Early Diagnostics Grants

Co-funded by The ALS Association and ALS Finding a Cure®

Opportunity Has Closed

Early Diagnostics grants support the identification and development of new methods that can be used to reduce the time it takes to diagnose ALS. 

Overview

Despite having been first defined more than 150 years ago, there still is no universally accepted diagnostic approaches for ALS. It remains a diagnosis of exclusion. This means that in order to receive an ALS diagnosis, patients must first undergo a battery of tests designed to rule out other conditions. This is highly problematic because it can take roughly a year for someone with ALS to receive the correct diagnosis – and sometimes even longer. 

During this time, individuals are frequently seen by several different health professionals and can receive unnecessary (and expensive) surgical procedures and medications. This delay also can mean functional loss, lack of access to disability benefits and missed opportunities for interventions that can improve outcomes, such as participating in clinical trials. 

Given the critical need to reduce the time to diagnosis, ALS Finding a Cure® and The ALS Association are partnering to issue an open international call for proposals designed to encourage the identification of early diagnostic markers of ALS. We are particularly interested in encouraging diverse and multidisciplinary research teams to grapple with this problem. 

Grants will support three-year proposals with a maximum total budget of $500,000. 

Topics of Interest (Scope)

Examples of approaches that might be supported by this request for proposals include, but are not limited to: 

  • Digital diagnostics, including video-based diagnostics 
  • Imaging diagnostics 
  • Electrodiagnostics 
  • Biosample-based diagnostics (fluid or tissue) 
  • Other diagnostic approaches (e.g., breath analysis, risk-factor analysis, cognitive/behavioral phenotyping, other modeling, etc.) 

Funding and Eligibility

Grants are for the support of three-year proposals of up to $500,000 USD (inclusive of a maximum of 15% in indirect costs). Support will not normally exceed three years, and applicants should submit proposals that are compatible with a three-year time frame. The continuation of funding within this period will be subject to the submission of satisfactory progress reports, which will be required at six-month intervals. 

Key Dates and Deadlines 

  • Proposals Due: March 1, 2023, 5 p.m. US ET 
  • Anticipated Award Decision: April 30, 2023 
  • Anticipated Earliest Start Date: June 15, 2023 

Submissions

For complete submission guidelines, please visit https://www.alsfindingacure.org/als-finding-a-cure-call-for-proposals-in-early-diagnostics/.  

Questions

Please submit questions to info@alsfac.org. 

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