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Report to the President Suggests ALS Drug Acceleration!
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Last week, the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) released its “Report to the President on Propelling Innovation in Drug Discovery, Development and Evaluation,” which lays out a number of recommendations for doubling the development of new therapies for diseases with unmet medical needs. The ALS Association is encouraged that this report specifically references ALS, and that the group recognizes that a more aggressive timeline is necessary to find treatments and a cure for this disease.
The recommendations in this report are important steps in the right direction and demonstrate that The ALS Association - and the people with ALS across this country - are being heard!
The ALS Association will continue to actively engage the FDA and Congress to develop and implement policies that encourage, facilitate and expedite the development of treatments for ALS and ensure that people with ALS have access to those treatments as soon as possible. You can join the fight in finding treatments and a cure for ALS. Become an advocate today!
Sincerely,
Jane H. Gilbert President & CEO
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UPCOMING EVENTS
In November, The ALS Association will celebrate Veterans Day and National Family Caregivers Month. The next edition of Vision Express will provide more details on how we will honor these special individuals from the ALS community.
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Research Update
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Discovery Points to Common Pathways for Two ALS Genes |
Researchers supported by The ALS Association have discovered close links between the two genes that cause ALS, FUS and TDP-43, according to research published in the September 30 online edition of Nature Neuroscience. The discovery improves knowledge of how each gene is likely to cause disease and focuses attention on the common pathways they share as likely targets for the development of potential therapies.
Click here to read article
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Recent Study Finds Connection Between ALS and Spinal Muscular Atrophy |
A study published in the September 28 edition of Cell Reports indicates that ALS and another disease involving motor neurons called spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) are linked at the molecular level. The research, led by Robin Reed, Ph.D., Professor of Cell Biology at Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts, offers new insights into the disease process in both diseases.
Click here to read article
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Researchers Find Genetic Region Influencing Age at Which People Develop ALS |
An international consortium of researchers brought together and funded by The ALS Association has identified a region on chromosome 1 that strongly influences the age at which an individual develops amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). For the first time, scientists have found that people with ALS, who have a specific genetic signature within this region on chromosome 1, had an age of onset that is approximately two-and-a-half years earlier than those without it.
Click here to read full article.
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How You Can Help
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Flexible Giving - Making Your Mark with a Bequest
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Including The ALS Association in your will or living trust is one of the simplest ways to leave a lasting legacy. With a bequest, you continue to enjoy the use of your assets during your lifetime - there is no immediate cost to you.
Charitable bequests are flexible: you can designate a certain dollar amount or a certain percentage of your estate or even specify that anything left after your loved ones are provided for will go to help fight ALS. Whichever type of bequest you choose, your gift will be put to use helping to eradicate this devastating disease.
An important point to remember about charitable bequests is that you remain in control of your assets throughout your lifetime. Circumstances can change, and one of the reasons bequests are so popular is that you can modify your beneficiaries at any time.
Please contact our office for more information or if we can be of assistance.
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