Information on ALS
Over 5,000 people are diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) annually, and nearly 16,000 people die from ALS-related complications in the United States.
NDR is funding novel research to bring that number to zero.
Neurodegeneration
ALS, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that attacks brain and spinal cord nerve cells.
The term amyotrophic originates in the Greek language and can be translated to "There is no muscle nourishment."
When a muscle is deprived of its neural connection, it "atrophies" or deteriorates.
The term "lateral" refers to the areas of a person's spinal cord that contain portions of the nerve cells that signal and control the muscles.
As neural cells deteriorate, scarring or hardening ("sclerosis") occurs, resulting in the loss of muscle use.
While there are several drug therapies available to patients with ALS, there is currently no cure.
Unfortunately, there are currently only two ALS treatments, and each takes a one-size-fits-all approach to treating symptoms.
NDR is taking a targeted, out-of-the-box approach to improving the quality of life of people who have this horrible disease.
Current Treatments
How NDR is
Fighting ALS
NDR is funding multiple avenues of research, casting a wide net to move us closer to treatments that will enhance patients' quality of life.
Understanding this information is key to treating the root causes of ALS.
Funding is only the beginning. NDR is unifying the efforts of ALS researchers by creating an open forum for transparency and the exchange of research findings.
We believe this will encourage new approaches to research and accelerate the development of viable treatments.
NDR's primary mission is to fund research that will bring about new treatments to those suffering from neurodegenerative diseases.
To accomplish our mission, we work closely with researchers across the globe who share the same values: working toward a higher quality of life for patients and putting an end to ALS.
Your research matters to so many people. NDR wants to help move your novel research forward.
We encourage researchers who share in this vision of hope to join us in the fight.
Research that Directly Benefits Patients
ALS Miniseries
In this series of videos produced by Northwestern University, Dr. Teepu Siddique discusses the past, present, and future of ALS research and how novel research into this disease can lead to potential treatments.