Applications for Autism Rat Models Consortium

The Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative (SFARI) has issued a request for applications for the Autism Rat Models Consortium. Grants to capitalize on the rat as a model system to advance the understanding of the behavioral and circuit neuroscience mechanisms that drive autism.

SFARI has supported the development of rats carrying mutations to high-confidence autism-related genes on the Long-Evans outbred genetic background (Charles River Laboratories). The genes include FMR1, ARID1B, CHD8, CNTNAP2, DYRK1A, NRXN1, SCN2A, and GRIN2B. These same rat models are currently evaluated through a comprehensive behavioral phenotyping pipeline established by the Simons Initiative for the Developing Brain (SIDB). Access to these models and their resulting data from the SIDB pipeline is available to any qualified researcher.

To build upon these resources, SFARI recently convened a workshop where researchers and experts discussed strategies that might best exploit the advantages afforded by rat models and to specify recommendations for moving the field forward. Discussions at the workshop resulted in several insightful conclusions and actionable recommendations for scientific and organizational priorities.

The current RFA is aimed at implementing these workshop recommendations by supporting a consortium of investigators to collaboratively use SFARI autism rat models to examine the biological basis of complex behaviors and the underlying neural circuits relevant to autism.

Proposals are expected to use SFARI rat models to conduct in-depth behavioral and/or circuit analyses to further understand the mechanisms underlying autism. Competitive applications will use the rat’s advantages as both a highly trainable species and its innate capacity to express varied, complex behavior. In addition, proposals are encouraged to incorporate recent advances in computational ethology and high-resolution behavioral phenotyping.

Each lab may request a maximum of $300,000, inclusive of 20 percent indirect costs, for each year of funding over a period of two to three years. Applications will be accepted from individual labs and collaborative applications of up to three principal investigators (PI).

All 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 other research facility. Applications may be submitted by domestic and foreign nonprofit organizations; public and private institutions, such as colleges, universities, hospitals, laboratories, and units of state and local government; and eligible federal government agencies. There are no citizenship or country requirements.

To answer questions about this RFA, SFARI will hold an informational Zoom meeting on July 26, 2021, at 11 am EDT.

For complete program guidelines, application instructions, and to register for the informational meeting, see the SFARI website.