The T.H. Chan School of Medicine is committed to training in the full range of medical disciplines, with an emphasis on practice in the primary care specialties, in the public sector and in the underserved areas of Massachusetts.

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Why we like them

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Using a short, synthetic chain of chemically modified nucleotides engineered in the RNA Therapeutics Institute, Robert H. Brown Jr. DPhil, MD, Jonathan Watts, PhD, and colleagues have shown the ability to suppress mutant forms of the ALS gene known as C9orf72 in a single-patient pilot study. C9orf72 is the most common cause of familial ALS and familial frontotemporal dementia (FTD).

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We made our first grant of $10,000 in February 2024.

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CCALS provides resources including equipment, educational opportunities, insurance and Medicare assistance, guidance and awareness with regards to living with ALS, caregiving, and exploring end-of-life. 

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Why we like them

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CCALS was a critical partner in our ALS journey, providing our family with advice on various adaptations for our home, ensuring that we were supported quickly with competent wheelchair support, and moving our stairlift into their loaner program for other families when it no longer aligned with our support needs. They are a proactive and flexible team which has walked alongside so many PALS since their founding.

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We also donated our NuMotion chair into their loaner program.

The ALS Therapy Development Institute (ALS TDI) is the world's foremost drug discovery lab focused solely on ALS. As a nonprofit biotech, they operate without regard to profit or politics. Their mission is to discover and develop effective treatments for ALS.

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Why we like them

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ALS TDI is a dedicated therapy discovery nonprofit based in Boston. They were founded with the express interest in identifying very early-stage therapies that are focused around the chemistry unique to ALS progression. They do a great deal to bring a focus on this critical drug discovery and their community outreach helps widen awareness of ALS and the cutting edge of research.

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The Sean M. Healey & AMG Center for ALS at Mass General draws on our scientific expertise, uniting laboratory investigators, clinicians project managers, bioinformatic specialists and others to radically accelerate innovations in pursuit of a cure for ALS.

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Why we like them

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It is hard to capture the impact that Healey had on our family. They were really like an extended family for us from the day we received the ALS diagnosis, walking with us with their multidisciplinary care model that helped us handle difficult conversations and explained where we were with compassion.

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Les Turner aims to provide the most comprehensive care and support to people living with ALS and their families so they can confidently navigate the disease, and advance scientific research for the prevention, treatment and cure of ALS.

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Why we like them

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Les Turner is a dedicated ALS organization based in Chicago and affiliated with Northwestern Medical Center where Abbey lives. Les Turner has been a source of support to Abbey and her husband, Ted, as they engage in the ALS community near their home and come alongside others as they travel their own journey with ALS.

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Founded by ALS patient Brian Wallach and his wife, Sandra Abrevaya, I AM ALS is revolutionizing how we cure ALS by empowering and mobilizing patients, engaging with policy-makers and offering vital resources for people impacted by ALS.

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Why we like them

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Brian Wallach has used his platform to advocate for public policy changes, build a supportive community of ALS patients, and drive public awareness through the support of initiatives like MLB’s Lou Gehrig Day each year. I AM ALS also has a mentoring program to pair up individuals in the ALS community, and we are actively involved in this work.

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Stu and Deb's daughter, Annie, have served as peer mentors since 2023.

Team Gleason is committed to providing for and finding solutions for persons living with ALS. Team Gleason’s staff and volunteers work tirelessly every day to empower those living with ALS to live with continued purpose and as productively and independently as possible.

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Why we like them

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Steve Gleason, his family, and their team have built a remarkable organization based in New Orleans that specializes in communication devices for people with ALS. Working with Team Gleason, we received financial support in the acquisition of our Tobii Dynavox device and were privileged to move that device to Gleason to use in their network as a way to “pay forward” a remarkable technology when it was no longer needed in our home.