History & Mission

The ALS Therapy Alliance (ATA) was established in 2000 to facilitate ALS research projects and collaborations among a diverse group of scientists and clinicians at multiple institutions to cure ALS. This represents a unique collaborative enterprise that spans multiple laboratories, universities and disciplines.

ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), also know as Lou Gehrig’s Disease, is a disorder that causes progressive paralysis leading to respiratory failure and death typically in 4 to 6 years. The disease remains uniformly lethal, and its cause remains unknown.

The ALS Therapy Alliance (ATA) was established in 2000 to facilitate ALS research projects and collaborations among a diverse group of scientists and clinicians at multiple institutions to cure ALS. This represents a unique collaborative enterprise that spans single laboratories and universities.

Today, the ATA partners with corporations, biotech and pharmaceutical firms, manufacturers and the media to create awareness and raise funds for research of ALS through its annual Breakthrough ALS campaign.

Our Board of Directors consists of medical researchers from multiple institutions, including Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Harvard College, Tufts University, Children’s Hospital Boston, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital, Columbia University, Boston University, Brandeis University, and the University of Massachusetts Medical School. The expertise of the Board, which includes two Nobel laureates, encompasses many disciplines central to understanding and treating ALS.

To date, more than $30 million dollars has been raised to fund research for finding a cure for this devastating disease.