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ALS NEWS
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Research News
Proudly Reflecting on ALS Research in 2020
A letter from the ALS Therapy Development Institute's (ALS TDI) Chief Scientific Officer, Fernando Vieira M.D.
Author
Fernando Vieira
Published
Dec 29, 2021
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ALS NEWS
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Research News
Proudly Reflecting on ALS Research in 2020
A letter from the ALS Therapy Development Institute's (ALS TDI) Chief Scientific Officer, Fernando Vieira M.D.
Author
Fernando Vieira
Published
Dec 29, 2021
0
Shares
A letter from the ALS Therapy Development Institute's (
ALS TDI
) Chief Scientific Officer, Fernando Vieira M.D.
Dear ALS Community,
Happy holidays and thank you for continuing to support our mission to end ALS.
The past year has been unique in so many ways.
Certainly, we have all confronted uncertainties and hardships.
But 2020 has been unique in positive ways as well.
I have been deeply inspired to see the team of scientists at ALS TDI persevere through the year – adapting to new safety protocols, working odd hours, adjusting to working from home, and pivoting on projects to advance our mission as quickly as possible.
In speaking with members of the science team throughout the year, I heard a consistent refrain:
any challenges our scientists have faced were negligible compared to the challenges of the people with ALS who we aim to serve.
And so, thanks to your unwavering support, your team of scientists at ALS TDI accomplished our goals in 2020.
I’d like to share some highlights with you here.
We began a drug screening initiative
testing our library of 36,000 small molecules using neural cells derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells.
We have begun lead discovery assessments of early hits
from the drug screening campaign using in vivo models with promising molecules emerging.
We have been analyzing blood samples
from the Precision Medicine Program’s (PMP) In-Home Blood Collection Initiative to discover and validate blood-based biomarkers of ALS disease progression.
We enrolled more than 85 new participants into the PMP
to allow for the comprehensive study of ALS symptom progression, genetics, risk factors, biomarkers, and outcomes from interventions.
We
published a paper
in Frontiers in Pharmacology
where we shared our discovery of a previously unexplored drug target for C9ORF72-mediated ALS.
I am so proud of what we accomplished in 2020 despite the circumstances, but it would be disingenuous for me to say that we moved as quickly as I had hoped.
I am excited to seize on the opportunities that we have created through our recent discoveries, I am inspired by the team of scientists that I get to be a part of, and I am buoyed by the support of the ALS community and your faith in us.
I look forward to sharing our continued progress with you.
This is your lab, and we will continue our relentless research for all of you.
With sincere gratitude,
Fernando Vieira, M.D., CSO
The ALS Therapy Development Institute
If you would like to make a donation to support our ALS research, please
click here
.
ALS is not an incurable disease.
It is an underfunded disease.
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About the Author
Fernando Vieira
Chief Scientific Officer
Fernando G. Vieira, M.D. is the Chief Scientific Officer at the ALS Therapy Development Institute where he leads a multidisciplinary team of scientists and researchers in their efforts to discover treatments and biomarkers for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). He has been working in ALS research since 2001. Dr. Vieira studied biological engineering at the University of Florida and medicine at Harvard Medical School. He has been awarded numerous patents for the invention of potential therapeutics for ALS and other neurodegenerative diseases. His research findings, spanning preclinical, basic, clinical, and translational ALS research, have been published in dozens of peer-reviewed journals including Nature Genetics and Science Translational Medicine. His publications have been cited more than 1000 times. Fernando is a proud father and enjoys spending time outdoors hiking and running with his son. "The essential thing 'in heaven and earth' is, apparently, that there should be a long obedience in the same direction; there thereby results, and has always resulted in the long run, something which has made life worth living." –Friedrich Nietzche
If you have any questions, contact
news@als.net
│
617-441-7200
.
Related Reading
Welcome to Your New Lab!
Read More
Registration for the 2021 Tri-State Trek is Now Open
Read More
Why ALS is more like a Syndrome than a Disease, and what that Means for Treatments
Read More
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