ALS Therapy Development Institute

The ALS Therapy Development Institute (ALS TDI) is a non-profit biotechnology research organization focused on finding treatments for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). With a staff including more than 30 scientists, it operates a research and development program centered on ALS.[1][2]

ALS Therapy Development Institute
AbbreviationALS TDI
Founded1999
Founder
Typenon-profit biotech
04-3462719
Location
Key people
AffiliationsInternational Alliance of ALS/MND Associations
Websiteals.net

History

ALS TDI was founded as the ALS Therapy Development Foundation (ALS TDF) in 1999 by James Heywood, Robert Bonazoli, and Melinda Marsh Heywood after James' brother, Stephen Heywood, was diagnosed with the disease.[3] Dr. Tennore Ramesh joined ALS-TDF when his sister in law was diagnosed with ALS and setup the research facility and served as Chief Scientific Officer from inception until 2003. The organization was initially funded through a donation from Stephen, as well as one from Alex and Brit d'Arbeloff. The Foundation's first therapy concept was to replace EAAT2 protein using gene therapy.[2][4]

In 2004, the Foundation moved to a 16,000-square-foot (1,500 m2) location in Cambridge, Massachusetts with an in-house lab. ALS TDF constructed a biosafety level 2 lab in 2005, allowing for the expansion of "gene therapy and cell-based treatment pipelines."[2]

In 2005, the Foundation started the Tri-State Trek, an annual 270-mile bike ride from Boston, Massachusetts to Greenwich, Connecticut.[2] The Trek has since grown to include over 400 participants and has raised more than $7 million for research.[5][6]

In 2006 the ALS patient Augie Nieto became chairman of the board.[2] The next year, James Heywood resigned as president but joined the board and Sean F. Scott, who ALS runs in his family, replaced him.[7] Scott worked with Augie Nieto as well as with the Muscular Dystrophy Association to bring together the two organizations in 2007. The collaboration allowed for MDA to match ALS TDI's annual budget for three years through Nieto's initiative, Augie's Quest, though the partnership continued after that, with MDA cumulatively providing over $36 million.[8][9] The same year, the organization replaced the "Foundation" part of its name with "Institute".[2]

The Institute received a $1.1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Defense in 2008 and an additional $1.6 million grant in 2010.[2][10]

Steven Perrin, previously only Chief Scientific Officer, was appointed CEO in 2009 following the death of Sean Scott.[11] In 2011, the Institute moved to a new 26,000-square-foot (2,400 m2) facility, also in Cambridge, allowing for the hiring of more scientists and a bigger lab.[2]

ALS TDI's logo until 2017.

Two years later, in 2014, Augie's Quest officially transitioned from MDA to ALS TDI.[12] The same year, ALS TDI received over $3 million through the Ice Bucket Challenge.[1] In 2016, the Institute announced the ALS ONE partnership with Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, University of Massachusetts Medical School, and Compassionate Care ALS to find a treatment for ALS within four years.[13]

In 2018, ALS TDI was the original beneficiary of the ALS Pepper Challenge, where participants eat a chili pepper.[14] Various public figures, including Kelly Clarkson, Jimmy Kimmel, Shaquille O'Neal, Nancy O'Dell, Wolf Blitzer, the Miami Heat and Andy Cohen have participated in the challenge.[15][16]

Research

The Institute has raised and spent more than $100 million on research into effective treatments for ALS and practices open-source science.[17] After the discovery that the multiple sclerosis drug Gilenya might also be a treatment for ALS, the Institute enrolled 30 people in a Phase 2A clinical trial the drug in 2013, though it did not progress further.[18][19][20]

ALS TDI launched the Precision Medicine Program in partnership with Denali Therapeutics in 2013 "to identify subgroups of ALS, potential treatments for them using patient data, genomics and iPS cell technology".[21] By 2015, over 300 people had been registered and pre-screened in the program, significantly funded by money raised in the Ice Bucket Challenge.[22][23][24]

In 2018, the Institute entered Phase I clinical trials for AT-1501, a potential treatment for ALS and Alzheimer's[25] that blocks the activation of certain immune cells in order to protect nerves from ALS.[26] The development of the drug allows ALS TDI to be viewed as a successful drug development organization.[27] ALS TDI received funding from the ALS ONE partnership to develop the drug.[28]

