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Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Research Program

ALS, also known as "Lou Gehrig's disease," is an incurable, degenerative neurological disorder. For reasons that are not understood, the nerve cells of the brain and spinal cord that control voluntary muscle movement gradually deteriorate. ALS can prove difficult to diagnosis because the initial symptoms are both subtle and vague, and can be attributed to a number of conditions. Average life expectancy after diagnosis ranges from 2 to 5 years.(1) There are no known therapies to effectively halt the progression of ALS. Men and women who have served in the U.S. military are 60 percent more likely than civilians to develop a fatal muscle-wasting disease such as ALS.(2) In addition, 1990-1991 Gulf War veterans have been shown to be twice as likely to develop ALS as the general population, though the reasons for this incidence are not understood yet.

In June 2007, the DOD redirected $5 million (M) of fiscal year 2007 (FY07) Army Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation funding for the CDMRP to initiate the Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Research Program (ALSRP) as a broadly competed, peer-reviewed research program. Partnering with the ALS Association to investigate new drugs to control this disease, the ALSRP offered a Therapeutic Development Award; three awards were made using these funds that hold the promise of bringing improved therapies to patients. The ALSRP was not funded in FY 08, but was again appropriated funds by Congress for FY 09 in the amount of $5M.

1 ALS Association

2 Weisskopf M, et al. 2004. Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Neurology, San Francisco, California

Funding Opportunities Search Awards Integration Panels Peer Review Participants Congressional Appropriations $5 million in FY07 $5 million in FY09 Funding Summary 3 awards in FY07 Previous Proposals Recommended for Funding