Autism Science Foundation Announces 50% Increase in Pre- & Postdoctoral Grant Funding

Nine new projects to be funded

New York, NY (PRWEB) April 09, 2012

The Autism Science Foundation, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to funding autism research, today announced the recipients of its annual pre- and postdoctoral fellowships. Six postdoctoral and three predoctoral grants will be awarded to student/mentor teams conducting research in autism interventions, treatment targets, early diagnosis, biomarkers, and animal models. This represents a 50% increase over last year's six pre- & postdoctoral grants.

“Last week, when the CDC announced a 23% increase in autism prevalence, the autism community demanded more research to understand what is causing autism and to develop better treatments for individuals with autism,” said ASF Co-Founder Karen London. “We are proud to be able to increase our research funding in response to this national health crisis and we are so grateful to all our donors and volunteers who have come together to support autism research and make this funding increase possible.”

This year, ASF will fund $330,000 in fellowship grants. In three years of operations, the Autism Science Foundation has funded $790,000 in pre- and postdoctoral grants.

“ASF attracts excellent applicants across the board, and the top choices are exceptional people representing a broad set of perspectives on autism science,” said Dr. Matthew State, Chair of the ASF Scientific Advisory Board and the Donald J. Cohen Professor of Genetics and of Psychiatry at the Yale Child Study Center & Co-Director, Yale Program on Neurogenetics.

Two projects are co-funded by the FRAXA Research Foundation and the Phelan-McDermid Syndrome Foundation. Additional direct funding for ASF's pre- and postdoctoral grant program was provided by Bailey's Team and the Rural India Supporting Trust.

The following projects were selected for 2012 funding:

Postdoctoral Fellowships:
"Multimodal Imaging of Social Brain Networks in ASD"

• Inna Fishman/Ralph-Axel Muller: San Diego State University

"Evaluating Epidemiological and Biostatistical Challenges in the EARLI Investigation"

• Karyn Heavner/Craig Newschaffer: Drexel University

"Role of Astrocytic Glutamate Transporter GLT1 in Fragile X"
Co-funded by: FRAXA Research Foundation

• Haruki Higashimori/Yongjie Yang: Tufts University

"Identifying Early Biomarkers for Autism Using EEG Connectivity"

• April Levin/Charles Nelson: Children's Hospital Boston

"Effects of Active Motor & Social Training on Developmental Trajectories in Infants at High Risk for ASD"

• Klaus Libertus/Rebecca Landa: Kennedy Krieger Institute

"Using Induced-Pluripotent Stem Cells to Study Phelan McDermid Syndrome"
Co-funded by: Phelan McDermid Syndrome Foundation

• Oleksandr Shcheglovitov/Ricardo Dolmetsch: Stanford University School of Medicine

Predoctoral Fellowships:
"Postural and Vocal Development during the First Year of Life in Infants at Heightened Biological Risk for ASD"

• Nina Leezenbaum/Jana Iverson: University of Pittsburgh

"Gender and Cognitive Profile as Predictors of Functional Outcomes in School-Aged Children with ASD"

• Jennifer Moriuchi/Ami Klin: Emory University Marcus Autism Center

"The Role of Serotonin in Social Bonding in Animal Models"

• Rebecca Simon/Karen Bales: University of California, Davis MIND Institute

Learn more about the projects selected for funding here - http://www.autismsciencefoundation.org/current-grantees.

The Autism Science Foundation (ASF) is a 501(c) (3) public charity. Its mission is to support autism research by providing funding to scientists and organizations conducting autism research. ASF also provides information about autism to the general public and serves to increase awareness of autism spectrum disorders and the needs of individuals and families affected by autism. To learn more about the Autism Science Foundation or to make a donation visit http://www.autismsciencefoundation.org.

For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/prweb2012/4/prweb9375758.htm