This last year has seen incredible progress in the fight to create a world without ALS. The FDA approval of Relyvrio (AMX0035) in 2022 and Qalsody (tofersen) last month are significant steps in the effort to make ALS a livable disease. As we celebrate the success of these long-term investments, we continue to fund the next generation of possible treatments, as well as the researchers that are searching for them.
In March 2022, after several months of multiple doctor visits and many tests, Jacob Harper was diagnosed with P525L FUS ALS—a nano-rare version of ALS only found in people under the age of 25. Jacob is on the Jacifusen clinical trial trying to slow progression, as he shares his testimony with people from all over the world.
The ALS Association is excited to announce $1.4 million in grants to help develop technology that will enhance the quality of life for people living with ALS. The funding supports research in fields ranging from assistive communications and noninvasive ventilation to wearable sensors and a brain-computer interface.
As assistant professor of Neuroscience at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Fla., I fight ALS by working every day in the lab to find a cure for this devastating disease. My work focuses on optimizing ALS biomarkers to track and better understand the most common genetic mutation in inherited ALS, called C9orf72.
In 2018, many new research discoveries and collaborations accelerated the momentum toward finding treatments and a cure for ALS. We helped lead the way by awarding new grants to top scientists and clinicians all over the world.
Yesterday, ITF Pharma, Inc. announced that Tiglutik™, the first and only thickened liquid form of riluzole, was approved by the FDA for the treatment of ALS. This formulation contrasts with the oral pill form of riluzole that has been on the market for ALS for more than 20 years.
When Dr. Timothy Miller and his colleagues from Washington University in St. Louis published preclinical data in The Journal of Clinical Investigation last month, showing how second-generation antisense drugs were effective in ALS mouse and rat models, it served as a vivid reminder that every research investment and discovery adds up.
Dr. Rahul Desikan is incredible. He’s a prominent researcher of neurodegenerative diseases, including ALS, as well as a loyal husband, father, son, and friend. And on February 17, 2017, in a cruel twist of fate, he became a person with ALS.
We recently announced that we’re providing new funding to allow GNS Healthcare to use artificial intelligence (AI) to create a comprehensive disease model to advance research into ALS. GNS Healthcare will use its powerful machine learning platform, called REFS, in conjunction with the rich Answer ALS patient datasets, which are accessible to clinicians and scientists throughout the ALS research community. The project will be led by Dr. Iya Khalil, chief commercial officer and co-founder of GNS Healthcare.
Frustrated with the limited availability of assistive technology devices for his mother, who was diagnosed with ALS, Dexter Ang quit his finance job, partnered with David Cipoletta, an underwater robotic engineer, and set to work developing technologies that could universally, massively, and quickly improve the quality of life for people living with ALS.
Before the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, The ALS Association allocated $6 million annually to funding ALS research. After the ALS IBC, the Association has budgeted about $18 million per year to research and has so far committed $84 million to ALS research. From this investment, there has been massive payoff in a significant increase in ALS gene discoveries.
Our beloved daughter, Carmen Schentrup, was taken from us on February 14, one of 17 victims of the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. Her life was cut too short. For the last month, we have tried to make sense of the senseless, and we have grieved with the other families.
I woke up this morning to the terrible news that Stephen Hawking died. While I never met the man, and didn’t really understand all he was saying about black holes, I learned a lot from him about what is possible for people with ALS.
We wanted to clear up some misinformation floating around on social media regarding our research funding and our current assets. We also wanted to explain our approach to funding research.
ALS is a severely debilitating disease that takes away a person’s ability to move, speak, swallow, and eventually breath. There is much to be accomplished to immediately enhance their quality of life. With this in mind, we sponsored an ALS Hackathon in partnership with Prize4Life to bring together bright, young students to brainstorm and quickly develop an assistive technology prototype.
When first diagnosed with ALS, one of the first questions people ask is whether it is OK to continue exercising. A recently completed ALS Association funded study by Dr. Nicholas Maragakis of Johns Hopkins University and team set out to help answer this common question by exploring the possible benefits of exercise for people living with ALS.
Dr. Brian Wainger of Massachusetts General Hospital and Stephen Winthrop, Chairman of The ALS Association Board of Trustees, gave their unique clinical trial perspectives during the Northeast ALS Consortium (NEALS) webinar titled, “Retigabine Clinical Trial Update & Discussion with ALS Patient Advocate Stephen Winthrop.”
The June issue of Scientific American on newsstands this month features, “Unlocking the Mystery of ALS,” which details the significant advances of ALS research over the years. The authors, Drs. Leonard Petrucelli at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville and Aaron Gitler at the Stanford University School of Medicine, thoughtfully explained the complicated science behind ALS, while weaving a story of its breakthroughs and the steps needed to get to the ultimate goal – an end to ALS.
