The ALS Association, in partnership with The CReATe Consortium, is proud to announce a new request for applications (RFA) to support the discovery and/or validation of biomarkers for ALS, a third grant funding opportunity now available to researchers seeking to find new treatments and a cure.

The CReATe Consortium is an NIH-funded Rare Diseases Clinical Research Consortium whose goal is to promote and facilitate collaborative research in the field of ALS and related disorders which include primary lateral sclerosis [PLS], hereditary spastic paraplegia [HSP], progressive muscular atrophy [PMA], multisystem proteinopathy [MSP] and frontotemporal dementia [FTD]. In this instance, the partnership is specifically focused on developing biomarkers of disease mechanism that might be relevant to the development of therapies, an ongoing focus and priority of the Association.

A second grant opportunity currently available is through Milton Safenowitz Postdoctoral Fellowship Program which provides research fellowship awards to promising new scientists entering the ALS field. Fellows work with a senior mentor and receive extensive exposure to the ALS research community. In many cases, these fellows go on to establish their own laboratories to continue studying ALS and mentor more ALS researchers along the way. In 2020 alone, the Association brought on 8 new fellows focused on various disease mechanisms and assistive technology development. The Association is excited to continue this program, encouraging more scientists to join the fight against ALS by bringing promising new ideas to the table.

The Lawrence and Isabel Barnett Drug Development Program, a third grant opportunity now accepting applications, allows the Association the freedom to strategically fund preclinical projects aimed at developing therapeutics for ALS that are product driven. This unique program provides support of preclinical drug discovery for development of new or repurposed treatments for ALS. The Barnett Drug Development Program has enabled the development of novel therapeutics that are currently in clinical trials for ALS and related neurological disorders. It has been instrumental in building and fostering academic-industry partnerships and has contributed to the explosion in companies, small and large, entering the ALS field.

Everything we do supports our mission of finding treatments and a cure for ALS, which is why it is critical for the Association to continue to fund promising ALS research. Building partnerships and recruiting new minds will continue to expand the talent in the ALS research field and provide hope for people living with the disease. Together, we will do whatever it takes to create a world without ALS.

Learn more about these new funding programs on our website.