abstract:The ALS Association is an American non profit organization that raises money for research and patient services, promotes awareness about and advocates in state and federal government on issues related to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease. The ALS Association is broken up into distinct chapters each servicing a particular geographic area of the United States all working under the umbrella of a national charter and administrator.
The VeteransAdministrationALSregistryclosedin 2011, replacedthefollowingmonth--partlyat the urgingof the ALS Association -- withanothernationalregistry.
Lucie Bruijn, senior vice president of research and development at the ALSAssociation, likens this process to building an engine: If there are parts missing or placed in the wrong place or in the wrong way, the engine doesn't work right.
Scientists at Massachusetts General Hospital, the University of Massachusetts and Kings College in London found the mutation by doing detailed sequencing of the genes in several families with an inherited form of ALS. The findings are published in the February 27 issue of the journal Science and were partially funded by the ALSAssociation.