We’re fueling discovery through open access and cutting-edge resources.
At Target ALS, we remove the barriers that slow scientific progress.
What are our Research Cores?
Our Research Cores, established in 2014, are built to provide support for any scientist or clinician worldwide who has an idea to advance ALS research. These resources, which are available to people across academia, pharma, and biotech, offer no-strings-attached and expedited access to high-quality, standardized tools, data, and expertise.
Why are open-access resources so critical to ALS research?
Breakthroughs in ALS research depend on collaboration and access. Historically, ALS researchers have cited poor quality, lack of standardization, limited accessibility, and the high cost of critical tools and resources as major barriers to advancing their ideas.
Our Research Cores ensure that the scientific community has every resource possible to make breakthroughs happen.
6
Research cores
1800+
Projects supported
Discover our Research Cores
See our Research Cores below to learn how you can leverage these resources, connect with the experts behind them, and accelerate your path from idea to breakthrough.
Genomics Core
A network of CROs and academic partners generates ALS-FTD multi-omics data from whole-genome and RNA sequencing to biofluid proteomics, paired with rich clinical and longitudinal records.
A growing biorepository of longitudinal CSF, blood, and urine samples from ALS and control participants is stored and distributed globally, linked with de-identified clinical, demographic, and genomic data.
A repository of high-quality brain, spinal cord, and muscle tissue from 500+ cases, paired with clinical data, produced by expert pathology teams across six academic institutions.
A growing repository of well-characterized iPSC ALS and control lines, including isogenic and reporter lines, generated by leading partners and stored and managed by Sampled.
The applications for use of most of our Core Resources are available on the relevant Target ALS webpage.
Applications for longitudinal biofluids and postmortem tissue require an experimental proposal and statement of scientific rationale. All applications are subject to a review process. The goal for both of these Core Resources is to provide access to human samples and tissue to everyone who requests them, although some alterations may be required to the proposed work.
To access the Target ALS Data Engine, a short description of planned work and a work email are required. Data added to the Engine after you have access will automatically be accessible to you.
Our induced pluripotent stem cell lines from ALS patients and controls are banked at NINDS. Following the link on our webpage to the NINDS portal will allow you to apply. The process is straightforward and all tools you need are available within the steps of the application.
In short, yes. In some cases, industry researchers may need to pay a higher fee to access our Research Cores
No, Target ALS does not embargo publications. We do ask for authorship or acknowledgement on publications that use our Research Cores. The application process for the individual Core will clarify authorship requirements.
Currently, no. Our goal is to recruit separately for our Postmortem Tissue and Longitudinal Biofluids Cores, but individuals interested in contributing to both are able to do so. Individuals of this nature will be noted in the Data Engine. The Stem Cell Core does not contain iPSCs generated from the individuals who have contributed to the other two Cores.
In most cases, researchers are expected to pay the cost of shipping. Early stage researchers in the Target ALS ecosystem access all Target ALS Core Resources free of charge for the lifetime of their grant. There is a nominal fee to order the Target ALS iPSC lines and Target ALS Postmortem tissue. Access to the Target ALS Data Engine is free of charge.
No. As part of our mission to break down barriers to ALS research, Target ALS never asks for IP. All intellectual property resulting from work performed by researchers using our Core Resources is owned by those researchers.
As part of our strategy to provide “no-strings-attached” access to critical research tools, we are looking for collaborators to develop new animal models and to generate multi-omic datasets in mouse models to share with the community. We have no active projects at this time.
We offer annual funding calls in partnership with CROs in order to test candidate ALS therapeutics in standardized mouse models. Please watch our Funding Opportunities webpage and look for In Vivo Target Validation to apply for one of these opportunities.
Funded ALS research is ensured to adhere to ethical and non-biased standards through rigorous peer review processes, institutional review boards (IRBs), and oversight by ethics committees. These mechanisms assess research proposals, ensure participant welfare, and verify the integrity of the research design. Additionally, transparency, disclosure of potential conflicts of interest, and adherence to established research ethics guidelines contribute to maintaining ethical and unbiased standards in ALS research.
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