A Message from the President & CEO
ALS is a devastating disease, affecting many more people than the approximately 2,500 to 3,000 Canadians who live with it. Its effects are felt by a much larger number of people within the circle of family and friends. ALS is a relentless and fatal disease with no cure and no treatment yet; it bankrupts families emotionally, physically and financially. Research is our only hope.
We desperately need a series of breakthroughs in research. The only way to do that is to secure more funding. Every donation gets us closer to finding effective treatments and, ultimately, a cure.
Funding research for a cure for ALS is the central mission of the ALS Society of Canada. We work toward that goal every day. Our primary research program, the Neuromuscular Research Partnership (NRP), funds research by providing operating grants in the area of neuromuscular diseases with a mandate to find a cause, treatment options and eventually result in a cure for ALS.
Other research initiatives include the doctoral research awards, the Ronald Peter Griggs Memorial Post-doctoral Fellowship, Tim E. Noёl Post-doctoral Fellowship, the Bernice Ramsay Discovery Grants, the Bernice Ramsay Clinical Research Grants and a joint funding research initiative with The ALS Association from the United States.
The NRP, in collaboration with Muscular Dystrophy Canada and in partnership with the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (Institute of Genetics, Institute of Musculoskeletal Health and Arthritis and Institute of Neurosciences), has funded more than $29 million in research since its inception in 2000.
We are funding the first national ALS clinical trial in an effort to confirm the effects of lithium in slowing the progression of ALS. This is a joint effort between the Canadian ALS Clinical Trials and Research Network (CALS) and the Northeastern ALS Consortium, which includes renowned ALS neurologists from the top research institutes in the United States.
Through the efforts of leading scientists in Canada and around the world, our understanding of ALS has increased significantly. Combined with the advances in neurology, effective therapies and a cure are soon to be within reach.
We need your help as our battle against ALS gains momentum. You can help by contributing to the cause through our web site, www.als.ca/_donate, or by calling 1-800-267-4257 ext. 204.
Thank you,
David S. Cameron
President & CEO
ALS Society of Canada
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