University of Miami and King’s College London added as new sites
On October 14, 2025, The Autism Science Foundation (ASF), a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting and funding innovative autism research, announced it would expand its Next Gen Sibs Project from six to eight university sites, thanks to a Capacity Grant from the Aligning Research to Impact Autism (ARIA) initiative. The University of Miami and King’s College London will join the existing consortium of Next Gen Sibs sites, which includes Emory University, UCLA, UC Davis, the University of Alberta, Yale University, and Washington University School of Medicine. In addition, the Next Gen Sibs Project will hire Dr. Nicole Rosen to oversee the multi-site effort, reporting jointly to Dr. Alycia Halladay, Chief Science Officer at ASF, and Dr. Cathy Lord of UCLA.
“We are incredibly grateful for the support from ARIA,” said Alison Singer, President of ASF. “This partnership means we can reach more families in new geographic regions, produce results more quickly, and strengthen the scientific foundation needed to answer pressing questions about autism risk across generations.”
The Next Gen Sibs program, launched in 2021, studies children whose parents are typically developing siblings of individuals with autism. These children—often referred to as “second-degree relatives”—are three times more likely to receive an autism diagnosis than the general population. Yet, they typically lack access to expert clinical assessments, and very little is known about their unique features.
“The Next Gen Sibs program is addressing an area of autism research that has been largely overlooked until now,” said Alycia Halladay, PhD, Chief Science Officer at ASF. “By studying the children of siblings of autistic individuals, we are opening a new window into autism heritability and gaining critical insight into the genetic and environmental factors that influence risk.”
The Next Gen Sibs program builds on findings from the Baby Siblings Research Consortium (BSRC), which showed that siblings of children with autism are 15 times more likely to receive a diagnosis themselves. Together with results from a recent ASF-funded study showing increased autism risk in the children of non-autistic siblings of autistic individuals, this research underscores the importance of examining autism risk across generations.
Current Next Gen Sibs program sites include:
- Northeast U.S.: Yale University – Dr. Kasia Chawarska and Dr. Suzanne Macari
- Midwest U.S.: Washington University School of Medicine – Dr. Natasha Marrus
- Southeast U.S.: Emory University – Dr. Elizabeth Greenfield
- South U.S.: University of Miami – Dr. Daniel Messinger
- Southwest U.S.: University of California at Los Angeles – Dr. Nicole Rosen
- Northwest U.S.: University of California at Davis – Dr. Sally Ozonoff
- Canada: University of Alberta – Dr. Lonnie Zwaigenbaum
- United Kingdom: King’s College London – Dr. Emily Jones
You can learn more about the project at www.nextgensibs.org.
The Autism Science Foundation (ASF) is a 501(c)(3) public charity. Its mission is to fund breakthrough research that will improve the lives of people with autism. To learn more about the Autism Science Foundation or to make a donation, visit www.autismsciencefoundation.org.
Aligning Research to Impact Autism (ARIA) is a scientific initiative to accelerate understanding and treatment of autism and related neurodevelopmental conditions through alignment, collaboration, and cutting-edge research. ARIA connects emerging research, insights, and promising technologies from across scientific fields to create more therapeutic opportunities for people with profound autism and people on the spectrum who seek additional support. Its focus areas include building a clinical trial and translational research network to rapidly develop and test new therapies, funding frontier science, and facilitating data sharing. ARIA is led by Managing Director Ekemini Riley, PhD, of the Coalition for Aligning Science and Scientific Director Matthew State, PhD, of the University of California, San Francisco. Learn more at ariaroadmap.org.
For more information, contact C.J. Volpe at cvolpe@autismsciencefoundation.org.
