ALS Research
In the last two decades, a veritable explosion of promising basic science has taken place, including the discovery of new ALS genes and new candidate therapeutic targets. Despite these discoveries, ALS remains an incurable disease.
In 2013, Target ALS conducted a thorough analysis of the ALS research field to better understand how we could translate these recent discoveries into effective treatments for patients.
What We Do
We launched our Innovation Ecosystem in 2013 to identify, support, and accelerate the translation of the most promising ideas into the clinic.
Six components power the Innovation Ecosystem, including collaborative funding opportunities, accessible tools and resources, and abundant opportunities to network and communicate with fellow scientists.
We bring together academic and industry investigators from a range of disciplines including high-throughput functional genomics, protein homeostasis, and medicinal chemistry to accelerate progress. Over the last seven years, we have supported the development of over 160 unique collaborations with more than 60 pharma/biotech partners.
The results speak for themselves: 12 therapeutic targets and four drugs now in clinical trials.
For researchers seeking support and/or tools via Target ALS, please visit our Resources for Scientists page.
How we make decisions
To maximize our impact, Target ALS does not seek intellectual property (IP) or other forms of ownership stemming from the use of its resources or funding. To ensure that the funds are administered in a time-effective and transparent manner, we have established a structure that clearly identifies roles in defining and approving overall strategy through our Board and Independent Review Committee (IRC). Evaluation and determination of all funding is through the IRC, which ensures our grant-making is free of the politics and bias sometimes found in philanthropy
Conflict of interest issues are addressed by our Conflict of Interest Committee. Our Target ALS Team handles execution. To ensure that all decisions are made fairly and to remove any conflict of interest, we have established a strict Conflict of Interest (COI) policy whose compliance is ensured by the COI Committee. This committee not only monitors all Target ALS operations, but it also serves as a platform for any issues brought up by the ALS research community.
