Lynn Hogan became a caregiver early in her relationship her fiancé, Steve Ziegler. “On our first date we went out and he was sitting next to me and he said, ‘You might notice -- don't get weirded out or anything -- but you might notice some twitching, weird stuff going on with my arms. We don't know what it is yet. But one of the things it could be is ALS,’” she recalled.
The ALS Association submitted a report to the FDA documenting the real impact ALS has on people living with the disease and their caregivers in order to inform the development of treatments. The information in the report draws from a survey of people living with ALS.
The Greater New York Chapter of The ALS Association has commemorated a pivotal caregiver from ALS history with a luncheon named in honor of Eleanor Gehrig, the wife of famed baseball hero Lou Gehrig.
Anthony Vick spent 16 years serving his country in the Army and Air Force Reserves, including 10 years in the civil service. Vick says he was lucky to be able to serve his country, service that came to an end in 2017 when he was diagnosed with ALS.
Maya Bulmer was thrust into the role of caregiver at a young age. Like many seniors in high school, Maya spent the 2018-2019 school year filling out college applications, readying for the next chapter in her life.
The ALS Association and its partners submitted comments to the Food and Drug Administration to further inform the agency’s implementation of the final guidance on the development of drugs and treatments for ALS. The comments underscore the need for urgency and commend the FDA for including voices from our community in its rulemaking process. Click here to view the comments.
A bill championed by The ALS Association was introduced in Congress today that would remove noninvasive ventilators from Medicare’s competitive bidding program. Reps. Morgan Griffith (R-Va.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Gus Bilirakis (R-Fl.), John Larson (D-Ct.), and Darren Soto (D-Fl.) have introduced H.R.4945, the Safeguarding Medicare Access to Respiratory Therapy (SMART) Act of 2019.
November is National Family Caregivers Month. Join The ALS Association in honoring caregivers throughout the month. “Being a caregiver of someone with ALS is incredibly challenging, and my role hasn't even begun to be that physical yet,” said Jen LeVasseur. Her husband, Noel, was diagnosed with ALS in 2017, just over a year after they were married.
A global, centralized, cloud-based repository of ALS genetic data is being assembled with funding from The ALS Association. This is the first such repository of its kind. Much of the research aimed at finding a cure for ALS is in the area of genetics. Such work requires genomic sequencing, a process whereby individuals' genes are mapped in a way that can be compared to the genes of others who do not have ALS in an effort to identify variations that may be factors in the development or progression of the disease.
When the Biology Honors class kicked off a special course to learn more about neurological diseases, they turned it into a unified effort to educate their community and raise over $3,000 for ALS research. The ALS Association spoke to some of the folks behind the project.
Last week Congress passed, and the president signed, a continuing resolution that will fund all federal programs at current levels through November 21. Before the continuing resolution expires, Congress must either pass full appropriations bills for the 2020 fiscal year or pass another continuing resolution.
The ALS Association has published community guidelines for our social media channels. We review and update them regularly to stay current with best practices and the expressed wishes of our community.
National Malnutrition Awareness Week kicks off today. The ALS Association has resources available to help make sure people living with ALS do not struggle with malnutrition as the disease progresses.
On Monday, the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) issued a finalized ALS Drug Development Guidance for Industry. This is one important step in comprehensive efforts to bring therapies to people with ALS more quickly. Five years ago, there was no clarity around what the FDA expected from companies pursuing ALS treatments. The ALS Association recognized this problem, galvanized the broader community, and engaged the FDA to provide a clear roadmap that also can respond to new science as it emerges. The FDA Guidance is one part of a commitment that will not be complete until we have a cure for all people with ALS.
The ALS Association has awarded $225,000 in scholarships to 45 inaugural recipients of the Jane Calmes ALS Scholarship Fund. The Fund provides financial support to students impacted by ALS.
Research funded by The ALS Association found that defects in the mechanism that transports proteins and RNA between the nucleus and cytoplasm of cells within the human body may lead to ALS and that regulation of those systems could present a novel therapeutic strategy for ALS.
The ALS Association is inviting researchers to submit proposals for its Managing ALS Research Program and The 2019 Lawrence and Isabel Barnett Drug Development Program. Applicants are encouraged to apply no later than October 7, 2019.
The ALS Association is pleased to share results from our recent community survey. We were interested in hearing about programs and services that people reported as being important, reasons why people were not accessing some programs, major challenges, and issues around medications. Information gained from the survey will be incorporated in to care services planning activities and will be used to inform strategic planning, priority setting, program outcomes, and program improvements.
Diagnosing ALS is a lengthy and frustrating process for clinicians and families alike. This is due in large part to the absence of a specific biological indicator, which would signal the presence of the disease in people experiencing the onset of ALS symptoms. Unlike cancer and diabetes, which can be diagnosed and monitored through laboratory tests, ALS has no unique biological markers to confirm an ALS diagnosis.
The ALS Association is deeply committed to accelerating the development of novel ALS therapies and ensuring they are accessible to those who need them. The Association is announcing today its latest strategic action with the release of Principles for Urgent, Patient-Centered ALS Clinical Trials: a series of recommendations to clinical trial sponsors and regulatory bodies worldwide.