The ALS Association, the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) and the National Institute of Health (NIH) have developed a partnership to support NeuroLINCS.
NeuroLINCS is a collaborative work that involves several research groups. These groups have focus on induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) technology, OMICS, disease modeling and computational biology. They are dedicated to improving scientific understanding of neurons and how neurological diseases happen.
“NeuroLINCS represents a highly innovative approach to research that can provide valuable insight into ways in which brain cells are affected by devastating disorders, such as ALS,” NINDS Director Dr. Walter Koroshetz said. “We are eager to work with the ALS Association to advance our knowledge of ALS and many other neurological diseases.”
The goal of NeuroLINCS is to create cell signatures for several different human cell types of different conditions, which may be useful for developing treatments and cures for common neurological diseases.
The ALS Association has contributed $2.5 million to the Greater Philadelphia Chapter for the next five years.
“The ALS Association is pleased to partner with NINDS on this important initiative,” Dr. Lucie Bruijn, chief scientist at the ALS Association, said. “Data generated will contribute to many of the ongoing big data initiatives including Answer ALS and will bring us closer to understanding key pathways and unique signatures involved in ALS, which will better inform clinical trial design and development of treatments.”
