Dr. Sara Jane Webb Awarded Grant up to $17.25M to Advance Autism Research
Seattle Children’s has been awarded a grant of up to $17.25 million from Aligning Research to Impact Autism (ARIA) to join the international IMPACT Network and advance research for children with profound autism spectrum disorder and related genetic syndromes.
Sara Jane Webb, PhD, will lead Seattle Children’s participation in the five-year initiative, which aims to accelerate clinical trial readiness and therapeutic development for children with profound autism, a population often underrepresented in research. “Currently, we lack the tools to predict individual outcomes or determine how these children will transition into adolescence and adulthood. This funding is a critical step toward closing that gap,” Webb said. Seattle Children’s is one of 12 initial sites selected for the international network.
The award highlights the region’s growing role in advancing neurodevelopmental research and could help drive future therapeutic innovations that improve outcomes for children and families affected by autism.