Our Mission
Leading the fight to treat and cure ALS through global research and nationwide advocacy while also empowering people with Lou Gehrig’s Disease and their families to live fuller lives by providing them with compassionate care and support.
About The ALS Association
The ALS Association is the only organization leading the fight to discover a cure for ALS from all angles - through robust research, care, and public policy programs. Our solution is an integrated approach that will lead us to viable treatments and cure for this terrible disease.
RESEARCH | The ALS Association is at the forefront of the global research effort funding over $138 million in research and clinical management projects. To maximize results, The Association channels our funding, made possible through the generous support of donors, into global research projects focused on six tightly-related areas:
- Identifying ALS genes
- Understanding disease mechanisms
- Using stem cells for disease modeling and therapy testing
- Finding disease biomarkers
- Developing therapies
- Improving clinical trials
CARE SERVICES | The ALS Association helps patients and families cope with the day to day challenges of living with ALS by providing information, resources, and referrals to many sources, including a wide variety of community services through our nationwide chapter network.
Our nationwide network of ALS Association Certified Centers of Excellence provide state-of-the-art, multi-disciplinary ALS care and services in a supportive atmosphere with an emphasis on hope and quality of life. To become certified as one of these centers of excellence, an ALS clinic must achieve national prominence, meet rigorous clinical care standards, and pass a comprehensive site inspection. Learn more about our Chapter's services
PUBLIC POLICY | Our nationwide network plays a integral role in advocating for increased public and private support of ALS research and patient care. The ALS Association’s public policy efforts in Washington D.C. have raised the profile of ALS by working with the White House, Congress, National Institutes of Health, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Food and Drug Administration, Department of Defense, Department of Veterans Affairs, Social Security Administration, and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
About ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease)
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. Eventually, people with ALS lose the ability to initiate and control muscle movement, which often leads to total paralysis and death within two to five years of diagnosis. There is no cure and only one FDA approved drug, which modestly extends survival. However, with your help, The ALS Association works tirelessly to fulfill its mission to create a world without ALS.
- Approximately 6,000 people in the U.S. are diagnosed with ALS each year. The incidence of ALS is two per 100,000 people, and it is estimated that more than 20,000 Americans may be living with ALS at any given time.
- The life expectancy of a person with ALS averages about 2-5 years from the time of diagnosis.
- Military veterans are twice as likely as the general population to die from ALS.
- ALS occurs throughout the world with no racial, ethnic or socioeconomic boundaries and can affect anyone.
- Living with ALS can cost more than $200,000 per year above and beyond what is covered by insurance.
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The ALS Association
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1275 K St NW, Suite 250
Washington, DC 20005,