See also

References
  1. "'Ice Bucket Challenge' Expedites Cambridge Institute's ALS Drug Trial". CBS Boston. 2014-08-27. Retrieved 2018-02-07.
  2. "About ALS TDI". ALS Therapy Development Institute. Retrieved 2016-06-24.
  3. Weiner, Jonathan (2000-02-07). "Curing the Incurable". The New Yorker. 75 (45). p. 64. ISSN 0028-792X. Retrieved 2018-02-06.
  4. "The Heywood Family - The ALS Therapy Development Institute | So Much So Fast". Frontline. PBS. 2007-08-29. Retrieved 2018-02-07.
  5. "The Ride". Tri-State Trek. ALS Therapy Development Institute. Retrieved 2017-01-14.
  6. Silverfarb, Paul (2017-06-29). "Bikers 'Trek' Into Greenwich in ALS Tri-State Trek Event". Greenwich Sentiel. Retrieved 2018-02-07.
  7. "ALS Therapy Development Institute Announces Resignation of CEO James Heywood and Appointment to Board". www.prnewswire.com. Retrieved 2017-01-13.
  8. "Collaboration Funds Historic $36 Million ALS Drug Search". MDA - ALS Division. 2011-05-10. Archived from the original on May 10, 2011. Retrieved 2016-06-23.
  9. "'We wondered who was responsible for curing' ALS - Boston Medical News - White Coat Notes - Boston.com". archive.boston.com. Retrieved 2018-02-07.
  10. "ALS Therapy Development Institute Receives $1.6 Million Grant From the Department of Defense for Lou Gehrig's Disease Research". PR Newswire. Retrieved 2016-06-24.
  11. "ALS Therapy Development Institute, the World's Largest Non-Profit Biotech, Appoints Steve Perrin, Ph.D., as Chief Executive Officer". ALS TDI. 2009-05-01. Retrieved 2017-01-13.
  12. "Augie's Quest Fundraising Efforts Shift to ALS Therapy Development Institute". Club Industry. 2014-01-30. Retrieved 2018-02-07.
  13. "How One Man Brought the ALS Research Community Together – Boston Magazine". Boston Magazine. 2016-01-21. Retrieved 2018-02-07.
  14. "What you need to know about the ALS Pepper Challenge". ABC7 New York. 2018-01-27. Retrieved 2018-02-07.
  15. "All the Celebrities Who Have Taken on the Pepper Challenge So Far". PEOPLE.com. 2018-02-02. Retrieved 2018-02-07.
  16. "The 'Hot' New ALS Challenge That Shaq, Charles Barkley and the Miami Heat are Getting in On". PEOPLE.com. Retrieved 2018-02-07.
  17. "Who Cares About ALS?". BIOtechNow. 2013-05-28. Retrieved 2017-01-13.
  18. Marcus, Amy Dockser (2012-02-14). "Dilemma: When 1 Drug Treats 2 Diseases". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2017-01-13.
  19. "FDA Approves Clinical Trial of TDI-132 (Gilenya) in ALS Patients". ALS Therapy Development Institute. Retrieved 2017-01-14.
  20. "New ALS Drug Headed for Phase II Trial". Newswise. 2013-10-25. Retrieved 2017-01-14.
  21. "Precision Medicine Program". ALS Therapy Development Institute. Retrieved 2016-06-24.
  22. Seiffert, Don (2016-04-12). "Cambridge biotech aims at a better way to test new drugs for ALS". Boston Business Journals. American City Business Journals. Retrieved 2017-01-13.
  23. Leuty, Ron (2016-04-04). "Strength in numbers — or why a hot, young biotech and a nonprofit are taking aim at new ALS targets". Boston Business Journal. American City Business Journals. Retrieved 2017-01-14.
  24. Riemer, Emily (2015-08-04). "ALS research already benefiting from Ice Bucket Challenge's return". WCVB. Retrieved 2017-01-14.
  25. "AT-1501". ALS Therapy Development Institute. Retrieved 2018-11-29.
  26. "Cambridge nonprofit to begin first human trial of drug that could slow ALS". WHDH 7News. Retrieved 2018-11-29.
  27. "FIRST DRUG CANDIDATE FROM ALS THERAPY DEVELOPMENT INSTITUTE STARTS CLINICAL TRIAL". ALS Therapy Development Institute. Retrieved 2018-11-29.
  28. "ALS ONE". www.alsone.org. Retrieved 2018-11-29.
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