On May 31, we learned that tegoprubart (formerly known as AT-1501) – a drug invented at the ALS Therapy Development Institute (ALS TDI) – had successfully completed a phase 2a trial. This is an important milestone for ALS TDI, and for the ALS community. It is evidence of the progress that we are making in research, and proof that a community-funded drug discovery lab can deliver effective treatments for clinical testing.

ALS TDI is not your typical nonprofit organization. Most raise money and hand it over to others to spend on outside research. Our founders, who were personally fighting ALS, recognized that a major problem was that the most critical ALS drug discovery research wasn’t being done yet. So, they audaciously created ALS TDI, the first-ever nonprofit biotech – a lab that would invent its own ALS drugs. Our model was built on the belief that mission-driven research fueled by the ALS community would tear down barriers and advance the best science to ultimately end ALS.

Today, thanks to the support of our ALS community, we have seen a drug invented by the ALS TDI team successfully advanced through a phase 2 trial – but it will by no means be our last. We know that ending ALS will require many treatments, and it’s our job to bring the next drugs to trial.

While tegoprubart has been advancing, our scientists have continued to work urgently to discover and invent new treatments. We currently have two promising programs that are poised to advance toward clinical trial, and we continue to build on this – with a goal of advancing a new drug to trial every two years.

ALS TDI is the drug discovery engine for ALS – we continue to fuel the clinical pipeline by inventing and discovering drugs in our lab and partnering to advance them to trial. And we do this repeatedly until everyone with ALS has effective treatments.

Everything that we accomplish is fueled by our ALS community. I want you to know that your support has a direct impact on our ALS drug discovery. And with continued support, I personally pledge that we will do everything in our power to invent and advance new drugs with the urgency necessitated by an ALS diagnosis.

As someone who has worked in ALS research for over 20 years, and who has felt the personal impact of losing my best friend to this disease, I take this pledge very seriously. And it is my goal to continue to move forward with the same audacity that we began with. To move forward with the belief that together we can and will end ALS.

Sincerely,

Fernando Vieira M.D.

CEO and Chief Scientific Officer at ALS TD

P.S. Register for our ALS Town Hall on July 27, 2022 to hear Eledon discuss the tegoprubart phase 2 trial results. Register to attend.

What Should I do Next?

  • To register for the upcoming ALS Town Hall on tegoprubart, click here.
  • To learn read about the tegoprubart phase 2s trial results, click here.
  • To donate to support the advancement of ALS drug discovery, click here.