat. Gen_. 54, 1320-1331 (2022). PubMed Rolland, T. _et al._…

Topic areas: Life Sciences and Health, Education and Training.

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

Linking Early Neurodevelopment to Neural Circuit Outcomes, Request for Applications, Ph.D. is administered by Simons Foundation (Simons), listed via Simons Foundation.