MDA funds and coordinates a worldwide program of ALS research, providing support for investigations ranging from early-stage science, to preclinical testing and therapy development, to human clinical trials.

The Association manages a fluid and diverse research portfolio, with support extended to projects in key areas of ALS research including: the identification and characterization of ALS-associated genes; the health of cellular energy factories called mitochondria; stem cell therapy; the use of “antisense” therapy to block toxic genes; immune system modulation; and the development of therapies that nourish and protect motor neurons.

MDA funding for ALS research includes:

• hundreds of research projects around the world aimed at developing effective treatments and cures for ALS;
• sponsorship of national and international scientific meetings on ALS research;
• establishment of an MDA/ALS Clinical Research Network to streamline and support tests of experimental treatments (located at Methodist Hospital, Houston; Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston; Columbia University, New York; Emory University, Atlanta; and California Pacific Medical Center, San Francisco; and
• development of riluzole, the only current FDA-approved drug therapy for ALS.

In 2007, through its Augie’s Quest research initiative, MDA joined forces with the ALS Therapy Development Institute (ALS TDI) of Cambridge, Mass., to launch the largest privately funded ALS drug development project in history. Today, this multimillion-dollar collaboration continues to combine the passion and dedication of nonprofit-fueled research with the entrepreneurial spirit and scientific resources of a biotechnology company.

A promising development of the MDA-ALS TDI partnership is the December 2011 agreement forged between ALS TDI and two major multinational biotechnology companies to investigate a compound that modulates the immune system. The agreement exemplifies MDA’s commitment to turning promising laboratory results and early-stage science into drug development projects that attract support from biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies.