Maternal COVID-19 As a Potential Risk for Autism: Supplemental Funding for Ongoing Pregnancy Cohorts, Request for Applications, Ph.D.

About this funding opportunity

Search SFARI Home Funding Application Deadline

March 12, 2021 Award Notification

April 30, 2021 Award Start Dates

June 1, 2021

July 1, 2021

August 1, 2021 Administrative Inquiries

sfgrants@simonsfoundation.org

646-654-0066 Scientific Inquiries and Requests

sciencerfa@simonsfoundation.org

646-654-0066 Application Deadline

March 12, 2021 Award Notification

April 30, 2021 Award Start Dates

June 1, 2021

July 1, 2021

August 1, 2021 Administrative Inquiries

sfgrants@simonsfoundation.org

646-654-0066 Scientific Inquiries and Requests

sciencerfa@simonsfoundation.org

646-654-0066

Several prospective pregnancy cohorts, across multiple continents, were recruited during the COVID-19 pandemic. These cohorts afforded the opportunity to better understand the impact of maternal infection and inflammation on risk for neurodevelopmental conditions such as autism. Prior animal studies suggested that the risk of adverse outcomes is related to specific T-cell subpopulations, which may be sensitized by the intestinal microbiome. Therefore, SFARI believed that biospecimen collection in the pandemic pregnancy cohorts should include maternal blood for both peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and cytokine assays, as well as cord blood collection at birth. Consideration should also have been given to collection of maternal stool specimens. Ideally, biospecimens were to be collected at multiple timepoints, given the changes that can occur in cytokine and PBMC profiles through the course of pregnancy in response to infection and the presumed importance of fetal age in moderating the impact of maternal risk factors. Furthermore, it was critical that the collection of biospecimens be complemented by the tracking of families after delivery so that child neurodevelopmental outcomes can be determined at age 2-3 years.

SFARI offered this request for applications (RFA) because many of the cohorts that SFARI had queried collected maternal blood at only one or two timepoints, and almost none of the cohorts collect stool specimens. A majority of the cohorts lack child follow-up beyond a few months of age, though some are able to ascertain child outcomes through the use of medical registry data.

We encouraged applicants to familiarize themselves with the summary of a recent SFARI workshop on COVID-19, pregnancy and autism, which can be found here. Application Deadline

March 12, 2021 Award Notification

April 30, 2021 Award Start Dates

June 1, 2021

July 1, 2021

August 1, 2021 Administrative Inquiries

sfgrants@simonsfoundation.org

646-654-0066 Scientific Inquiries and Requests

sciencerfa@simonsfoundation.org

646-654-0066

The deadline for application submission is Friday, March 12, 2021, 5:00 PM Eastern Time.

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For all users with a pC account, log in under “Application Login” at proposalCENTRAL and select “Create New Proposal” or click on the “Grant Opportunities” tab. Scroll down to “Simons Foundation” and click “Apply Now” for the “Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative, Targeted, COVID” program to start the proposal and access the templates. After all sections are completed, you will be able to click on the “Submit” button to send.

To submit an application, you must complete the following proposalCENTRAL sections: Title Page: Enter the proposal title in this section. Download Templates and Instructions: All templates necessary to complete your proposal are available for download in this module (or the “Proposal Attachments” module, where attachments…

Topic areas: Life Sciences and Health, General and Cross-cutting R&D.

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

Maternal COVID-19 As a Potential Risk for Autism: Supplemental Funding for Ongoing Pregnancy Cohorts, Request for Applications, Ph.D. is administered by Simons Foundation (Simons), listed via Simons Foundation.