ALS Therapy Development Institute Receives $1.6 Million Grant From the Department of Defense for Lou Gehrig's Disease Research

In recognition of multiple studies connecting ALS to military service, the 2010 Defense Appropriations Act, signed by President Obama on December 22, 2009, provided for the grant of $1.6 million for research and development of potential therapeutics for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS, Lou Gehrig's disease). Deemed a "service-related disorder" by the Veterans Administration (VA) in July of 2008, ALS affects approximately 30,000 Americans at any given time. With no robust therapeutics currently available, those afflicted survive on average only 36 months from diagnosis. The funding approved will be sent to the ALS Therapy Development Institute (ALS TDI), a non-profit, independent research center devoted to the development of therapeutics that slow and stop progression of the fatal neurodegenerative disease. "This grant from the [Department of Defense], bringing their total spent on ALS research at our Institute alone to nearly $5.5 million over a period of five years, shows their commitment to our veterans. It is unacceptable that those stricken by the disease, for whatever reason, including our servicemen and servicewomen returning from war, do not have therapeutic options available. We must move faster toward providing truly efficacious interventions for all those living with ALS today," said Steve Perrin, Ph.D., chief executive officer and chief scientific officer at ALS TDI. Full release.