Through their new collaboration, HMS and Project A.L.S. are teaming up together to accelerate progress toward mutual goals.
"We founded Project A.L.S. in 1998, aiming to put the first strong medicine into place," said Meredith Estess, president of Project A.L.S., a nimble, young organization that actively recruits new ideas and renowned scientists to ALS. "We learned that the fastest way to our goal was recruiting the best and brightest researchers throughout science and technology, and uniting them in true collaboration. For that reason we're thrilled about our new relationship with Harvard Medical School. This initiative promises to help us realize our translational goals faster."
"The mission of HMS is to create and nurture a community of the best people committed to leadership in alleviating human suffering caused by disease," said HMS dean, Dr. Joseph B. Martin. "This new collaboration with Project A.L.S. is one way to help advance the Medical School's mission," he said.
ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease and motor neuron disease, is a progressive, fatal disorder related to Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, and Huntington's diseases. There are no effective treatments for ALS.
The new initiative will focus on four areas of research:
Guiding the new initiative is longtime ALS researcher Dr. Robert Brown, HMS professor of neurology, director of the Day Neuromuscular Research Laboratory at Massachusetts General Hospital, and a member of the Harvard Center for Neurodegeneration and Repair (HCNR).
HCNR will manage the new initiative. Launched in 2001 to speed translational biomedical neuroscience, HCNR has brought together neuroscientists and neurology researchers working at HMS, its affiliated teaching hospitals, and throughout Harvard. Its strategy is to rapidly apply basic neuroscience discoveries to clinical needs, with an ultimate objective of reducing the impact of neurodegenerative disease, such as ALS.
"At the Harvard Center for Neurodegeneration and Repair, we believe that the fastest way to develop therapies for neurodegenerative diseases is through collaborative translational research," said HCNR director, Dr. Adrian J. Ivinson. "Too many current treatments for neurodegenerative disease tackle only the symptoms. Our translational research seeks cures that strike at the cause of the disease.
"Our alliance with Project A.L.S. reinforces our commitment to open collaboration and will help us reach our shared goals," he said.
Harvard Medical School
http://hms.harvard.edu/
Harvard Medical School has more than 5,000 full-time faculty working in eight academic departments based at the School's Boston quadrangle or in one of 47 academic departments at 18 Harvard teaching hospitals and research institutes. Those Harvard hospitals and research institutions include Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Cambridge Health Alliance, The CBR Institute for Biomedical Research, Children's Hospital Boston, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Forsyth Institute, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, Joslin Diabetes Center, Judge Baker Children's Center, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Massachusetts General Hospital, Massachusetts Mental Health Center, McLean Hospital, Mount Auburn Hospital, Schepens Eye Research Institute, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, VA Boston Healthcare System.
Harvard Center For Neurodegeneration and Repair
Based on a vision for translational biomedical neuroscience, the Harvard Center for Neurodegeneration and Repair (HCNR) was launched in 2001. It brought together neuroscientists and neurology researchers working at Harvard Medical School and its affiliated teaching hospitals, and now includes investigators from across Harvard. HCNR's aim has been to rapidly apply basic neuroscience discoveries to clinical needs, with an ultimate objective of reducing the impact of neurodegenerative disease. Working with a broad spectrum of researchers, HCNR encourages the rapid application of basic neuroscience discoveries to clinical needs, and reducing duplication by drawing researchers into a cooperative, integrated but non-bureaucratic assembly.
Project A.L.S.
Project A.L.S. is a not-for profit 501c3 dedicated to finding and funding scientific research toward a deeper understanding, treatments, and a cure for ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.) Research programs include genetics and gene therapy, stem cells, drug discovery, and identification of disease pathways. The collaboration with Harvard Medical School will operate in conjunction with existing research programs.